Bailey’s Crossroads shopping center is getting a makeover

Crossroads Center, the shopping center on Leesburg Pike and Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, is getting a makeover. 

The façade refresh will be in place before the new Amazon Fresh grocery store opens in part of the former Safeway building, property manager Joe Sirni, a vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, said at a Jan. 21 meeting of the Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Corporation. 

The new modern look will feature a more squared-off profile, with more metal and wood, Sirni said. Construction is expected to start April 1. 

Demolition at the old Safeway building could start in May, and Amazon Fresh is scheduled to open in mid-2020, Sirni said. 

Related story: Amazon Fresh to open in Bailey’s Crossroads

Amazon Fresh will offer the same kind of organic produce sold at Whole Foods, which Amazon also owns, along with items found at traditional grocery stores. In-store cameras will automatically scan customers’ shopping carts and charge their purchases, so shoppers won’t have to wait in checkout lines. 

JLL did not renew Safeway’s lease last year, as sales had been plummeting for several years, Sirni said. 

Amazon Fresh is going in the space at the right of Staples.

Amazon Fresh will be a “terrific tenant,” he said. “It’s going to be a great store for the community. Amazon is great to work with.” The new store will have 75 to 100 employees. 

It will occupy 40,000 square feet of the property closest to Staples. Sirni is considering several tenants for the remaining 21,700 square feet, such as Home Goods or Homesense. The only other vacancy at Crossroads Center is the former A.C. Moore storefront. 

The upgrade of Crossroads Centers will also include four EVgo fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. 

Related story: Gold’s Gym in Bailey’s Crossroads to relocate to bigger space

In other changes at the shopping center, the First Watch restaurant, under construction in the former Ruby Tuesday space, is expected to open in March. 

First Watch serves only breakfast and lunch – featuring healthy, organic ingredients – and closes in the middle of the afternoon. The restaurant will have a large rollup door allowing semi-outdoor dining when the weather is nice. 

Gold’s Gym is relocating from Carlin Springs Road in Bailey’s Crossroads to the former HHGregg store on Columbia Pike. Construction will start soon, and the new gym is expected to open in July.