Landmark redevelopment will include transportation fixes

An illustration of the Landmark redevelopment project. [Foulger-Pratt]

Representatives of developer
Foulger-Pratt and Inova Health System filled in some details on what they’re
planning for the Landmark Mall site at a May 13 community meeting. 

While various discussion about
redeveloping the old mall have been going on for years, “now it’s different,
because of Inova’s plan to bring world-class health services to the property,”
said Foulger-Pratt CEO Brigg Bunker.

The plans call for turning the
52-acre vacant mall site into a “walkable urban village” with 4 million square
feet of development anchored by a 1-million-square-foot hospital complex. Transportation improvements will make the site more accessible to the broader community.

The proposal goes to the Alexandria Planning Commission June 24 and to the City Council July 6. There will be another community meeting May 24.  

Timeline

Here’s a rough schedule for development
of the Landmark property:

July 2021 – The developer will
submit a coordinated development district plan, rezoning application, and
master plan revision to the City of Alexandria. This phase will include a broad
plan for types of uses, including the amount of residential and commercial development, how much
open space there will be, and general building heights.

2021-22 – The development special
use permit will be completed, including more specific details on the number of units in each
building, the height of individual buildings, the proposed architecture, and
the design of parks and open spaces.

2022-24 – Final site plans and
construction permits will be developed and submitted to the city.

July 2023 – The first groundbreaking
will start with the infrastructure.

2024-28 – Hospital construction.

2028, first quarter – Alexandria
Hospital moves to Landmark.

The broad concept

According to Jay Kelly, vice
president of development at Foulger-Pratt, the project will
incorporate the key recommendations of the Landmark Small Area Plan approved by
Alexandria in 2019, which calls for:

• A lively urban neighborhood with activated
  ground floors and a mix of uses, including institutional and community
  facilities.
• A network of open spaces,
  including at least 3.5 acres of publicly accessible green space.
• Options for affordable housing.
• A centrally located transit hub.
• A grid of streets with enhanced
  pedestrian and cycling connections.
• Distinctive architecture and urban
  design.

The plan for the public areas at Landmark. The road at the bottom is Duke Street.

The existing parking garage would
be rehabilitated and reconfigured to serve residents and shoppers.

There will be a central plaza
along a “green spine” through the center of the project with a connection to
trails in Holmes Run Stream Valley.

Transportation improvements 

The project incorporates
transportation improvements to mitigate existing problems, including an
auto-centric focus with limited site access, no pedestrian walkways, and
barriers to cycling.

The proposed redevelopment project
would emphasize multimodal transportation both within the property and around
it.

Proposed improvements include:

• Removal of the flyover ramp on
  Route 236.
• Three new intersections on Route
  236 to increase access to the development.
• A transit hub within the site
  serving five bus lines.
• Shared bike lanes
  along Duke Street and Van Dorn Street and protected bike lanes within the
  development.

By creating a grid of streets, the
congested traffic lanes merging on Duke Street would be eliminated and there
would be more options for drivers to enter the site, Kelly said. Traffic would
be slightly slower for drivers using Duke Street as a pass-through during peak
times, however.

A new hospital

The existing Alexandria Hospital
on Seminary Road would be relocated to the Landmark site.

The new hospital would have a level
2 trauma center with specialty services for brain injuries and complex
fractures; a helipad; 230 private rooms for patients; advanced services for
obstetrics, heath and vascular medicine, and neurosciences; a full-service
cancer center, a medical office building, surface and below-grade parking, and room
for future expansion for patient beds and medical diagnostics.

There will be an “active and
energized” pedestrian-friendly area at the main entry that will serve as a “community
green for use by Inova patients, staff, and visitors, and also for community
wellness programs.

Sustainable elements planned at
the hospital campus include a bird-safe façade, maximized daylighting, heat
recovery, renewable energy, solar shading, minimized window-to-wall ratio, a central
utility plant, high-efficiency natural gas boilers, and water conservation,

Cathy Puskar, a land use attorney
with Walsh Colucci, said once the new hospital opens – anticipated in 2028 – the
existing Alexandria Hospital site on Seminary Road will be torn down to make
way for the construction of new single-family homes and townhouses. Inova needs
to sell that property in order to pay for the new hospital.

Housing and
retail

The plan calls for the City of
Alexandria’s Fire Station 209 on Paxton Street to be relocated to the Landmark
site, with affordable housing units built on top.

There would be an additional 45
affordable units spread throughout the site plus an option for senior housing.

The developers say there won’t be
as much retail as there was in the old Landmark Mall but there will be stores and
restaurants serving residents, hospital clientele and staff, and the broader
community. It’s too early to know what types
of retailers will be involved but Foulger-Pratt hopes to get a grocery store.

About a third of the buildings
will have “green roofs,” said Bob Abt, vice president of development at Foulger-Pratt,
and all roofs will be “solar ready.”

There will be electric vehicle charging
stations through the site, and the entire property, except the hospital
campus, will be certified as a LEED Neighborhood Development.