New housing, retail, and restaurants coming to Mosaic
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| The new buildings are going up on the site of a former parking lot, on the right. |
Big changes are happening at the Mosaic District in Merrifield, the West of Falls Church blog reports.
Construction has started on the final two buildings on the site, which will eventually house 50,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and 222 residential units.
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| The future site of Bluemercury on District Avenue. |
The buildings will be located on the site of a former surface parking lot on the east side of District Avenue, just south of the Angelika Film Center and bordering the existing shopping center on Gallows Road.
That shopping center, anchored by the Unique thrift shop and Great Wall grocery store, is slated to be redeveloped as Merrifield II and will be connected to the Mosaic District via a new road from District Avenue to Gallows Road.
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| District Avenue, with Iron Chef House on the right. |
The farmers market on District Avenue won’t be affected by the construction, according to a statement from the Mosaic District. It will open for the season on May 1. There will be less parking available, however.
New retailers coming to Mosaic include:
- A Bluemercury cosmetics shop with a spa. The Bluemercury chain, founded in Washington, D.C., has more than 70 stores across the United States.
- Undeniable Boutique, a shop carrying unique women’s clothing and accessories. This will be the second Undeniable Boutique location; the first opened in 2011 in Fairfax Corner.
- Scout & Molly’s, another women’s boutique, with 16 locations, mostly on the East Coast.
- Elevate Fitness, a gym with daily scripted workouts, training stations, and high-intensity interval training. This will be the second Elevate Fitness location following the original site at 2428 14th St., in D.C.
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| The Requin pop-up restaurant. |
When it comes to restaurants, Iron Chef House and Requin have recently opened. Requin is a “pop-up” headed by restaurateur Mike Isabella and chef Jennifer Carroll with a menu inspired by French Mediterranean cuisine. After its limited run at Mosaic, Requin will move to a permanent spot on D.C.’s southwest waterfront, and Isabella will open the Greek-themed Kapnos Kousina in the Mosaic site.
New restaurants expected to open Mosaic include:
- Choolah, an Indian barbecue restaurant from Ohio planning to open more locations.
- Jinya Ramen Bar, a restaurant chain founded in Tokyo with several locations in the United States.
- District Dumpling, an offshoot of New York’s Dumpling Go chain.
- Nando’s Peri Peri, a fast casual chain from South Africa featuring flame-grilled chicken.
Oh joy, more kowtowing to yuppies-in-training who couldn't afford Balston or Alexandria.
is this a bot?
What do you mean "yuppies-in-training?" I'm 60 and love the Mosaic Center. The new restaurants sound interesting.
No Adam, just another Annandale Blog anti-everything (especially Penny Gross) dolt.
This is the same dolt who complains about the building of a new drive-thru Pharmacy in Baileys Crossroads in the place of a rat-infested pocket forest.
Because pharmacies only serve "yuppies-in-training" according to these impossible to please yoyos.
I am an Anti-Penny but I think this is great to bring these type of business in. I would love to see these type of stores come to the Mason District but unfortunately we have Penny and that will not happen. I personally do not shop or eat there not because I do not want to but because it is not in my budget.
i would like to see photos of these rats. sorry you hate green space and want everything paved over.
Just to clear the record, rats co-habitat with people not in forests.
@ 5:52, Brine has a HH deal, $1 oysters. Can't beat it.
Nando's is the Cadillac of fast casual. That spicy chicken is fantastic.
We need development like this in Mason District…get on it Penny.
@ 2:23, what makes you think Ballston is a desirable place to live?
Nando's also does 1/2 off beer for happy hour, and usually has a decent list of craft stuff.
Anonymous3/14/16, 10:44 PM – Rats are quite successful without people. They are an invasive species in may parts of the world having and are considered the largest non-human threat to sea bird populations world wide by some.
The headline for this post should read: "Providence's Mosaic District is in a magnificent boom, while Mason District continues to be marooned for doom and gloom."
Apples and Oranges. Mosaic is possible because it occupies a large tract of land that was open or largely underdeveloped and doesn't significantly encroach on residential areas. In contrast, commercial development in Mason will require the considerably less profitable redevelopment of smaller parcels of commercial property that are in close proximity to apartments and subdivisions.
If the County provided leadership and economic incentives for different a paradigm, if there was desirable mass transit, if there was a vision and a mission of intent to make Mason a unique living and working experience, it could happen.
But because it lacks all of these necessary components, Mason will remain a dump in a slump.
We have the large Kmart lot that is the pits and will never be developed into anything nice.
@9:24,
"In contrast, commercial development in Mason will require the considerably less profitable redevelopment of smaller parcels of commercial property that are in close proximity to apartments and subdivisions."
Isn't this what the NIBMY's and PGDS (Penny G Derangement Syndrome) sufferers continually rail against?
WHAT? No mattress store?
what anonymous 2:23 really wanted was a car title loan store at the Mosaic district to keep the yuppies away
There is a Title Max just around the corner from Mosaic at 29 and Gallows. It used to be a mattress store, guess they can't have both.
Mosaic is surrounded by "dumpiness" on all sides, yet people are fall all over themselves extolling its virtues. Tire shop, Title Max, gas stations, ethnic grocery stores, liquor store, drive through fast food, car wash…how do the oh so highfalutin residents of Mosaic ever cope?!?!?!
What is it about yourself that you have to refer to people who want to live in a nice home with shops, restaurants and services like a gym and ballet studio "higfalutin"? Why are you so angry? What do you have against clean streets? Where do you want people to live? Where do you live? Is it a dump? Is is nice? If it's a dump, then that's your choice. If it's nice, then why can't other people enjoy the same. All of you nasty people need to figure out what is going on within yourself and stay off discussion boards unless you can have a pleasant conversation with a fellow citizen. It's time to stop the nastiness and name calling.
I, for one, would welcome the walkable mixed use development overlords in Mason District. Plop some condos with ground floor retail in that amorphous area they call the "Annandale Center" or whatever they call it.
A little green space would be lovely–maybe above ground like NYC's high line, or building extensions with mini gardens. Mosaic is within walking distance of Metro, so the density makes sense.
Could Mason District build up? Maybe nice condo residences or senior/handicap accessible housing with street level retail for the existing businesses. Or maybe housing to appeal to Millennials with fitness, day care, dry cleaning, convenience store & 24 hr diner style restaurant built in. Fitness, day care would not have to be street level.
Also, why aren't we preparing to welcome medical personnel with the new Inova campus going up? These folks will have some money & Annandale is so convenient to the Inova complex.