Redevelopment proposed for Annandale bowling alley site
A proposal to redevelop the bowling alley property on 4245 Markham Street in central Annandale has resurfaced. According to an item in Mason Supervisor Penny Gross’s newsletter, “a rezoning application has been filed to redevelop the AMF Annandale Lanes bowling center into a mixed-use residential development.”
The proposal calls for “310 multifamily dwelling units with 6,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving ground floor retail,” the newsletter states. The applicant proposes rezoning the property from the “planned commercial district” designation to a “planned residential mixed-use district.”
Gross says there will be several community meetings with opportunities for public comment. The project is expected to be discussed at the next meeting of the Annandale Commercial Business District Planning Committee, tentatively scheduled for Jan. 14, 1 p.m., at the Mason District Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale.
Discussions on redeveloping this property have been going on for years. Last January, Jon Farmelo, president of J. Webb Properties, the owner of the site, announced plans to develop an apartment complex with some ground-floor retail. Under the new proposal, the project will be developed by a different entity, possibly Southern Management, Gross said.
The Annandale bowling alley “has always been a center of the community, and has become even more so since Fuddruckers closed,” said Fred Gill, manager of AMF Annandale Lanes, noting an increase in children’s birthday parties.
AMF Bowling Worldwide, the parent company of AMF Annandale Lanes went
into Chapter 11 bankruptcy status in November 2012. Last June AMF merged with Bowlmor, creating a new company known as Bowlmor AMF.
13 responses to “Redevelopment proposed for Annandale bowling alley site”
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I am surprised this is moving along so quickly (I am not sure if a developer would ever ask for a rezoning well in advance of ground breaking). I would like to see the details – I hope there will be discussion at some time other than midday on a weekday, as those of us who live in Annandale but work downtown may not be able to make that meeting.
Call Penny anytime to find out how many RSU's she'll vote for in there in addition to the maximum number of "affordable housing units"…a lovely addition to the community.
Actually, this is the kind of project where RSUs would be good. It's not in a single-family neighborhood and near a main road and shopping.
And which of the nearby overcrowded schools will accommodate the children in these new apartments? Annandale Terrace? Woodburn? Mason Crest? Columbia? Since FCPS just approved a major re-alignment of boundaries just two years ago, it's likely that they'll all have to be absorbed into just one school that is already struggling with current crowding issues. What do Penny Gross and Sandy Evans have to say about this?
Sandy Evans gets no say, its a zoning issue. And I beleive its by right, under the plan adopted for central Annadale several years ago. Its likely that new apartments will generate relatively few children (poor people won't be able to afford them, and affluent families won't be interested in apartments – at least not in Annandale). More like to be occupied by singles, childless couples, empty nesters.
More likely, they will be occupied with multiple families/generations with numerous kids. That would be the realistic view of things.
Most overused word/phrase in Mason district 2013 and several years back: "BY RIGHT'
How about building an elementary school there to relieve the overcrowding at Annandale Terrace and other schools?
by right is a concept in common law – you may want socialism, but we live in a society with property rights. There are limits set by zoning. Within the zoning, the property owner has a right to build – that is what is meant by "by right" the phrase would not be used so much, if people didnt spend so much time complaining about what property owners do with their own land, within the zoning code.
Didn't we just open a new elementary school, called Mason Crest?
Yep, Mason Crest alleviated some of the overcrowding at nearby schools, but most schools in our area are still at/over capacity – even after the opening of Mason Crest. Just see how many portable trailers are still being used at these schools – it's shameful.
IIUC the school board proposed a bond issue every couple of years, and prioritizes new capacity. By all means go ahead and lobby for another school in Annandale – I am skeptical that a site in the middle of the commercial district will be the most economical location. Elementary schools can be built in SFH areas, but per zoning dense mixed use cannot be.
There is no economical location inside the beltway around here as there is no land available for the schools needed…hence the new urban design of the Bailey's annex. Elementary (or secondary or high) schools simply can't be build in SFH area – the land is just not available.