Wait Continues for Renovation of Alexandria's Landmark Mall

With plans now in the works in Arlington to renovate Ballston Mall and Pentagon City doing some renovating of its shopping center, Alexandria residents might be wondering: When will Landmark Mall see action on its renovation plans? Plans for a late 2014 demolition came and went.

“We continue to make progress,” Caryn Kboudi, vice president of marketing for mall owner Howard Hughes Corporation, said Tuesday. Those statements echo what Kboudi said more than two years ago (see: “Landmark Mall Redevelopment Still Under Consideration”).

As Springfield Town Center’s demolition and rebirth came and went in Fairfax County, now Ballston Mall renovation plans are underway in Arlington County with renderings from Cooper Cary, the same firm that created renderings for a new Landmark Mall shopping center.

Arlington County may OK the plans for Ballston before the end of the year, with construction beginning on the interior of the mall in 2016; exterior shops are supposed to stay open during construction. The owner of that mall is reportedly working with interior shops on lease arrangements to close during the renovation, ARLnow has reported.

Employees at the Landmark Mall stores that are left (and who ask that their names not be used) say they do not get any information or updates from Howard Hughes Corporation, mall management or the City about redevelopment plans. A call to several stores shows there are no known plans to close for demolition.

The latest on the official City of Alexandria Landmark Mall page shows that the Howard Hughes Corporation has pushed plans for Landmark down the road again:

Applicant defers Site Plan Amendment from April 2015 hearings:

“The Howard Hughes Corporation has deferred their requested Site Plan Amendment from the April 2015 Planning Commission and City Council dockets. The proposed amendment would increase the residential and commercial floor area of the development. The applicant is preparing to re-docket the amendment for Planning Commission and City Council consideration soon.”

The Mall is tentatively scheduled for the June docket, to amend their approval to add 50,000 square feet of floor area, according to the City planning office. The dates for hearings will be June 2 and June 13. There are no guarantees that the mall will be on the docket.

Comments on the mall plans, on the City of Alexandria Landmark Mall page, date back two years. The latest:

Christopher says: “Somebody on that council is getting paid off to drag this redevelopment on forever... I’m betting that the local car dealers want to keep the parking lot there forever as a storage site for their excess vehicles.”

Brad says: “Shame on the bureaucracy of feet dragging on the redevelopment of Landkark Mall. They built the Pyramids thousands of years ago in less time than it took to rebuild a mall. Shamefull! I hope I live long enough to see it.”

James says: “I am in favor of mixed use with an emphasis on business. Having said that we need to get going. The city, business owners and employees are losing money because people would rather shop at a first world mall. Landmark is a disgrace. It might be the most lifeless mall in the Washington Metropolitan area.”

A call to Macy’s, one of the two mall anchor stores, elicited this response from an administrative assistant to the manager: “We’re not allowed to discuss it.”

IMAGE: Rendering of redeveloped Landmark Mall in Alexandria