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Note From the Editors

We would like to hear from you!
Please email or call the editors with your thoughts and suggestions, as well as any news items you’d like to include. Sentinel editors are Carrie Wehling Michaud and Jessica Kaplan. You can email us at (Jessica) and (Carrie), call us at 703-765-9448 (Jessica) and 703-768-9723 (Carrie), or drop us a note at 6823 Stoneybrooke Lane (Jessica) and 6820 Lamp Post Lane (Carrie).

Message from Supervisor Jeff McKay

Springfield Mall Rezoning Approved and a New Era Begins

When I was growing up in Lee District, Springfield Mall was a vibrant and modern retail center with stores like Garfinkels and W. Bell Company. Times changed; other malls were developed and
redeveloped, yet Springfield Mall's 80 acres of stores and restaurants remained fixed in time with an absentee owner who saw no reason to invest in his property. The results were all too obvious?B-list retailers, questionable security, and customers who preferred to shop at Tysons, Pentagon City, and anywhere that wasn't Springfield Mall. A few years ago Vornado Realty Trust, one of the country's largest owners of retail and office property purchased the mall, intending to rebuild it as a smart growth, mixed-use development with retail, office, and residential.

For years, the community has asked that something be done about the state of the Mall and with today's rezoning, the community will see its wish fulfilled. This project includes a number of community amenities including a grocery store, dog park, tot lot, athletic courts, fitness center, and state-of-the-art movie theater. A number of other community investments that are part of this case include construction of an artificial turf field for Lee High School, a substantial contribution to the Lee District Rec Center, $4 million toward the Springfield Regional Road Fund, improved access to Metro from the Mall (estimated at about $2.6 million a year, and $200,000 a year for five years to enhance Springfield's TAGS circulator bus system.

The rezoning approved yesterday by the Board of Supervisors on a 10-0 vote includes significant office space—especially desirable in these tough economic times. The most exciting part of this
project is that in addition to the office and residential mix there will be a fully renovated 2.1
million square foot mall.

This project is much more than a simple mall upgrade. This rezoning has the potential to change the image of Springfield, showcasing it as a regional center for business and shopping. It transforms the mall into an amenity for our community—one long overdue and welcome.

Please call or email by office if you have any questions about this project. Our phone number is (703) 971-6262 and our email is .

From the Editors

With a mostly-absent SCA Board, the Sentinel editors field quite a few questions about neighborhood issues. With that in mind, we thought it would be useful to mention a few of the reoccurring ones. We mention these in the spirit of neighborliness --- knowing that what we do with our own properties affects those around us, not only in terms of property values but also in just plain livability.

1. Trash on the curb. As you all know, with having multiple trash companies and multiple types of pickups during the week, the streets can look pretty cluttered during the week. If folks could keep this in mind and try to limit the time that trash cans, recycling bins and brush piles accumulate on the street during the week, that would improve neighborhood appearance.
2. Construction/Fences. Of course, you are entitled to build on your property as you see fit, subject to County requirements and our Stoneybrooke covenants (and there are some on these subjects!). However, because your neighbors have to live with your building or fence, as well as the construction of it, it would be a good neighbor thing to do to discuss your plans with those affected. There may be some small changes that you can make to your design or timing that would not impact your cost or final product but would make things much easier for your neighbors. Keep in mind that your outside construction or fencing can have a big impact on your neighbors.
   

We welcome other good neighbor tips.