Sentinel

This Month

Note from the Editors

September Meeting Minutes

Treasurer's Report

Message from Supervisor McKay

Notice of Fairfax Co. Budget Mtg

Stopping the Examiner

Announcements

Babysitters

Classifieds

Board and Committees

Sentinel Archives

Minutes from September Stoneybrooke Community meeting

Accessible Treehouse Flyer

Message from Supervisor McKay

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 mixed-use development with retail, office, and residential.

Vornado’s plans encompass a multi-phase renovation over a period of years. Some of the changes are already evident as the Mall prepares for its interior renovation. The leases of some tenants have not been renewed and other tenants are being moved within the Mall to accommodate the upcoming construction. Security has been significantly improved with the police and Mall security working closely together. Overall, there has been a 66 percent drop in all categories of crime in the past year.

While construction on the first phase of redevelopment (primarily interior upgrades to the existing mall) is expected to begin in spring 2009, the second phase that requires a plan amendment and rezoning is under study by the citizen-led Lee District Land Use Committee. The committee should finish its review of the redevelopment this winter, followed by a Planning Commission vote and action by the Board of Supervisors, most likely in February.

This second phase would be a pedestrian-oriented town center with retail, office, and residential. Plans include pocket parks scattered throughout the development, as well as significant environmental upgrades and amenities.

Transportation is an important issue and Fairfax County and VDOT are working closely with the Mall developers to ensure that both pedestrians and vehicles will be able to get around. Transportation improvements will include a street grid within the property, and an on-road bike lane for the perimeter roads and trails, as well as improved pedestrian connections between the town center and the Franconia/Springfield Metro.

You can find more information about the Mall’s plans at http://www.springfieldtowncenter.com/. I am very excited about the future of the mall and its potential to once again be a positive community focal point.

Stopping the Examiner

Stoneybrooke's Own Makes Her Mark at William and Mary

Gerow’s accomplishments continue the Tribe tradition started by fellow West Potomac graduate and Stoneybrooker, Doug Ernst, who played on the William and Mary Men’s soccer team for the past four years. Ernst won the team’s Pipeline award for leading the team in assists in both his junior and senior seasons, for a total of fourteen assists in those two years (nine and five). He graduated from the College in May 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology.

Both players set scoring records while playing at West Potomac. Gerow posted 22 goals as a sophomore, and led the team as a senior with 12. Ernst led his team in scoring every season, scoring 15 goals in one season and 33 in his West Potomac career.

With the fall season just getting underway, Gerow is on track to have a phenomenal freshman showing at William & Mary. The Tribe plays in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and the women currently have a record of 2-1-1.