Alison M. Rice looks at the transformation of the Washington D.C. suburb of Merrifield, Va. from an industrial-suburban wasteland to a $542 million mixed-use development.
"There are very few sites left in the country that are undeveloped and that have the density and strength of a permanent and daytime consumer base within a 10-minute drive time," said Jodie W. McLean, the president and chief investment officer for Edens. Her company is the private retail developer that has helped replace the auto body shop, fast-food restaurants, and acres of surface parking of Merrifield's past and brought in the Angelika Film Center, a 150-room Hyatt House hotel, 73,000 square feet of office space, and shops and restaurants. Her firm's project - the 31-acre Mosaic District - will be "divided into four geographic districts: fashion and retail; film and dining; market, which includes specialty food shops; and residential."
The District, which was named "to refer to the many different Northern Virginia neighborhoods that encircle Merrifield," is the center of the redevelopment. There is a one-acre park with an outdoor movie screen, specialty shops arranged by type, and a mix of national retailers and tiny local shops. Edens wanted to provide a unique shopping experience, and the firm hopes customers visit the district at least twice a week.
"As the district comes together, though," says Rice, "one piece remains stubbornly hard to fit: walkability. Intended as a pedestrian-friendly town center and less than a mile from a Metro station, Mosaic is still best reached for many visitors by car or bus, rather than on foot, because of traffic on nearby roads."
"Such a mixed bag of infrastructure takes time to convert into a walkable neighborhood," notes Rice. "Elected officials say recent road improvements intended to divert traffic away from known Merrifield bottlenecks should help. So should many of the residential projects under construction in the area, which will expand the sidewalk network and create the new street grid, they said."
FULL STORY: A Suburban Wasteland in Virginia Gets a Modern Urban Feel
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.