Steve Burns
WMAL.com
BALLSTON — (WMAL) Some say the Ballston Common Mall’s design is getting a bit outdated, and its starting to show in its popularity in the region.
“It’s a mall that’s struggling right now. They’re expecting to be close to 60% vacant by February of next year,” said Arlington County board Chair Mary Hynes. “It’s 30-some years old. It’s the old kind of mall with not much visibility from the outside, hard to tell what stores there are.”
The County is in early talks with the mall’s owner, Forest City Enterprises, to renovate the mall. She said the high vacancy rate is partly on purpose. “There would have to be a critical mass of space available to actually move into the re-doing of the mall,” Hynes said.
The vision is one that turns the mall inside-out, making it a gathering place and a focal point for the community.
“We expect to see more gathering spaces that are easily accessible from outside or that are outside,” Hynes said. They’re also aiming for “this mix for what we hope will be very unique shopping, not your usual set of things. Forest City’s been very active in pursuing retailers who aren’t very active in this market.”
She said as the plans stand now, the movie theaters and iceplex will remain, along with different “eating experiences.”
The plans are expected to go in front of the Board this fall.
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