Ballston Mall - What is going in after Macy’s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rumor has it that it will be a Whole Foods.

Every developer starts this rumor to drive prices up. Never materializes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rumor has it that it will be a Whole Foods.

Every developer starts this rumor to drive prices up. Never materializes.

OP -This is a rumor that I hope is atleast partially true, especially if it’s a Shole Foods on par with downtown DC and Crystal City!

[Anonymous]

A senior living community.

[Anonymous]

Why not wegmans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

They are going to be small market rate rentals and larger affordable units for families. No condos. It is difficult to set up a successful condo regime with affordable rental units in the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

Nobody said they shouldn't add housing, just that the retail and restaurants need to improve. And one big demographic that needs a consistently there are the patrols of the ice rink. Ballston is the densest census area in the entire DMV. Why is the mall failing despite all of those people that live there? It's not a lack of potential shoppers. It's the quality of the retail.

[Anonymous]

Sorry "one demographic that is consistently there are the patrons of the ice rink." Forgive the typos and the sloppy wording.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully a Safeway will move in. They are pricey but decent selection overall. The nearby Safeways haven’t been renovated since the 70s or 80s and aren’t worth the trip.

The Safeway on Wilson Blvd. was renovated a year ago and both the Cherrydale and Lee-Harrison Safeways were renovated in the last few years. They may not be worth the trip for you, but they have very high profits per square foot, particularly the Lee-Harrison Safeway.

The Safeway on Wilson (near Geo Mason) is a joke - tiny - basically a glorified convenience store. Safeway has tried to upgrade it to a real grocery store several times - but NIMBYs Bluemont have successfully blocked it.

Didn’t the Bluemont Civic Assn sponsor a design competition for the Safeway site a few years back (before covid). A young architecture student won top prize—his winning entry had 5 or six levels of mixed income housing above a brand new, ground level Safeway store with large picture windows to let in natural light. I think the County Board or Staff was against it and no developer stepped forward. The neighborhood was all “gung ho” about the project idea at the time. The neighborhood may have changed its tune since. That was roughly a generation ago after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

It’s the design of the place that does not draw people in (except maybe to the food hall below ground). If the owners of the mall hired the design team that created the wildly popular Rose and Pike retail and food destination in North Bethesda/Rockville, then Ballston Quarter would be booming. The wealthy demographics and high numbers of residents would support retail in Ballston.

[Anonymous]

The plan for a first floor grocery store and 16-story rental apartment building hasn't gone anywhere since 12/2022. They're probably waiting for the grocery anchor to sign. The developer says in an article they're starting later this year and the plan expires in 2025.

[Anonymous]

I heard it might be Erewhon. The only press release stated that the organic high end grocery store has yet to enter this market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

OP here.

The Caps players, their wives are here all the time.

The fans are here all the time.

There is major money here all the time.

I’m here now and the place is packed with out of state universities.

The rink is open 18 hours a day. Sometimes longer.

This is a major economic engine that is being completely ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

It’s the design of the place that does not draw people in (except maybe to the food hall below ground). If the owners of the mall hired the design team that created the wildly popular Rose and Pike retail and food destination in North Bethesda/Rockville, then Ballston Quarter would be booming. The wealthy demographics and high numbers of residents would support retail in Ballston.

Agree, it's a combo of the design and the quality of the retail. The shopping center doesn't relate at all to a walkable urban neighborhood. It's not a pedestrian friendly design and frankly it's just depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I spend an enormous amount of time at the Caps ice rink at the top of Ballston Mall. Our kids are figure skaters and hockey players.

Arlington is missing a huge opportunity to capitalize on the money brought into this facility 365 days a year.

The Caps practice here. Those of us who are committed to the various ice sports have the incomes to support a variety of retail or entertainment options.

I’m at the rink now while my DC gets a private lesson. There is no where to get a coffee unless I walk several blocks to Starbucks.

Ballston needs some personality added to it and if this place is just condos, then they will miss a big opportunity to bring something to the entire community.

Agree with this. The anchor there is the ice rink and they need to start with the patrons of the rink and build the plan from there.

Sorry, a few parents of ice skaters isn't going to drive retail demand the way a thousand new residents will.

OP here.

The Caps players, their wives are here all the time.

The fans are here all the time.

There is major money here all the time.

I’m here now and the place is packed with out of state universities.

The rink is open 18 hours a day. Sometimes longer.

This is a major economic engine that is being completely ignored.

Sorry, you don't really understand retail drivers. It's a nice little additive traffic driver, a complement, a way to add nice margins for food retailers during off hours. The major events usage is way too uneven for a retailed to count on. Not at all a "major economic engine".

Do agree a redesign would be good. But retail is an incredible challenge now. It's such a risky investment for property owners that they aren't gonna do it without much clearer paths to solid tenants.