The eyesore that is the area surrounding Landmark Mall area will receive an injection of new life later this year when the demolition of a number of antiquated structures across the street from what was once the mall’s main entrance gets underway.
The demolition, which will pave the way for the newly coined Overlook at West End, is another step in what has been a long-awaited influx of residences, office structures, hotels, and shopping.
The 8.2-acre plot, located on Duke Street between I-395 and Van Dorn Street, currently houses a number of longstanding structures, including the Dunya Banquet Hall and Restaurant, the mammoth, and a currently vacant building that once housed Big Lots — and Best Buy and BJs before it — and the neighborhood dive Alley Cat restaurant, which is expected to open up shop in a new location. An adjacent office building is also expected to be torn down.
In place of the aforementioned buildings will be nearly 7,000 square feet of retail space, a 150,000- to 200,000-square-foot structure that will either serve as a hotel or office building, 362 apartments, and 88 condominiums, according to the developer. Once finished, the project, tasked to the New Jersey-based developer Hekemian & Co., is expected to bring more than 600,000 square feet of new development space.
In what has become a mixed-use development model popularized by places like the reimagined Mosaic District, among others, the Overlook at West End apartments — slated to begin construction in Q4 2023 — will be positioned atop by a ground level retail space. Based on the area’s blueprints, the apartment building will encircle a 7.5-story garage that provides residents with drivable access to the floor of their apartment.
The development’s condominiums, meanwhile, which are set to undergo construction beginning in the spring of next year, will feature two-over-two style residences — or, stacked two-story homes — that will each feature their own garage.
The stores that will occupy the sites included in the development’s retail space have yet to be determined, but those establishments that do move in will undoubtedly benefit from the eventual redevelopment of the expansive mall site directly across the street.
In place of Landmark Mall, where demolition began in May and will be reimagined as West End, will be approximately 4 million square feet of residential, retail, and office development that will be anchored by the relocated, state-of-the-art Alexandria Hospital — expected to open in 2028.
The site’s location, coupled with the development, is expected to provide an economic boom to an area that has become dilapidated over the years. West End sits an estimated eight-minute drive to the new Amazon HQ2 as well as the new Virginia Tech Innovation campus.
To stay up to date on construction scheduling, developmen,t and site plans, visit westendva.com.
Feature image courtesy City of Alexandria
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