Beauty or blight? Tall Oaks Village Center has been considered both. Blight mostly because most of the stores have been empty for years. In December of 2014, McLean-based Jefferson Apartment Group purchased the Tall Oaks Center and almost immediately announced plans to redevelop it for mixed residential and commercial uses.
Not everyone in the neighborhood was happy about that. But, just about a year ago (January 26, 2016), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the final redevelopment plan.
One of the questions from local residents was whether an anchor grocery store would be part of the plan — many in the surrounding area miss being able to walk to the store. In the spring of 2016, a retail marketing analysis concluded that a grocery store anchor is not a viable option to include in the redevelopment project. So what exactly is going in there? Well, without a grocery store, it seems retail space isn’t viable either. The report indicates there will be 7,500 square feet of space for restaurants. There will also be open spaces and a water feature for children to play in.
I have no doubt the development will be beautiful. It would be nice if there was some retail for local residents, but by now they’ve gotten used to traveling to shop. I do wonder what restaurants will go in. It’s fun to speculate.
Here is a video tour of the proposed plan.
