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| Main entrance at the Dunn Loring Metro |
There is a lot going on throughout the Gallows Road Corridor but nowhere is it more evident than right at the metro station itself.
Avenir Place and JBGR are in the midst of the 2nd and final phase of their project that at full build out will include 125,000sf of retail, 628 apartments, a new metro entrance, an expanded parking garage for up to 3,000 spaces and new bus bays. Its hard to believe that as early as August of 2013 this area was merely a gigantic surface parking lot.
Some retailers have already signed on to the project including Harris Teeter who will serve as an anchor tenant and will occupy approximately 50,000sf. Other retailers include the rapidly expanding SmashBurger as well as Moby Dicks House of Kabob. JBGR has a few other retailers identified on their promotional brochure but none are confirmed as of now.
What is very interesting about this project is that much of the retail components will actually be built into the parking garage itself. This will allow for entrances at both the street level and from inside the garage itself.
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| Retail built into the parking garage |
This is the kind of development that embraces a pedestrian friendly environment that reuses and maximizes the potential of the land. Hopefully this the type of development that will be adopted by more areas in Fairfax County especially as our county continues to urbanize.
The project has an expected completion date of sometime in early 2015. Below are additional photos and a link to a promotional brochure provided by JBG.
JBG Dunn Loring Metro Renderings
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| Retail bays currently under construction |
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| A new street grid that runs through the new development. |
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| New bike racks |
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| The last of the structural elements being added |
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| View of the kiss & ride lot upon exiting the metro station |
Unfortunately the temporary pedestrian and bike facilities are not good. The developer should have been required to provide a much wider ped/bike trail adjacent to Gallows Road. Instead there is a narrow sidewalk along with many people waiting for buses. There are several long pedestrian detours around the development, and they should be shorter and more convenient. A safer, more convenient crossing of Gallows Road should have been provide as well. Instead, pedestrians are blamed for jaywalking and if injured, would be held at fault.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably the issues you mentioned are all too common with most construction sites(this not being the worst I've seen). However once the project is done most of the issue you mentioned will go away. But I do agree with you when it comes to the problems regarding the Gallows Road crossing. Something permanent should be done like a light up crossways similar to those on college campuses. Most people on Gallows coming from Tysons are blind to whats coming ahead and tend to speed around the corner until they hit the light in front of the metro and see pedestrians trying to cross the street.
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