Safeway is soliciting bids from developers interested in building a residential property on top of a new, proposed Safeway supermarket at 5101 Wilson Boulevard in Bluemont.
According to a document sent to ARLnow.com and first reported on by the Arlington Mercury, Safeway is seeking bids from developers interested in building a new 58,000 to 65,000 square foot Safeway store on the ground floor, with a residential development on top of it. The project would take up the entire block between N. Frederick and Edison Streets, replacing the current, aging Bluemont Safeway and its surface parking lot. Parking — including at least 170 spaces reserved for the Safeway store, would be provided by an underground lot. Safeway is seeking a development that meets a minimum LEED Silver certification.
Last year representatives of the Bluemont Civic Association released sketches of an envisioned “Bluemont Village Center” that included two to three stories of residential development on top of a new Safeway store. Created only as a theoretical planning exercise, it’s unclear whether the civic association’s vision would be adopted by the winning developer.
Real estate firm KLNB is marketing the air rights at 5101 Wilson Boulevard on behalf of Safeway. Bids are due on June 15.