The redevelopment of the Westmont Shopping Center could be one step closer to reality after this weekend.
The Arlington County Board is scheduled to vote on moving the project forward during their meeting this Saturday, September 21. Developer Republic Properties Corporation (RPC) is seeking a use permit for the project, which aims to build six-story mixed use building with 250 housing units on the site and 22,500 square feet of retail space.
County staff have recommended Board members approve the permit, per a staff report to the Board.
Plans to demolish the current single-story strip mall and parking lot, located at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road, have been discussed for a year.
The 1.82 acre lot lies within an area designated for revitalization, subject to Columbia Pike Form Based Code, which is intended to streamline development within certain parameters.
The code lays out guidelines which cap a building’s stories to six and include other standards for projects along the Pike. In the case of this development, it allows the developer to build all market-rate housing, eschewing committed affordable units despite the county’s dwindling stock of affordable housing.
RPC is also planning to build a two-story parking garage with 343 parking spaces for cars, in addition to 60 above ground spaces. The garage will include 104 bike parking spaces, with 90 reserved for residents, per plans submitted to the county. Inside the donut-shaped building will be a courtyard with amenities for residents.
County staff issued a report stating that the new housing would only cause “minor increases in delay” for traffic at nearby intersections. As part of the project, RPC has promised to add three bus stops to the area, two along S. Glebe Road and the other along the Pike.
Elsewhere along the Columbia Pike corridor, developers have also proposed to bulldoze the Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center, which is currently home to tenants like Turkish restaurant Atilla’s, dance studio the Salsa Room, and the beloved Burritos Bros food stand. Replacing it would also be a six-story, mixed-used building made up of housing units and ground floor retail.
Images 1-2 via Arlington County, 3-4 via Arlington County, Image 5 by Alex Koma