The McKay Messenger

  

If I had to pick the two questions I'm most likely to hear from Lee residents, they'd be: "What's with Wegmans" and "What's the status of Springfield Mall?"

Springfield Town Center

 

Recently, I toured the construction at the former Springfield Mall (now called the Springfield Town Center) and I was impressed with the progress. The Town Center expects to be open for the 2014 holiday shopping season. This is a multi-phase project and the initial phase will have some 700,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, a food court, and a state-of-the-art movie theater. Additionally, the new exterior will have redesigned entrances and an outdoor promenade with retail and restaurants facing Loisdale Road.  There will also be two plazas and pedestrian improvements between the Town Center and the Joe Alexander Transportation Center.  

 

As the list of tenants continues to be finalized, we do know that H&M, Maggiano's Little Italy, TopShop, and Dick's Sporting Goods have all been signed.

 

Wegmans

 

Wegmans, the anchor store at Hilltop Village Center, now under construction at Telegraph Road and Beulah Street, is scheduled to open in early 2015. In addition to Wegmans, the shopping center will have a mix of tenants including Green Turtle Sports Bar and Grille, Elevation Burger, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Navy Federal Credit Union, and BB&T bank, among others. The developer has proffered a number of recreational amenities adjacent to the shopping center, including sports playing fields, a pavilion, a playground, and an open play area.

 

I am disappointed that Wegmans management has pushed the opening out to 2015, especially since the Board of Supervisors approved this case in 2009. My office has done everything possible to expedite the permitting process and I have personally offered counsel and assistance to Wegmans' management.  However, a number of factors outside of our control have combined to delay the grand opening.

 

At our last Board of Supervisors meeting, I announced that I intend to visit every school in Lee District before we adopt the budget in April. I want to hear, first hand, about the challenges our principals and teachers face every day.

 

Through my involvement with SCYPT (the County and Schools' joint Successful Children and Youth Policy Team), I've learned that many of our Lee challenges are also seen in every corner of the county. Helping our children to become successful students is a cornerstone of the SCYPT charter. My discussions will help me to better understand the challenges and help us to work more collaboratively and efficiently.

 

My goal is to find the road that leads to practical solutions and I want to view those solutions through our principals' eyes. Upon completion of visits, I plan to speak with the School Board, PTAs, my citizen budget committee, and my colleagues about what I've heard and observed. Education is my and all of the Board's highest priority. However, as a governing body we must balance all needs - including education, public safety, human services, libraries, and parks - in order to preserve our high quality of life.

 

As spring approaches and we all start spending more time outdoors, you may notice code violations in your neighborhood. The most common violations this time of year are outdoor storage, vehicles parked on front lawns, and property maintenance issues like falling gutters, peeling paint, and damaged exteriors. If you believe a property in Lee District is in violation of any part of the Zoning Ordinance, please call or email Sarah Hughes in my office so she can report your concerns to the County's Department of Code Compliance. Complaints sent to Code Compliance through our office are anonymous and we'll keep you apprised of the complaint status. Contact Sarah at [email protected] or 703-971-6262.

 

It is important to report suspected violations because County zoning enforcement is complaint based. In other words, if a complaint is not reported, it will not be investigated. We all have a role to play in protecting our community.

Thank you for subscribing to my monthly e-newsletter. This is the first edition, and I hope these updates will keep you up to date with some of the major events happening in our District.

If you'd like to learn more about something in the newsletter or have an idea for a future edition, please don't hesitate to contact me or my staff.

  

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