Fairfax County’s vibrant shopping and entertainment districts attract restaurants and shops, contributing to the success of retail in Virginia’s northern suburbs.
Fairfax County’s vibrant shopping and entertainment districts attract restaurants and shops, contributing to the success of retail in Virginia’s northern suburbs.
The county’s retail vacancy rate of 3.5 percent is lower than the Virginia and U.S. averages, according to data presented at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ Economic Initiatives Committee early of the month.
Rebecca Moudry, director of the county’s Department of Economic Initiatives, said Fairfax County has more than 230 shopping centers and 45 to 50 million square feet of retail.
“Our local retail market is doing pretty well and is pretty strong,” Moudry told the board.
One reason for that, according to Kelly Atkinson, director of the Department of Planning and Development’s planning division, is the success of areas like the Mosaic neighborhood and downtown Reston.
The influx of new restaurants and entertainment opportunities is attracting business, Atkinson said.
“You’ve seen stores move out of the mall and into some of these lifestyle centers, like Mosaic, because of the marketing, the quality, the mixed use and the variety of different experiences,” he said. Atkinson said.
But it has consequences, she says. Some of the “aging, more linear, auto-centric developments have struggled a bit.”
As a result, the council is exploring other ways to use some of these spaces.
“The community around these malls, where you have a center that’s struggling or seems dated, behind the times, has an effect on the residential communities around them,” said board president Jeff McKay. “A literal effect in terms of value, probably, but it has an effect in terms of pride and spirit and community spirit, and where people see investment in the county happening.”
While some experts suspected a pandemic-fueled growth in online shopping would cause the retail sector to suffer, Moudry said that hasn’t been the case because residents still want to connect with family and friends through local experiences.
“We always want to get out in the community, have interactions, have unique experiences and shop at our favorite local place. It’s just kind of a human experience that’s kind of been confirmed to a certain extent,” Moudry said.
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