Plan For New Alexandria Hospital At Landmark Mall Site Announced

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria officials and development partners announced plans Tuesday to advance a development that will include an Inova medical campus.

The joint venture of Foulger-Pratt, The Howard Hughes Corporation, and Seritage Growth announced the initial agreement with the City of Alexandria and Inova Health System for the 4 million-square-foot community. The proposed development would turn the vacant mall into a mixed-use walkable area anchored by the Inova medical campus. Inova plans to invest $1 billion in the new medical campus, relocating and expanding Inova Alexandria Hospital on Seminary Road.

The announcement comes after uncertainty from some residents about the redevelopment envisioned by mall owner Howard Hughes Corporation. Most of Landmark Mall's stores closed in 2017, and the Sears store closed earlier this year. The mall had been used as temporary space for Carpenter's Shelter while its new building was being constructed.

According to a city news release, "support from the City—along with Inova’s intent to relocate and expand the services of the existing Inova Alexandria Hospital and the formation of the Foulger-Pratt, Howard Hughes and Seritage partnership—provided the critical drive for the advancement of the project."

Development plans call for residential, retail, commercial, and entertainment uses with a central plaza, a network of parks and public spaces, and a transit hub serving bus rapid transit, DASH, and Metrobus. Affordable and workforce housing would be possible through developer contributions and co-location with community facilities like a new Alexandria fire station.

"This plan for the future of the Landmark site is exciting, long-awaited news for our community,” said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson in a statement. “The project would be a catalyst for the West End, providing significant benefits for Alexandria and the region at a time when focus on our long-term future is critical. Inova Alexandria Hospital has been an anchor in our city for generations, and a new, modern hospital facility at Landmark would be the perfect site for the world-class care that is synonymous with Inova."

Inova has been conducting an assessment of its eastern region to meet the health care needs of Alexandria, Mount Vernon and Springfield, and expansion of Inova Alexandria Hospital had been considered in the assessment. Earlier this year, Inova announced a plan to add a hospital on property next to the Inova HealthPlex – Franconia/Springfield on Walker Lane. An Inova HealthPlex was also announced as the anchor for redevelopment of Oakville Triangle in Alexandria.

The new Inova Alexandria Hospital location at the Landmark site will include a larger emergency room, private patient rooms, and the Inova Schar Cancer Institute at Alexandria Hospital with full cancer services, including radiation and infusion. It would be one of three Level II trauma centers in Northern Virginia, seven in Virginia, and 270 nationwide, providing 24-hour specialty services for brain injuries, complex fractures, and other trauma care. An addition of a medical office building would allow an estimated 50 specialty physicians to see patients on the same campus as the new hospital.

The development proposal would use $54 million in public bond financing to allow the City to acquire the land for the hospital and lease it to Inova, as well as $76 million in public bond financing for site preparation and infrastructure at the Landmark site and adjacent Duke Street and Van Dorn Street corridors.

Inova also intends to request rezoning of the current Inova Alexandria Hospital on Seminary Road to allow a variety of residential uses in order to facilitate the sale of the property before relocation to the Landmark site.

The initial agreement provides a starting point for further review by the city and community. Inova and developers will submit applications for city review, public hearings and approvals in the months to come for both the Landmark Mall and Seminary Road sites. Two virtual community information meetings will be held to give an overview of each project and answer questions. The Landmark Mall redevelopment meeting will happen on Jan. 4 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Seminary Road rezoning meeting will happen on Jan. 6 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Construction at the Landmark Mall site could start as soon as 2023, and the first buildings could be delivered in 2025. Additiona information is provided at www.alexandriava.gov/LandmarkVanDorn.