Leesburg Today

December 13, 2007

Commercial Progress in 2007: Key Projects, Interchanges, Route 50 Vision Advance

Although residential construction fell to the slowest pace in more than a decade, signs of commercial expansion could be seen across the Loudoun County landscape during 2007....

A signature project in the redevelopment of the Rt. 50 corridor, Arcola Center, a $1 billion development backed by Gaithersburg-based Buchanan Partners, was approved this month by the county's board of supervisors. It will include 2.1 million square feet of office space, 1.1 million square feet of retail space and 1,169 residential units.

Buchanan representatives still need approvals for the project's residential element, which will feature a mix of apartment and condominium units, as well as townhouses. Expected to break ground in 2008, about 650,000 square feet of Arcola's retail will be devoted to big-box tenants, and the remainder will be spread out in a "Main Street" environment on another part of the 400-acre property, located near the intersection of Rt. 50 with Rt. 606.

Also in the mix at Arcola will be two hotels and a cultural/tourism element that will include the restoration of slave quarters on the property that dates back to the early 1800s.

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