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Retail Development

Article:
Public Transit and Shopping Centers: Access or Denial?
by Thomas R. Devaney
Washington, D.C.

This article appeared in Shopping Center Legal Update (link available only to ICSC members), published by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

(Adobe Acrobat required; size - 75K)

Arlington offers a broad array of retail opportunities – from quaint neighborhood business districts such as Westover and Buckingham, to the latest in urban village excitement at Market Common at Clarendon and Pentagon Row. Neighborhood districts provide not only the goods and services needed by local residents, but also much of the character and identity of the neighborhoods themselves.

Every Metro submarket has an abundance of neighborhood retail establishments, due in part to Arlington's policy of encouraging retail use on the ground floors of buildings throughout the Metro corridors. For instance, new grocery stores have been added to every Metro corridor submarket to provide for neighborhood needs. This emphasis on smart growth has served the Metro populations well, as they have grown by more than 35,000 since the opening of Metro.

Major regional retail draws are also spread throughout Arlington, mainly in the vicinity of Metro stations in Pentagon City, Clarendon, Ballston, and Crystal City. Arlington offers more retail centers within walking distance of Metro than any jurisdiction in the Washington area. Arlington’s annual retail sales total $2.3 billion.
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