Huntsman Square Shopping Mall leased space, home to future temporary senior center, after remodeling former retail store space, now dark windows
Springfield District residents are finally seeing action on an active adult community center within their district; the only district now without a dedicated building for active adults. The current work is for a temporary location. A permanent center is likely still close to ten years away, and dependent on possible funding secured through a bond referendum in 2026.
For the temporary location, the Board of Supervisors approved a five-year lease, with multiple one year options, within the Huntsman Square Shopping Center; a site not far from the South Run Recreation Center.
Fairfax County’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services has conducted a series of information and listening sessions about the temporary site. Drawing about 40 people at each of the sessions, residents heard about the center draft layout and expected program offerings. Significant time also was reserved during the sessions to hear ideas from potential users for inclusion in the design and use plan. At the Oct. 20 afternoon session held at Pohick Library, suggestions included mirrored walls, ping pong tables, raised class instructor platforms, sound deadening partitions, increased ventilation for athletic classes; and, though acknowledged that the space was not likely right for it, the increasingly popular request for pickleball. County design staff declined to provide any cost estimates.
Senior programs in the Springfield District operate now “without walls,” meaning there is no dedicated building space. Instead offerings are held in rooms within libraries, the West Springfield Government Center, and area churches. Community centers in other Districts, similar to the one envisioned for Burke/Springfield, operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., six days per week with a focus on senior programs, but include multi-generation use.
The Burke-Springfield draft center layout envisions a large open center space, amenable to many uses, five activity rooms, a computer bank, and rest rooms. The project pre-design phase began in July, with the mall store remodeling design continuing through January 2024, for an April 2024 construction start. The tentative completion of the build-out is anticipated for December 2024. The temporary location could continue under the lease agreement for up to ten years, awaiting a permanent center.
For more information on the project and its status, see http://bit.ly/BSCAA