Biz Owners: Green Space, Fountains Not Enough to Stimulate Downtown

Old Town Fairfax business owners told city council members that a new George Mason Square dedicated to open space and events won't be enough to attract customers to their shops.

Fairfax City Council held a public hearing on Sept. 20 to get feedback on how to redevelop George Mason Square and expand Kitty Pozer Garden. The project is possible with $2.4 million left over from a bond issued for the construction of the new City of Fairfax Regional Library.

A rough draft project plan replaced the temporary gravel parking lot at the corner of University Drive and North Street (adjacent to Old Town Hall) with a public plaza. The redone corner would feature a kiosk directing shoppers to locations throughout downtown, spray fountains, amphitheater-like seating for small concert events and small shelters for vendors. Kitty Pozer Garden would expand, with a formal entrance along University Drive.

The plan also included two new retail buildings and an underground parking deck along North Street, across from the City of Fairfax Regional Library. The building space, designed to house retail on the ground level and offices above, would be sold to developers to offset $120,000 the city pays in interest every year since the $2.3 million purchase of George Mason Square. A redeveloped square would only make the property more valuable, said Planning Division Chief Jack Blevins.

Business owners liked the idea of doing something with the square, but worried that green space wouldn't be enough to draw customers to already struggling stores.

"How do you create green space, park space, an area with a fountain and live music, but still create an area where people are going to want to go... not just for [an] event going on Saturday three weeks from now," said Stan Dark, owner of  

One after another city residents and business owners echoed the same concerns: Parking and pedestrian traffic.

Staff suggested removing the current gravel parking lot at University and North (39 spaces), adding a small lot (11 spaces) and loading dock next to Old Town Hall, and building an underground parking deck (about 28 spaces) between the two new retail buildings along North Street. Under the latest plan, the same number of parking spaces would have to service a higher demand, including employees at two new buildings and plaza visitors.

"[We] have a real concern about what happens when the parking goes away," said Eric Snyder of the Downtown Fairfax Coalition on behalf of Woodrow "Woody" Lashley of and other business leaders.

Blevins counted 243 parking spaces that are always open to the public within a block of the project. But the problem, as business owners see it, isn't the number of spaces but whether customers are finding them.

"First-time people coming into town, they're looking for 'Where do I park?' 'How can I go there in a town with no left turn signs?' It makes it hard to get around," said Snyder.

The gravel parking lot at University and North might not give the best aethestic impression, he added, but at least it's there on the street, for all to see.

"At Sunday morning at 9 you'll have 15 cars in there," Snyder said. "By 2 in the afternoon they're running up and down and you'll find one or two empty spots, but they're constantly turning and those people aren't in there more than 15-30 minutes."

He suggested raising the George Mason Square plaza and outfitting the lower level with additional parking.

The other concern dealt with pedestrian safety.

City resident Douglas Stewart recommended changes to crosswalks and intersection lights to help pedestrians cross Old Lee Highway and connect George Mason Square with the Main Street Marketplace shopping center.

The suggested improvements to George Mason Square "kind of looks like Central Park, which is great, but we're talking about a real small area," said Dark. "We're trying to find a way to tie the blocks into one another where people will go across the street."

Synder echoed the pedestrian traffic concerns, citing his own troubles crossing North at Old Lee as another reason to have parking in the midst of Old Town.

"It's very unfortunate that people feel the need to accelerate around that curve," he said. "If you're standing at the library you'd swear they're aiming at you."

Audience members labeled the project as the city's last chance to tie together and promote a struggling downtown. Empty storefronts have marred the downtown since the completion of Old Town Plaza redevelopment.

The downtown office and retail vacancy rates tend to be a little lower but still consistent with rates citywide. Fairfax City's current office vacancy rate is steady at 12.8 percent while retail vacancy is up to 4.1, said Geoff Durham, director of economic development for the city.

"The Old Town Plaza project has experienced a high level of activity in recent months with over 28,000 square feet of recently leased or purchased commercial space," he added. "Recent commercial land sales of downtown real estate along with steady sales reports from the new residential project indicate further interest and positive market activity."

Council members stressed that there's still a lot to be decided on in the George Mason Square project.

"This is the beginning of the process," said Mayor Rob Lederer. "There's nothing that the council has signed off on. There's not a preferred concept."