Rose Hill Shopping Center Redevelopment Proposed, Feedback Sought

ROSE HILL, VA — The Rose Hill Shopping Center could get an overhaul if a redevelopment proposal gains community support and moves forward. The shopping center owner is currently seeking feedback from the Rose Hill Civic community before proceeding.

Shopping center owner Combined Properties presented the proposal at a Rose Hill Civic Association meeting on March 23. The plan calls for replacing the existing shopping center with two apartment buildings with parking garages and ground-floor commercial space. A third building would be aimed at hosting a grocery store or other large retail business. The existing McDonald's would remain at the corner of Franconia Road and Rose Hill Drive. The proposal also dedicates open space for pedestrians and community events along Rose Hill Drive.

The existing Rose Hill Shopping Center is an approximately 154,000-square-foot strip mall anchored by Safeway, as well as a Walgreens, Dollar Tree and Tuesday Morning home goods store. The shopping center is surrounded by homes and near the Rose Hill Apartments. The John Marshall Library and several public schools are minutes away.

Greg Riegle, a land use lawyer representing Combined Properties, said at the March 23 meeting that retail has seen some of the most significant changes of the pandemic.

"We've all found that we shop differently, we engage differently," said Riegle. "That's a lot of what's brought us here tonight is in terms of how do we reposition Rose Hill to respond to those realities and respond to maybe further changes coming."

In early discussions, Riegle said he and Rose Hill Civic Association President Carl Sell agreed the shopping center should remain economically viable. Riegle said the redevelopment would offer opportunities for now only retail but a gathering space for the community.

"It's more than just a fresh coat of paint or reworking the signs and things like that," said Riegle. "We think it's work doing, and it's an investment that Combined is prepared to make in the community."

Andrew McIntyre, executive vice president of East Coast development for Combined Properties, said the changing nature of retail didn't begin with the pandemic. For a decade, Combined Properties has anticipated in a decline of retail users. That trend became more pronounced during the pandemic.

Property owners also saw businesses struggle with rent as early pandemic restrictions prevented certain types of business from opening to customers. McIntyre said Combined Properties has around 580 tenants across all its shopping center, and about 85 percent of these businesses sought rent relief during the height of the pandemic. Combined Properties was able to help most tenants through methods like deferring rent or absorbing costs.

If the Rose Hill Shopping Center redevelopment would move forward, the earliest it could begin is 2027 with construction between 24 to 32 months, according to the civic association.

Combined Properties has already worked on two recent mixed-use developments in Northern Virginia. The property owner is also behind Scout on the Circle Apartments in Fairfax City and the upcoming South Alex on Richmond Highway, two developments with residential and retail uses. South Alex was the site of a massive fire in 2020, but Combined Properties worked to rebuild the development. That development is on track to open this summer.

Combined Properties is seeking community feedback through the Rose Hill Civic Association before moving forward. Illustrations on the redevelopment from Combined Properties are not final proposal plans. See the images presented during the meeting here.

Patch has reached out to the Rose Hill Civic Association for additional comment on the association's stance on the potential redevelopment.