Work on modernization of Pan Am Shopping Center to begin soon | FFXnow

Construction will begin this month on a facelift and amenity upgrades at the Pan Am Shopping Center in Merrifield, property owner and developer Federal Realty announced today (Thursday).

Scheduled to start in late June and finish by the end of this year, the renovation will “refresh and modernize” the 228,000-square-foot shopping center at 3089 Nutley Street SW, according to a press release.

In addition replacing façades “in select locations,” the project will apply fresh paint throughout the center to give it “a new color palette,” install new canopy ceiling and lighting, improve the outdoor seating areas with two trellis features and new furniture, enhance the landscaping, and update the pylon and merchant blade signs.

“Pan Am Shopping Center has stood as a cornerstone of the Fairfax community for decades,” Federal Realty Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said. “In tandem with a modern refresh, the renovation integrates new outdoor seating, mural art, ambient lighting, and bike racks, all of which are amenities designed to elevate and enrich the customer experience.”

Federal Realty appears to be undertaking the renovation in lieu of a larger-scale redevelopment that was put on hold earlier this year, the developer told the Washington Business Journal in May.

Federal Realty didn’t fully explain its decision to hit the pause button but said in a statement to the WBJ that it “continually explores opportunities across its portfolio to enhance the consumer experience and evolve its properties for the market that it serves.”

“As part of this exploration, design concept plans will be created from time to time and priced as part of the company’s due diligence and project evaluation,” the developer said.

Fairfax County amended its comprehensive plan to allow mixed-use development, including housing, on the 25-acre site last September. The amendment also recommended pedestrian and bicycle improvements along Route 29 and Nutley Street.

Federal Realty had proposed a partial overhaul of the Pan Am Shopping Center that would replace some of the parking lot and retail with apartment buildings, though it reassured community members that it would make an effort to retain retailers like Michael’s and MicroCenter. Safeway was expected to stay as the shopping center’s main anchor store.

The developer made the case that a redevelopment would create a more vibrant, walkable center compared to the existing strip mall, which was originally built in 1979 and relies on a “big box” approach to retail that’s becoming less viable.

However, the rezoning application that Federal Realty submitted with its development plan in 2022 got deferred indefinitely at the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s Feb. 28 meeting. Since the deferral was requested by the developer, questions would need to be answered by them, a county spokesperson told FFXnow.

Federal Realty didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, including on whether it still hopes to eventually pursue a redevelopment.