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Creating an Improved Urban Village



Shirlington's Signature Theatre and Shirlington Library anchors the new development.
Photo: The Lukmire Partnership, Inc. 2007

The Redevelopment of Shirlington

Imagine a block-long street lined with restaurants and local retailers, a place that is crowded on evenings and weekends with people drawn to one of the few art house movie theaters left anywhere – and then more than double the space, and the attractions.

That is what Arlington, Virginia’s economic development planners did in the Village at Shirlington. In the process, a new state-of-the art library was added, along with a new home for a highly successful regional theater company, both housed in a landmark theater-library complex. In addition, five new residential buildings were added with 644 units, a 142 room hotel, 42,000 square feet of retail space, a 195,000 square foot office building, two parking garages with nearly 1,500 spaces, and an urban transit station.

All of this replaced an abandoned big box store and acres of parking lots.

The new Village at Shirlington has become one of Arlington’s most popular reenvisioned downtowns. The process Arlington took to get there was a long, but rewarding journey.

Learn more about how Shirlington Village has become one of the region’s great neighborhoods – and a true testament to thoughtfully planned economic development.

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