New deal at Aquia Town Center includes 287 new apartments, luxury renovation of movie theater
There is new interest in the long dormant project to rebuild the Town Center at Aquia.
The once bustling shopping center’s owner Ramco has submitted to Stafford County officials a plan to build 287 new apartments at the center. The 1000-square foot units would help to make the town center a “mixed-use” development. The new apartments would join a movie theater, pharmacy, office building, and restaurants.
While Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, owner of Aquia Town Center, would build the apartments, another developer is said to be interested purchasing a portion of the property to build new commercial and retail buildings. They would replace the old strip mall retail stores demolished in the late 2000s.
Paul Milde, who represents Aquia on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, says he could not say which developer is nearing a close on the deal. If it goes through, he added, it would make Aquia Town Center a prime location for retirees and people just starting out in the workforce.
“We don’t want a family-oriented community there. We want something a little different – a mixed-use community with empty nesters and younger couples. That was our goal to minimize the impact on our public schools,” said Milde.
All told, there are a total of two interested developers Ramco is in talks with to construct the retail portion of the project. The decision on who will win the bid could be announced in a matter of weeks. The deal could go to closing by the end of the year, according to a county spokeswoman.
The deal also entails a complete renovation of the Regal Cinema at Aquia Town Center that would make it an upscale movie house similar to a theatre at Spotsylvania Towne Center in Spotsylvania County.
The Rite-Aide Pharmacy would remain the shopping center as Milde says “they are doing well,” but adds the store owners would like to have a standalone location similar to CVS Pharmacy on nearby Garrisonville Road (Route 610).
The apartment homes would be built around the center’s parking lot, much like similar mixed-use developments in Prince William County, said Milde.
Milde says there’s a great capacity for the center to do well because of the 2,500 homes in neighboring Aquia Harbour, a gated community that sits next to the town center.
Construction of new apartment units and the retail should also take place at the same time.
“There’s been more interest in the commercial and retail than the residential. And that’s unusual right now because everywhere else everybody wants to build new apartments without the retail,” said Milde.
Some businesses see the project as an opportunity to market Stafford County, a longtime bedroom community outside Washington, D.C., to a younger demographic. More people could also mean more sales at local shops.
“I think it will be great having new residents going up and down 610 doing their shopping is going to be great for business,” said Michael Pollaci, owner of Stafford Technologies.
Once known as a traditional shopping center anchored by a Shoppers Food Warehouse, the grocery store closed 10 years ago and moved to the newer Stafford Marketplace on Route 610.
Aquia Town Center in recent years has become more synonymous with piles or rubble, open fields, and empty parking lots. Last year, Milde said Stafford County needed to do more to put pressure on the owner of the center to hurry development at the site.
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