Malls · Virginia
Parkington Shopping Center
Opened 1951 as first suburban mall with multi-story garage; renovated 1986 and 2019; status unknown; two blocks from Ballston Metro. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile11 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this200+ tax-credit housing units within 1 km
This site: 1,775 units in 11 properties hud-lihtc · all sites with this3+ other atlas sites within 10 km
This site: 31 within 10 km computed · all sites with thisBike network nearby
This site: 102 ways openstreetmap · all sites with thisCounty lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -20% census-cbp · all sites with thisCounty typical rent $2,000+
This site: $2,680/mo zillow · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 5 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisHigh-income tract ($100k+)
This site: $162,697 census-acs · all sites with thisLow social vulnerability tract (SVI ≤ 0.25)
This site: 0.03 cdc-svi · all sites with thisNational Register place within 500 m
This site: Al's Motors nps-nrhp · all sites with thisRenter-majority tract
This site: 100% census-acs · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Status not verifiedWikipedia reported |
|---|
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | no NFHL polygon at point (unmapped or outside coverage)FEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 53: 4000 NORTH FAIRFAX DRIVE; 4000 NORTH FAIRFAX DRIVE; 624 N GLEBE RD; AGFA DIVISION MILES INC; ALS MOTORS INCEPA FRS |
| Census tract 51013101408 | 800 people, 19,563 per sq mi; median household income $162,697; median gross rent $2,520; 100% renters; 7.5% vacant units; 12.9% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 6 of 6 daily needs: 5 grocers, 6 schools, 51 parks or playgrounds, 26 health, 8 civic, 84 food and drink; 102 cycleway segments, 358 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| National Register places within 500 m | 1: Al's MotorsNPS |
| Housing permits, Arlington County (VA), 2024 | 429 units in 5+ unit buildings, 2 in 2–4, 190 single-family; 2023: 1,054 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.03; socioeconomic 0.19; housing and transport 0.35; 8% below 150% of poverty; 28% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 31 within 10 km, 61 within 25 km: Ballston Commons (0.1 km); Cherry Hill Apartments (1.8 km); Pentagon Centre (2.6 km); Colonial Village (2.9 km); Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center (2.9 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 22,599 m², 16.224058151245117 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 40,460 since 2015; 3,684 in the last 12 months (-14% vs the prior 12); peak 2018-10 with 833Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | tract boundary changed between the 2010 and 2020 census; no 2013 comparisonCensus ACS |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | very low overall (score 0.5); expected annual loss $121,169; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | 11 LIHTC properties, 1,775 units: Historic Ballston Park (512 units); Gates Of Ballston (464 units); Carlin (162 units)HUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 7,419 jobs in 476 establishments; average annual pay $50,493; employment location quotient 0.42; employment -1.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 2,752 jobs; 308 in retail trade, 394 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 51013101408)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 43th income percentile as adults; 0.0% incarcerated at the 2010 count (34 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 5.1%; median family income $148,135; 15 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Arlington County Public Schools (PK-12); 6 public schools within 1 mile: Barrett Elementary; Escuela Key Elementary; Alice West Fleet Elementary; Washington-Liberty HighNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 254 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 97 county-logged events: 66 thunderstorm wind, 14 flood, 10 flash flood, 5 hail; $11,109,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 22203, 2026-09 | median list price $556,750 (+14.2% on the year); 39 active listings; median 25 days on market; 20% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 484 establishments (-20%); 7,601 jobs (-19%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $802,232 (+1% 1 yr, +11% 5 yr); typical rent $2,680/mo (+1% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 23,302 vehicles a day on 120 (principal arterial, 6 lanes); 810 trucks; 30 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Opened in 1951 as Parkington Shopping Center, the nation's first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage. It was remodeled as Ballston Common Mall in 1986 and again in 2019 as Ballston Quarter. The record lists its current status as unknown.
Why. not stated in the record
Where it stands. Current status is unknown per the record, and no owner or controlling entity is provided.
For a planner
- Precedent: first suburban shopping center with integrated multi-story parking garage (opened 1951).
- Policy tools: none mentioned in the record.
- Open questions: current ownership, occupancy, future use, and how proximity to Ballston–MU Metro station influences redevelopment.
For a developer
- Site size and parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
- Control and ownership information are absent; no deals or owner listed.
- Entitlement stage and zoning details are not recorded.
- Context layers (flood risk, transit beyond proximity, environmental constraints) are not supplied; market signals limited to median rent of $2,275.
What we do not know yet
- Current status of the site is unknown (record lists status as unknown).
- Owner or controlling entity is not identified in the record.
- Site dimensions, parcel count, and building footprint are missing.
- Zoning, entitlements, and any pending approvals are not detailed.
- Context‑layer data (floodplain, transit access beyond two‑block distance, environmental conditions) are absent; the opportunity score relies solely on median rent.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Ballston Commons, Arlington, VA · Malls · opened 1951; also in VA; 0 km away
- Seven Corners Shopping Center, Seven Corners, VA · Malls · opened 1956; also in VA; 4 km away
Elsewhere on the web
Pages with photos
- Parkington Shopping Center in Ballston | Arlington Historical arlingtonhistorical.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- median rent $2,275
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1951extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| County | Arlington County |
| Census division | 5 · South Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Ballston Quarter is one of the first major suburban shopping centers built in the Washington metropolitan area. It opened in 1951 as Parkington Shopping Center and was the nation's first shopping center built around a multi-story parking garage. It is located at the intersection of Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia, two blocks from Ballston–MU station on the Washington Metro's Orange and Silver lines. It was remodeled as Ballston Common Mall in 1986 and again in 2019 as Ballston Quarter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Parkington Shopping Center · supports: year opened
1 quoted sentence
It opened in 1951 as Parkington Shopping Center
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