- The Urban Core at Watkins Mill has been approved for an additional 16 restaurants and cafés, all featuring outdoor seating opportunities.
The Urban Core at Watkins Mill Town Center is approved for 225,000 SF of retail. Located along the western most portion of the project, the Urban Core will incorporate many of the development techniques used so successfully at Reston Town Center in Virginia. This vibrant Urban Core has been approved for an additional 16 restaurants and cafes, all featuring outdoor seating opportunities. It also is slated to include a full-service, high-end grocery store and movie theater. The Urban Core will encompass more than 2.5 million square feet of hotel and Class A office, shops, restaurants, retail, and residential units. Retail will be integrated throughout the project. Like Reston Town Center, the Urban Core will provide community amenities and services in a manner that integrates office, residential and retail and provides for active enjoyment by the entire community. A Main Street, lined with retail and restaurants, will run through the Urban Core will form the heart of Watkins Mill Town Center. The Civic Plaza in the Center of Main Street will be the focus of area activities and will provide a focal point for restaurants with large outdoor seating areas. Garages and loading entrances will be prohibited and the main street will be private, allowing it to function as an extension of the Civic Plaza for large public gatherings or festivities.
The principal entrance onto Main Street from Watkins Mill Road will be defined by a large landscaped traffic circle. Strolling the retail streets will be an experience similar to what one experiences in similar urban places like Clarendon, Reston Town Center, Pentagon Row, and Old Town Alexandria.
