ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The future of healthcare in Northern Virginia is set to transform after council members in Alexandria unanimously approved the proposed Inova Health medical campus.
The new campus at the former Landmark Mall site will replace the current hospital in Alexandria on Seminary Road.
The plan, which received input through several community meetings, includes a state-of-the-art acute-care hospital, cancer center and specialty care center for physicians to see outpatients while close to the hospital.
Construction could begin next year or in 2025. The goal is to open the new facilities by 2028.
The proposal designed 915,000 square feet of buildings in the first phase. It also adds extra garage space to include a total of 1,510 spaces. After rezoning was approved in 2021, the old mall was demolished in May 2022.
“This approval turns an exciting, proposed project into reality," Stephanie Landrum, President and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, said in a statement. “With this step, the Inova Alexandria Hospital campus now becomes the anchor that redefines one of our largest neighborhoods and is a tangible and visible signal of the strength of the Alexandria economy.”
The new hospital will have a larger emergency room, private patient rooms and better service to patients.
Inova Alexandria Hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal said while the team has provided great care, smaller operating rooms, semi-private rooms and overall lack of space posed challenges.
“We have been a dated facility for quite some time,” Bansal told WUSA9. “It doesn’t allow my team and Inova as a system to be that healthcare provider that we are and should be. We really are building a facility that is state of the art, that focuses on the wellbeing of our patients and team members.”
By approving the plans, the city advances the future of the property as part of the Landmark Mall Site Redevelopment Process. The medical campus is only one part of the bigger picture serving the WestEnd Town Center.
The $2 billion development project is 52 acres that will also include multi-family residential units, retail, commercial and entertainment spaces, outdoor parks and a new fire station.
“For over three years our residents, our staff and our partners have been working to see this day,” Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said. “The new Inova Alexandria Hospital campus is a generational investment in the future of our City. The redevelopment of the Landmark Mall site is an economic revitalization for the WestEnd, but far more importantly will provide a comprehensive center for health and wellness for our residents.”
Once the new campus opens, the old hospital will be demolished to make room for housing.
Dr. Bansal said it will be a process to transfer patients to the new facilities, but stressed operations will be fully functioning at the old location until the new hospital opens.