"The transformation of Springfield Town Center is underway," land use attorney Lynne Strobel wrote to Fairfax County this summer, in a letter FFXnow reported as part of a developer's plan for more apartments at the mall.
That's a fair description of what you'll see this season. Springfield Town Center goes into the 2026 holidays without the department store that anchored it for 53 years. The plan to fill that space exists only as a filing. This year, the reasons to come are the events in the Grand Court: a vendor market, Santa photos and a new art exhibit. The changes the letter describes are happening at the edges of the property, mostly behind construction fencing.
If you've shopped here for years, the mall you know is partly gone, and the one replacing it isn't open yet. Here's what is actually open this season.
The anchor that closed after 53 years
JCPenney opened at 6699 Springfield Mall in 1973 and was one of the original anchor stores at what was then Springfield Mall. FFXnow reported in February that the store would close permanently on May 24, 2026. In a statement, parent company Catalyst Brands said it was "unable to continue our current lease terms for this store location and have been unable to find another suitable location in the market." Connection Newspapers confirmed on June 2 that the store closed in late May.
The store had a long history here. According to FFXnow's account, Prince Charles and Princess Diana visited on Nov. 11, 1985. Archival reports say about 6,000 spectators came, and the couple reportedly bought an $8 scarf. When the old mall was gutted and rebuilt as Springfield Town Center between 2012 and 2014, JCPenney was one of only three stores that stayed, along with Target and Macy's.
For holiday shoppers, the practical change is that the nearest JCPenney stores are now at Fair Oaks Mall, Potomac Mills in Woodbridge and Dulles Town Center in Sterling. FFXnow reported that these are the chain's only three Northern Virginia locations.
A turf field is proposed for the old store
The building already had new owners before the store closed. In 2022, The Meridian Group and Martin-Diamond Properties bought the Springfield and Fair Oaks JCPenney properties, saying the locations had "mixed-use" potential.
In May, Northern Virginia Magazine reported, citing the Washington Business Journal, that a site plan application filed with Fairfax County lists Dick's Sporting Goods as the future occupant of the JCPenney space. The plan would demolish more than 10,000 square feet of the store and add a synthetic turf field and running track. That design follows the chain's House of Sport format. The magazine describes it as regular retail space plus features such as rock-climbing walls, multi-sport practice cages and golf simulators.
Treat this as a proposal for now. No opening date has been announced, and Dick's already runs a regular store at the mall. Connection Newspapers' June story said there was "no word" yet on what would fill the space and suggested it could be "entertainment, fitness or a restaurant cluster." A turf field would put sports and activity where a department store used to be. Either way, the change won't happen this holiday season. Northern Virginia Magazine also reported that a House of Sport is slated to open in 2027 in the former Lord & Taylor space at Tysons Corner Center.
This season, the Grand Court is the main draw
With the old anchor empty, most of the holiday activity happens in the center of the mall. The Springfield Town Center events calendar lists the following:
- Santa Photos, Grand Court, November 13 through December 24
- Family Pet Photos with Santa, Grand Court, Mondays only, November 16 through December 14
- Holiday Market Series, Grand Court, during mall hours, on four weekends: November 27–29, December 4–6, December 11–13 and December 18–20
The Holiday Market is organized by Empower Me Events Group and lists more than 30 vendors in categories including arts and crafts and health and beauty. The first weekend begins the day after Thanksgiving. If you're planning a gift run, you can choose any of the four weekends, and the last one ends five days before Christmas.
The pet photo nights are on Mondays only, so they're easy to miss. The last session is December 14, about ten days before regular Santa photos end on December 24.
An art exhibit that runs past the holidays
The newest addition is near Dave & Buster's. "Through Me: Where Wonder Finds a Way" is a collaboration between ArtsFairfax and Springfield Town Center featuring Fairfax mixed-media artist Precious Burger. It opened October 21 and runs through March 31, 2027. FFXnow described the work as large, colorful paintings exploring wonder and curiosity.
Because it runs until spring, the exhibit will still be up after the holiday crowds leave. It's a free stop on a dinner or arcade night at Dave & Buster's in January or February.
New neighbors on the mall's edge
The biggest physical changes at Springfield Town Center this year are on its edges, and most are housing. A 439-unit Hanover Springfield apartment building, which FFXnow reported in July had recently finished construction, now sits next to the mall. The building is now open and taking reservations.
Hanover isn't done. At the end of June, the developer applied to amend a 2009 development plan covering roughly 11 acres at Spring Mall and Frontier drives, on the southeast corner of the property. Under that 2009 approval, the full build-out could reach 1,065 units. The application includes nearly three acres of open space and improvements to an existing park at that corner, but it had not been scheduled for a Planning Commission hearing. In her letter, Strobel argued that new residents "will support the existing commercial uses within walking distance and draw new businesses to the Springfield Town Center."
Two other pieces of the plan are still on the way:
- The extended-stay hotel. Connection Newspapers reported in August 2025 that it was under construction with a 2028 opening target. FFXnow's July 2026 article still described it as part of the plan and said it will be operated by InterMountain Management.
- The long-planned Central Park. FFXnow reported in 2022 that it was deferred until market conditions and easements allowed it to move ahead.
This explains why the mall's events matter more right now. The new apartments are open, but the park, hotel and anchor replacement are not. Until they are, the Grand Court is the main gathering space on the property.
Errands around the mall, and the roads to get there
Several nearby stores are also in the middle of changes. Here's where each one stands:
- Fortunoff Backyard Store opened its 11,000-square-foot showroom at 6721B Frontier Drive in Springfield Commons on April 23, 2026, according to FFXnow.
- Good Stuff Eatery at 6418 Springfield Plaza was announced in February with a summer 2026 target, according to FFXnow. The Springfield Plaza directory still lists it as "Coming Soon."
- MOM's Organic Market at 6640 Loisdale Road in Loisdale Center is targeting a late 2026 opening, according to FFXnow's March report.
Road work will affect some holiday trips. VDOT's Rolling Road widening project covers about 1.5 miles between Viola Street and Kenwood Avenue and is expected to finish in late 2027. As part of that work, VDOT scheduled Viola Street to close to through traffic starting Tuesday, Oct. 27, for about five weeks, which runs into early December. Greeley Boulevard is closed until late November. Closer to the mall, Fairfax County's Backlick Road project page says northbound Backlick Road toward Industrial Road is closed and expected to stay that way through summer 2027. If you usually take any of these routes to the Holiday Market or Loisdale, plan a detour before the first market weekend on November 27.
When I look at a shopping center, I read it like a balance sheet. Springfield Town Center has lost a 53-year anchor, gained 439 households next door and has a turf-field proposal on file for the empty store. If you'd like to talk through what these changes might mean for homes near the mall, or just compare notes on what opens next, Monica Gibson would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
