“Tishman Speyer to Transform Friendship Heights Shopping Mall into Mixed-Use Property with Hundreds of Rental Apartments and Reimagined Retail Spaces”

5300 Wisconsin Ave, NW rendering courtesy Tishman Speyer

From a press release:

“Tishman Speyer today announced it has secured $150 million in construction financing from RBC Capital Markets, as well as all permits necessary, to move forward with its reinvention of Mazza Gallerie in Washington, DC.

Working with acclaimed Danish design architects 3XN, Tishman Speyer is transforming the obsolete shopping mall in Friendship Heights into a dynamic mixed-use development featuring approximately 320 rental apartments and 90,000 square feet of retail.

Tishman Speyer will replace Mazza Gallerie’s existing three-story above-grade structure with a new seven-story building with a striking, undulating masonry façade set atop a new glass enclosed retail podium. Tishman Speyer will maintain the existing below-grade concourse retail and parking structure. Demolition of the existing structure is underway and completion of the residential portion and first wave of new retail openings is anticipated in 2025.

The luxury rental apartments, forty of which will be designated affordable, will range from studios to three bedrooms. The unit mix will include two-story townhouses and premier penthouses with private terrace space. All residents will benefit from a host of best-in-class amenities, including a courtyard pool and sundeck, robust co-working offerings with private conference facilities, a golf simulator, a landscaped roof deck with a large event space and demonstration kitchen, a state-of-the-art health and wellness center and tenant lounges.

Tishman Speyer will introduce approximately 20,000 square feet of new ground floor retail designed to maximize placemaking along Wisconsin Avenue and attract top quality brands. In response to the neighborhood repositioning, the target customer mix will include boutique stores, premium neighborhood services, and a mix of fast casual and full-service food and beverage offerings. In addition, Tishman Speyer will maintain the mall’s 70,000-square-foot retail concourse, catering to large format users such as grocers and soft goods, which will once again be anchored by TJ Maxx. The redevelopment will also maintain over 800 parking spots across four below-grade levels.

“With its prime location above the Friendship Heights Metro station on the border of D.C. and Maryland, the reimagined Mazza Gallerie will blend the walkable amenities of downtown living – including local restaurants, shops, grocery stores and parks – with immediate proximity to several of the region’s long-standing premier suburban neighborhoods,” said Tishman Speyer Senior Managing Director Paul DeMartini. “We are thrilled to have secured financing and to take these next steps towards making our vision a reality.”

Added 3XN Partner Jens Holm, “Given its prominent location and expansive Wisconsin Avenue frontage, the redeveloped Mazza Gallerie will serve as a gateway to the Friendship Heights neighborhood as well as the District of Columbia as a whole. Working with Tishman Speyer, we have designed it with an undulating façade to create movement and visual interest along the Avenue, while also incorporating terraces, courtyards and street-level retail that will offer opportunities for residents and the local community to meet, thrive and mingle.”

Davis Construction and Smoot Construction are serving as Co-General Contractors for the project. 3XN is partnering with Eric Colbert & Associates, which is serving as Architect-of-Record.”