"Later this year, renovations at The Village at Shirlington will be complete, bringing improved connectivity and enhanced public spaces while preserving the property's historic character." A Federal Realty spokesperson gave ARLnow that statement on August 20. Earlier in the year, the schedule reported for the project was "through November." Six weeks after the August statement, no report has confirmed a completion date or said that any phase is finished. Meanwhile, two Campbell Avenue storefronts have closed and the most anticipated new opening has moved its target to around Christmas.
That changes where an ordinary fall evening in Shirlington comes from. Right now it depends less on which storefront is open and more on what is scheduled: a curtain time at Signature Theatre, a Saturday afternoon trail through the Village, a sunset film screening at the County's new outdoor arts space in Green Valley. The streetscape is being rebuilt. The calendar is what holds the season together until it's done.
What the Construction Is Building
Work started in March on a scope that touches most of the Village's public space. Plans include wider Campbell Avenue sidewalks and restaurant patios, better lighting, signage and landscaping, and seating areas built around public art. They also call for moving the circa-1986 Beaux Arts fountain out of the median and into the North Courtyard. Federal Realty also listed new building facades and decorative lighting among the improvements. It described the moved fountain as the anchor of a new pedestrian gathering space.
ARLnow reported in April that the North Courtyard would be the final phase, scheduled for August through November. So this fall is that final phase. No published report so far confirms that the fountain has moved or that the sidewalk and public-art work is finished. For now, the courtyard many neighbors expect to become the Village's new focal point is still under construction.
All of this is meant to turn Campbell Avenue into a place to linger outdoors, with bigger patios, more seating, and a fountain you can gather around. That payoff is still ahead. This October, the street is a work zone in its last stretch.
The Storefront Picture, as of Early October
The tenant list has shifted more this season than the renovation itself. Here is where things stand, based on reports through the end of September.
| Business | Address | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corso Italian | 4024 Campbell Ave. | Closed permanently | Announced Sept. 18 |
| Chip City | 4014 Campbell Ave. | Closed | End of business Sept. 21 |
| Paint Your Heart Out | 2780 S. Arlington Mill Dr. | Open | Grand opening March 21 |
| The Roasted Vine | 4150 Campbell Ave. | Permits approved, not yet open | Aiming for around Christmas |
Corso's closing hit hardest. Owner Jill Erber closed the restaurant after an Aug. 2 flood caused what she called "significant damage" to a dining room and the basement. The team had tried to keep serving with one room closed while repairs went on. At the time, Federal Realty said it was committed to supporting the restaurant's reopening. In September, ARLnow reported that the repair schedule would not allow a timely reopening and that the restaurant and landlord had ended the lease. Corso had been part of the Village for many years, and its departure leaves a gap in the Campbell Avenue dining lineup.
Chip City's exit was part of a wider pullback. The cookie chain closed its Clarendon and Shirlington shops together, and an employee said the Virginia locations were told to close at the end of business on Monday, Sept. 21.
The newest addition is just off Campbell Avenue. Paint Your Heart Out, a paint-your-own-pottery studio, held its grand opening in March and lists the Shirlington location as open.
The Café Already Pouring Before It Opens
The Roasted Vine shows best how Shirlington is running on events this fall. Its 2,234-square-foot café at 4150 Campbell Ave., next to Bearded Goat Barber, was announced in July for "late 2026." Construction permits have since been approved, and co-owner Mackenzie Ryan told ARLnow at the end of September that she is aiming to open around Christmas.
Before it has a storefront, the café is already working through the event circuit. It served its first cold brews and specialty blends at Celtic Fest at Samuel Beckett's in September, and it plans pop-ups at farmers markets and other local events until the café opens. Ryan and co-owner Jody Hessler are a familiar duo in the Village. They organize Shucktoberfest, the beer and oyster festival in Shirlington.
Here is what is planned once the doors open:
- Coffee roasted in-house. The house roast is The Rooster, with notes of toasted hazelnut, brown sugar and chocolate. The dark roast is Night Moves, with caramel, toffee and dark chocolate. Beans come from Central America and East Africa.
- Evening drinks. Espresso martinis and a smoked espresso Old Fashioned made with coffee bitters, plus wine and beer.
- Grab-and-go from Hessler's family recipes. Biscuits with jam and a cinnamon roll bread served with cream cheese glaze on the side.
- A dog-friendly, family-friendly patio on Campbell Avenue, plus wine tastings, coffee tastings, roasting demonstrations and live acoustic music.
The café will join Peet's Coffee and Best Buns nearby. If the Christmas target holds, its patio would open onto the newly widened sidewalks. Federal Realty has pointed to that kind of morning-to-evening use as the reason for the larger patios.
The Anchors That Never Closed
Signature Theatre has run on schedule through the whole renovation, and this fall it has two shows overlapping. Merrily We Roll Along runs through Nov. 1, and All The World's A Stage opens Oct. 20 and runs through Dec. 20. From Tuesday, Oct. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 1, both are on the calendar. The Secret Garden follows on Dec. 8 and runs into February 2027.
The Village is also keeping its Halloween tradition. The Trick-or-Treat Trail is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 2 to 4 p.m., with participating shops and restaurants, candy, costumes and prizes. The ARLnow listing gives the Village address as 2700 South Quincy Street.
Green Valley's New Outdoor Room
The newest public gathering space in this part of Arlington is in Green Valley, not on Campbell Avenue. The County bought two parcels at 2700 South Nelson Street and 2701 South Oakland Street in April 2021. It replaced the buildings there with a temporary, flexible outdoor arts and maker space, which opened in spring 2026. The project follows the 2018 Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan, which envisioned a larger Arts & Industry District in the area.
The Art Space has filled its first fall with more programming than the Village has this month. The free movie series has two October nights left. Food and community time start at 6 p.m., and films begin at sunset. The Halloween-themed YIKES! SPARK! market moved from Oct. 4 to Sunday, Oct. 11. It includes a costume swap, a Halloween DJ and interactive art activities. The November SPARK! market is listed for Nov. 1. The neighborhood also held Green Valley Day on Sept. 19 at the Charles R. Drew Community Center, with more than 50 vendors.
The Rest of the Season, by Date
Combine the Village, Signature, Green Valley and a few nearby countywide dates, and October fills up fast:
- Fri., Oct. 9: Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends at the 2700 Art Space movie night.
- Sat., Oct. 10: Pike Fest at Penrose Square, 2597 Columbia Pike, noon to 6 p.m.
- Sun., Oct. 11: YIKES! SPARK! market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2700 S. Nelson St.
- Mon., Oct. 12 to Mon., Oct. 19: Arlington Restaurant Week. Participants include Big Buns, with a Shirlington location.
- Fri., Oct. 16: Coco at the 2700 Art Space.
- Tue., Oct. 20: All The World's A Stage opens at Signature.
- Sat., Oct. 24: Halloween Trick-or-Treat Trail at the Village, 2 to 4 p.m.
- Sun., Oct. 25: Marine Corps Marathon.
- Sun., Nov. 1: Final performance of Merrily We Roll Along and the November SPARK! market.
After Nov. 1, the next dated items are The Roasted Vine's target of around Christmas and The Secret Garden on Dec. 8. In between, the North Courtyard phase is scheduled to wrap up, based on the August-through-November window ARLnow reported in April. Construction schedules and event dates can both change, so check with the organizers before heading out.
If you own a home near Shirlington, a rebuilt Village with wider patios and a new courtyard is a real factor in how buyers will see the neighborhood next year. Diana Foster follows changes like this closely and can show you how they relate to your home today. Get an Instant Home Valuation to see where your home stands as the renovation wraps up.
