Waterford Coming to Springfield

A Branch of the Successful Waterford Banquet Hall Chain Will Open on Commerce Avenue Next Year
The Connection Newspapers
By Glenn McCarty
March 24, 2005

The paperwork is done, the capital is raised and one of Northern Virginia's most successful bridal halls will open a second location in central Springfield in 2006.

The Waterford franchise, which currently operates the Waterford at Fair Oaks banquet hall in Fairfax, has had designs on Springfield for more than 20 years, but will begin work on converting a mattress and carpet superstore into a bride's paradise within the next six months.

"My game plan was always to have at least two in Northern Virginia," said Keith Clark, president and CEO of Waterford. "It's an appealing site for us."

The Waterford at Springfield will be located near the intersection of Commerce Street and Franconia Road, in the building currently owned and occupied by Mattress Liquidators & Carpet Liquidators. In June 2004, Waterford signed the lease on the building and is currently working through the Fairfax County protocol for beginning work on the building.

Because of the building's current zoning status, C-7, there will need to be no zoning changes to the building or approval from either the Board of Supervisors or the Planning Commission.

"I would say, if their plan is approved, they can begin construction within the next month," said Jeff McKay, chief of staff for Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee).

OPENED IN July 2000, Waterford at Fair Oaks became Northern Virginia's top destination for brides in the state after just one year. According to Clark, during the 2001 calendar year, the facility held the most receptions of any full-service facility in the state, and in 2004, the facility held 159 wedding receptions, an average of three a week.

"The whole idea for Waterford in the first place is that our first market is weddings, and we're unique in that respect. Whatever you want to call us, we're the first and only one in Northern Virginia," said Clark, who said the facility's entire look, from ambiance to name, is designed to draw in brides.

The facility in Springfield will be very similar to its Fair Oaks counterpart, but much larger. At 41,000 square feet, it will be nearly double the size of the Fairfax location. This will allow each of the five ballrooms to be larger, and the largest ballroom — made from opening up the partitions separating four of the ballrooms — will be the second-largest ballroom in the county, according to Clark, just 200 feet smaller than the Ritz Carlton at Tysons Galleria, and with a capacity of 1,200 people.

"That's a huge plus for the Springfield area. They haven't had anything like this in all these years," said Clark.

Although it is geared toward weddings, Clark said the other 50 percent of Waterford's business comes from business meetings and other events like private parties, proms and business events.

The availability of all that meeting space will be good news for the businesses in greater Springfield, said Nancy-jo Manney, executive director of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

" Our members for many years, and businesses in this area in general, have said, 'We need a larger meeting venue.' Our hotels, while they are perfect for 500 or fewer, when you need classroom-style or banquet-style, for over 500 people, we can't accommodate it here in Springfield," said Manney.

Ironically, Clark had been looking at Springfield since the early 1980s for his first Waterford location. Then, however, his efforts ran into problems with erecting a parking structure, the equity didn't materialize, and "it faded into mootness," according to Clark. In the late 1990s, Clark's plan was revitalized, when developer John "Til" Hazel and his wife Anne expressed interest in investing in the project. Other investors, like Inova CEO Knox Singleton and former state Sen. Warren Barry (R-37) came on board, and in July 2000, Waterford at Fair Oaks became a reality.

Even though Clark had passed them by for the time being, folks in Springfield still had their eyes on Waterford for the future. In 2002, Manney approached Kauffman to bring Clark in for a meeting of the minds.

When Toys "R" Us moved out of its location on Commerce Street, Kauffman's office contacted Clark to see about moving in, but the timing again didn't work out.

" They were trying to get established and make that work," said McKay, who added that the former Toys "R" Us site remained.

" It was always envisioned that there would be a better entity than a mattress and carpet superstore," he said.

So when Clark and Waterford began looking to expand in early 2004, Springfield shot to the top of the list.

" I had always assumed we would draw from all over Northern Virginia," said Clark. "While that is partly the case, the vast majority of our customers come from within a seven-mile radius." Clark said he hopes the Springfield location will encourage Springfield-area businesses to remain close to home when planning holiday parties, meetings or other events.

ALREADY, Manney said she is encouraging area hotels and restaurants to work to see Waterford as a partner, rather than a competitor. The fact that central Springfield is loaded with hotels, such as the Courtyard by Marriott across the street from where Waterford will go, means that while the hotels' meeting space might take a slight hit, the increase in traffic will make up for that.

" There will be competition for some smaller businesses, but that will be outweighed by the amount of conferences who can meet at the Waterford and sleep at our hotels," she said.

" Every hotel in the Springfield area could potentially benefit, if they market their product well and fit their niche."
And the trickle-down effect for the local economy stands to be a positive too, said Manney.

" People are going to need gas, great for our gas stations, they'll maybe do some off-site eating, great for our restaurants. All around it's going to be a very positive thing for business," said Manney.

© 2003 Connection Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.