One Loudoun officially broke ground on Phase One of its downtown sector July 24 with several elected officials in attendance.

According to Julie Dillon, spokesperson for Miller and Smith who is developing One Loudoun, the groundbreaking is a significant step in construction of the complex.

“This was a groundbreaking for the downtown retail and office space. We had held a ribbon cutting when we opened up the Welcome Center and the builders opened for sale in November as well,” Dillon said. “This groundbreaking was to commemorate the actual start of construction of the Alamo Cinema Drafthouse, as well as the two flanking buildings, which are two three-story retail and office buildings and also the plaza in the center of it all.

“That was really the focus because things are starting to go under contract and go up in the air relatively quickly,” Dillon said.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a Texas-based business that offers in-theater dining and drinks served throughout the films. The movie theater will be a 32,000-square-foot theater in Phase One of Downtown One Loudoun. It will be Alamo’s first theater in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Attending the groundbreaking was Loudoun County Circuit Clerk of Court Gary Clemens; Loudoun County Supervisors Ken Reid (R-Leesburg), Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn) and Suzanne Volpe (R-Algonkian); Bill May, vice-president of Miller and Smith; Satoshi Yoshimura, president and COO of the North America Sekisui House; Alvin Hall, chairman of Miller and Smith; and Loudoun County Treasurer Roger Zurn.
One Loudoun is a 358-acre mixed-use development at the intersection of Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway.

Phase One of Downtown One Loudoun features 210,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space. Included in the space will be the brand new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which is scheduled to open in 2013.

Dillon said that residential space is also well into the process of being constructed.

“We have sold 44 homes to date before models are even completed,” Dillon said. “Camberley Homes and NV Homes already have homes out of ground.”

Additionally, officials of One Loudoun are actively pursuing plans for an array of high-quality restaurants, boutique grocers, a health club and other upscale shops and offices.

More than 100,000 square feet of mixed-use space will be LEED certified and upon its completion downtown One Loudoun will encompass 1 million square feet of mixed-use development.

“Downtown One Loudoun will become ‘the’ new economic focal point for commerce in Loudoun County with a dense pedestrian-oriented mix of uses and public amenities,” Bill May, vice-president, Miller and Smith said. “We have designed the downtown area with every detail in mind with superior architecture and advanced urban design principles. We are creating a unique environment that seamlessly integrates quality of life with an outstanding retail and business environment.”