Thousands of Department of Defense employees soon heading to the Mark Center might be packing — lunches. With a building cafeteria that apparently seats only a few hundred, and restaurants within walking distance in short supply, DoD workers expected to arrive at the Mark Center building within the next few weeks will either be brown-bagging it or they could create lunch-hour traffic mayhem in Alexandria.
About 6,400 employees will move into the Mark Center over the next year as part of the DoD’s Base Realignment and Closure program. There are no nearby Metro stations, and authorities expect a rush-hour nightmare on the roads.
The DoD is trying to keep staffers inside the building as much as possible. In addition to the cafeteria, the new facility has a barber shop, a fitness center, a medical clinic and a credit union, according to a spokesman from Duke Realty, which leases the building.
But the isolated Mark Center has few restaurant options in the area, unlike the Arlington offices where many of the 6,400 employees currently work. The Mark Center’s nearest restaurants, Clyde’s and Finn & Porter, serve lunch for about $12 to $18 a plate. And Duke Realty runs a shuttle to a local strip mall every 20 minutes.
Alexandria leaders said they didn’t think any restaurants would be moving in anytime soon, however, and it’s not clear what the surge of lunchtime customers will mean for the area.
“The demand is yet to be seen,” Vice Mayor Kerry Donley said.
Clyde’s is renovating its kitchen but isn’t expanding, while Finn & Porter is still considering expanding, a manager said. They’re eager for the new business.
“We’re really excited for those [DoD] guys. We’re looking forward to them being our neighbors,” said Clyde’s spokeswoman Amy Bridges.
Though some have touted the spill-off economic activity from the Mark Center move in the past, Donley said he thought BRAC’s economic benefit to Alexandria has been overstated.
The Department of Defense did not respond to repeated requests for information for this story on Thursday.
