White Oak Shopping Center

White Oak LLC engaged Cornerstone Architects to work with Dewberry, the civil engineer, on a rezoning hearing package. The site is located in a rural but rapidly developing section of Stafford County, Virginia. The owner’s design criteria were for a modest, attractive, local, suburban shopping center. Cornerstone Architects response was an all brick, arched colonnade with towered corners, awnings, and feature period lighting.

The original rezoning hearing greeted this design submission with little enthusiasm. After some behind the scenes discussions between the rezoning attorneys and the county supervisors the attorneys approached Cornerstone Architects with a challenge. The supervisors wanted the shopping center redesigned as a village. They would only approve the project if the shopping center looked as though it had always been part of the community. Cornerstone Architects received this call on a Friday morning and the redesigned renderings had to be at the attorney’s office by close of business the following Monday.

Our design studio volunteered to stay late and worked the weekend to make the deadline. We started the work and the concept sketches for the redesigned center were complete by Friday at 5 PM. Over the weekend we revised the 3-D model and the views and we were ready to print first thing Monday morning. The revised renderings were couriered and delivered by 5PM Monday. The rezoning hearing was a success and the project is currently signing new tenants.