Lakeside Pharmacy Sold; Will Remain Open For Now

Lakeside Pharmacy at Lake Anne Plaza will remain open at least through late July, real estate sources and store employees said.

The sale of the pharmacy, the last original store at Lake Anne, was completed last week.

Previous owner Larry Cohn — who had been trying to sell the property for years so he could retire — will stay on as pharmacist at least through the end of July.

The new owners of the space are investors. They are looking for an independent pharmacy to rent the space, so there is a good chance the location on Washington Plaza will continue as a pharmacy. However, if a new lease is not signed, the space could become vacant.

Cafe Lakeside, the breakfast and lunch counter located in the pharmacy, closed in February. Owners Alfredo and Rocio Melendez, who had operated the space since 2011, said they wanted to retire since the future of the space was unknown.

The lunch counter space is being marketed for sale or lease separately, so a prospective tenant would not necessarily have to run the business inside another business.

The waterfront space that houses Lakeside Pharmacy is not slated for redevelopment as part of Lake Anne Development Partners’ (Republic Development) plan for the area.

Because the pharmacy is in the historic part of Lake Anne, it cannot undergo big changes. Nearby areas such as the current parking lot at Lake Anne Plaza, a grove of trees owned by Reston Association and Crescent Apartments are included in the plan, which includes 60,000 square feet of new retail space, up to 82,500 square feet of office space, and 1,037 residential units.

Meanwhile, other longtime Lake Anne businesses are changing hands. Jasmine Cafe, a locally owned restaurant on the plaza, closed last month. The Lake Anne Coffee House is also for sale.