On December 4, 2012, the Board of Supervisors approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to generally incorporate the recommendations of the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Area Master Plan into the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. The Board approved the Planning Commission and staff recommendation as shown in the Staff Report and Staff Report Addendum.

On September 13, 2011, the Board of Supervisors approved the Interim Agreement between Fairfax County and The Alexander Company. The Interim Agreement authorized The Alexander Company to commence with certain design, engineering, and zoning activities and further determine the financial costs, and financial gap, of the project. 

On May 11, 2010, the Board of Supervisors approved the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Area Master Plan and authorized County staff to begin negotiations with The Alexander Company on an interim development agreement. The Master Planning Process provided land use planning and design, financial analysis, and public outreach for the redevelopment of the approximately 80-acre County-owned Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Area, formerly part of the D.C. Department of Corrections' prison in Lorton.

 

Background

The Master Planning Process provided land use planning and design, financial analysis, and public outreach for the redevelopment of the approximately 80-acre County-owned Adaptive Reuse Area (Tax Map 107-1 ((1)) 9), formerly the D.C. Department of Corrections' prison in Lorton. The 80-acre site includes the former Reformatory which includes 41 buildings, including dorms, an auditorium/hospital and gymnasium, and the former Penitentiary, which includes 15 structures including cellblocks, towers, and a cafeteria.

Since 2002, when the U.S. Congress transferred the 2,300 acres of property at Laurel Hill to Fairfax County, the county has worked with residents and Board of Supervisors'-appointed boards and task forces to develop plans for the future use of the area. The Master Plan builds upon recommendations from previous citizen task forces for the redevelopment of the site.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors selected The Alexander Company to develop a Master Plan for the Adaptive Reuse Area at Laurel Hill. The contract award was approved by the Board of Supervisors on May 5, 2008. On May 11, 2010, the Board of Supervisors approved the Laurel Hill Master Plan (Phase I of the planning process) and authorized County staff to begin negotiations with The Alexander Company as the next step (Phase II) of the process.

 

Master Plan Request For Proposal

On August 31, 2007, Fairfax County issued a Request for Proposal for the services of a Master Developer to assist the county in preparing a master development plan for the adaptive reuse portion of the former Lorton prison, located in what is now known as Laurel Hill. The proposal request was for qualified private developers to join in a public/private effort to develop this 80-acre area formerly known as the Reformatory and Penitentiary. The redevelopment will adaptively reuse existing historic buildings and will also include new infill construction.

The proposal request was for qualified private developers to join in a public/private effort to work with county to staff to create a master development plan. The plan includes features such as adaptive reuse considerations, project financial feasibility, phasing of construction, and the possible application of historic tax credits.  Upon successful completion of the Master Planning phase, the Master Developer has the opportunity to continue in the implementation phase of the project.

The site, located on the southwestern side of Silverbrook Road west of I-95, is part of a 2,400 acre parcel of land acquired by Fairfax County from the Federal Government in 2002.  The parcel is 14 miles from Washington, DC, and within one of the Country’s most affluent and well-educated communities. The parcel is part of a larger 511-acre historic district – the District of Columbia Workhouse and Reformatory Historic District – that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2006.  The 2,400 acre parcel is the home to the new Laurel Hill Golf Club – an 18-hole, 7,010 yard course, improved hike and bike trails, the Lorton Arts Foundation's Workhouse Arts Center, a future equestrian center, and improved park and open space.

Fairfax County envisions a unique and world-class development of residential, retail, commercial and educational space within the former Reformatory and Penitentiary complex.  This development will serve the expanding south county region and create a unique destination in harmony with the surrounding uses, including single-family residential, senior living residential, schools, an arts center and parks.  Recent growth in the immediate area includes the Spring Hill active adult community, and the residential community of Laurel Hill.

 

Contractor Selection

In response to the County's Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Master Developer, The Alexander Company, based in Madison, Wisconsin, which specializes in urban infill development, brownfield revitalization and historic preservation, submitted a project proposal and cost proposal.  Locally, the company is the master developer for the National Park Seminary site in Silver Spring, Maryland.  In May 2008 The Alexander Company was selected to develop a master plan for the site.