Off Lorton Road at the site of the old prison, a Revolutionary War officer, circa 1766, lived with his family in a house called "Laurel Hill." Fast forward 237 years, and Laurel Hill is the name attached to a 2,725-acre parcel of county land that is the subject of meetings and public hearings all over Fairfax County to determine how the land will be developed.
Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock) hosted such a meeting on Tuesday, May 27. Although the Braddock District doesn't border the property in question, it's land-use decision could concern the entire county.
"This has countywide significance," Bulova said. "A lot of things there are a lot of facilities my constituents will use."
The myriad of additions to the land, most of which are yet to be determined, include a middle school, high school, senior center, art center, golf course, landfill, fire and rescue, park land, a bike trail and housing. The Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Citizens Task Force consists of citizens, county representatives, consultants and park representatives that chair the meetings. The task force's mission statement is as follows:
"The goal of the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Citizens Task Force is to contribute to the transformation of Laurel Hill into a world-class asset. In this capacity, Laurel Hill will serve as an enduring cultural, educational and recreational landmark that enriches the lives of all Fairfax County residents as well as those beyond the county's borders."
Tim Sargeant is the chairman of the task force. He traced the evolution of the group's efforts, which started with a first task force in 1995, the second in 1999 and the third and current task force.
"Our goal is to get our recommendations to the Board of Supervisors by December 2003," Sargeant said.
Fairfax County Park Authority representative Jennifer Heinz also mentioned that date for the finalized plan.
"This really is a countywide facility," she said. "We have to approach it that way. By December, we should be able to adopt a master plan for the park portion."
The property includes 926 acres of Fairfax County park land and 430 acres of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority land. The meeting included a Park Authority video, "Laurel Hill: Imagine the Possibilities," which went through the chronology of the efforts, focusing on some of the features that are already under way for the land, which is three times the size of Central Park in New York City.
For instance, construction on the golf course will begin in September 2003 and be completed by May 2005. It will occupy 250 acres, according to the video. Development on the Occoquan site and approval for the art facility have already happened as well.
THE PROPERTY ALREADY HAS 136 existing buildings, each rated high, medium and low after analysis on how much work needs to be done to bring it up to specifications. Task force member Paul Moyer represents EDAW Inc., which is handling the buildings. The buildings were built in the progressive era, circa 1915, a time when the focus was on rehabilitation.
"You'll see that a lot of the buildings had a unique character," he said. "Many of the windows were up high for obvious reasons."
Forty-seven of the buildings are rated high, 30 medium and 59 low. The estimated costs of refurbishing them are $75-$124 per square foot for the high, $125-$174 for medium and $175-$225 for low, according to Moyer. Water damage is the biggest problem so far encountered.
"These are just ballpark numbers, depending on the specific use," Moyer said.
All the land use on the property is not dependent on the final plan, which is expected to come to fruition in December. On Saturday, May 31, the ribbon was cut on three interim-use ball fields.
The senior center was an item of concern for many at the meeting. It will be a independent-living facility built by KSI Properties. It will be built on Silverbrook Road near the high-school site.
As for the historic Laurel Hill House, it will not go by the wayside.
"The idea is to preserve it," said task force member Neal McBride.