If Inova Health System is going to build a new Healthplex in Lorton, it will have to follow some road rules.
During the monthly meeting of the South County Federation Tuesday night, April 11, members approved a resolution that would require any contractors working on the site to refrain from using Sanger Street for parking or staging any of the equipment needed to build the medical facility.
Currently, Inova has submitted a rezoning application for 14.55 acres of land located along Lorton Road, between Sanger Street and I-95, said Sarah Hall, a lawyer from Blankingship Keith working with Inova.
“There is a tremendous need for quality health care in this area, you don’t need me to tell you that,” Hall said.
If approved, the Inova Healthplex would include doctor’s offices, imaging services, an emergency room and a laboratory, she said.
Several members of the Federation expressed concern, however, that their neighborhoods would be disrupted during the construction of the Healthplex, prompting a resolution that would mandate Sanger Street be repaired before the construction begins.
“Essentially, we want the county to continue to look at access to I-95 from the Lorton community,” said Shean Robinson, chairman of the transportation committee. “We want to make sure the builder does not interfere with the quality of life in the community while building the Healthplex,” he said.
THE RESOLUTION calls for all construction traffic to unload materials and prepare for work on Sanger Street south of Springwood Meadow Court. All trucks must exit the work site from the southern access road, which is planned for the back corner of the property, according to a map from Dewberry & Davis LLC, the architect for the project.
Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) agreed to continue pursuing plans for a clover-leaf interchange near the proposed Healthplex.
The proposal will be discussed at the Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, May 4, and at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, May 15.
Also discussed at Tuesday's meeting was the proposed Brookfield development, a subdivision of 20 houses near the Middle Valley community near Gambrill Road.
“This plan continues to be a work in progress,” said Lynne Strobe, an attorney from Walsh Colucci, which represents the developer.
“We had some very productive dialogues last week with the land use committee from the South County Federation,” Strobe said.
She presented the latest design for the project, which would build 20 homes on 11 acres. Since the last time she presented the plan to the Federation, the most significant changes were to the storm water management plan, an item of concern for residents in the Middle Valley community.
“We’ve put together another option, in which we introduce the use of Low Impact Development techniques, which would incorporate things like infill trenches” to help control storm water runoff, Strobe said. “The county is satisfied with our proposal.”
Speaking on behalf of the Middle Valley Homeowner’s Association, Teresa Champion said the changes weren’t convincing enough.
“There’s not much difference between the original option and this new one,” she said. “They’re just replacing a dry pond with a rain garden. The design should show more green patches and more options for water retention.”
While the original plan called for a dry pond which would hold water until it could be absorbed into the ground following a heavy rain, Champion said residents of Middle Valley may still be at risk of flooded basements because their homes downhill from the proposed neighborhood.
“We need to make sure the soil there is good for drainage and permeability,” Champion said.