Fairfax County officials are closing in on negotiations to transform a former prison into a neighborhood, but they still need millions of dollars to begin efforts stalled through much of the last decade.
Since acquiring the former Lorton prison in 2002, planners have labeled the southern county site a future walkable community lined with homes, offices, shops and green space — inspired by and using the early 20th century buildings.
County supervisors are scheduled tovote on the master plan for the old reformatory and penitentiary Tuesday. However, officials say there is still a roughly $13 million funding gap, as business development and tax credits tied to historical preservation won’t cover the estimated $148 million overhaul.
“It’s such a high cost to go in and retrofit buildings and bring them back to code,” said Chris Caperton, of the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning. “There are extraordinary costs you can’t necessarily recoup.”
» 22,000 square feet in new, small retail construction
» 171 rental units in the reformatory building
» Keep former prison chapel for church or day care
» Renovated guard towers for public access
» Pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular connections to the county’s Greenway Trail
Similar to other redevelopment efforts in the area, officials say private equity, special tax districts, or tax-increment financing could be used to rake in extra cash.
Once the final plan is approved — supervisors say they expect the measure to pass with little resistance — county staff will begin development talks with the Alexander Co., based in Madison, Wis.
The plan calls for 50,000 square feet of renovated office space in the penitentiary buildings, more than 41,000 square feet in neighborhood retail, 44 affordable housing units and more than 180 new villas, duplexes and single-family homes.
Caperton said it would “probably be two years before breaking ground.”
He acknowledged some buildings will have to be torn down to accommodateparking and the new retail uses. Some community groups have balked at the plan over concerns it would destroy too much of the area’s historical integrity.
An arts complex and golf course operate out of the site near the Occoquan River, now dubbed Laurel Hill. The county acquired the D.C. Department of Corrections property for $4.2 million, when the prison was rife with overcrowding and the target of much public scorn.
