The buildings at the former D.C. prison at Lorton would be preserved and transformed into a small cluster of residences, shops and school or university buildings under a plan presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The proposal, made Monday by a county-appointed citizen task force, suggests reusing the part of the prison known as the "reformatory" by making it into residential lofts and turning the "penitentiary" portion into educational facilities. A "village center," equivalent in size to a small strip shopping center, is also proposed.
If successful, this vision, according to the task force report, will help transform the old prison grounds formerly known as Lorton and since renamed Laurel Hill, into "a world-class asset, becoming the jewel in Fairfax County's crown."
The plan presented Monday focuses largely on the 80 acres including and surrounding the penitentiary and reformatory buildings. Other portions of the 2,324-acre Lorton property, acquired by Fairfax County from the federal government in July 2002, have already been designated for schools, parks and recreation.
There are an abundance of possible obstacles to the plan, however, including the demands of historic preservationists who want the prison maintained and neighbors who prefer to see less development there.
The plan depends upon the county attracting a developer or educational institution to fulfill its recommendations.
But county officials expect any interested parties to try to preserve a significant portion of the old prison buildings because preservationists value the facilities for their role in the "progressive era" of prison reform and their Colonial Revival architecture. Most of the buildings were built in the 1920s and '30s.
The task of preserving and rehabilitating the old buildings could be more expensive than simply demolishing them and starting with a clean slate.
Preliminary financial analyses of various development alternatives for the property showed deficits of more than $30 million.
To attract a developer, the county would have to cover that gap, loosen historic preservation demands or increase the amount of homes and shops that may be built.
"Obviously, some tough decisions may have to be made down the road," said Tim Sargeant, chairman of the county panel, known as the Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Citizens Task Force. "Flexibility is the key word here."
As proposed on Monday, the plan is smaller in scale than initial building scenarios.
It suggests building only 60 to 155 residential units, about 50,000 square feet of retail space and between 50,000 and 125,000 square feet for school uses.
Neighbors told the task force they feared that the area around the old prison was already being overdeveloped and objected to significant numbers of new homes.
"They said, 'No way,' " Sargeant said. "It's way too much. Understandably, people are feeling that there's lots of development down there."
Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), who represents the area, said he thinks it is reasonable that the county should contribute financially to the preservation and rehabilitation of the site. He noted the county had already committed $4 million for preservation.
He said the county would likely contribute more, depending upon the desirability of the proposed project.
"The extent to which the county will come forward [with money] depends upon the proposal that comes to us," Hyland said. "I don't think anything is off the table."
