Army-Va. Deal Cuts Jobs Headed For Belvoir

Altogether, about 12,000 jobs are now scheduled to move to Fort Belvoir and its proving ground. But the 8,500 jobs going to the proving ground are with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a 24-hour operation with irregular shifts, which will reduce the impact on the road network, Homer said.

In addition to shifting jobs away from Belvoir, yesterday's agreement calls for the federal government to oversee completion of the southern segment of the Fairfax County Parkway, a critical road link that will traverse Belvoir property. Whether Virginia or the federal government would oversee that project -- and assume liability for any environmental cleanup required on post property -- had been a sticking point between state and federal officials. Most of the jobs headed to Belvoir would move after the completion of the parkway, Moran said.

"The county and the citizens need the Fairfax County [Parkway] to make some sense out of the traffic situation in Northern Virginia," said Assistant Army Secretary Keith E. Eastin, who negotiated the agreement with Virginia. "We ought to cooperate between the Army and the State of Virginia to get that done.

The new agreement also invigorates plans to revitalize Springfield, an aging crossroads known primarily for the Mixing Bowl, the massive junction of Interstates 95, 495 and 395.

With thousands of federal workers destined to work within walking distance of the Metro station and with Springfield Mall soon to be rehabilitated, county officials, smart-growth advocates and property owners are likely to push harder to achieve a walkable, transit-oriented downtown Springfield.

"The economic revitalization of Springfield and the spinoff economic advantages are hard to calculate, but they're real," said Gerald E. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.

Eastin said the Army would have to study the GSA property to make sure it is feasible to move the jobs there. He said a final agreement between Virginia and the Army should emerge within a month.

The agreement does not specify whether the movement of jobs from Arlington would still be completed by September 2011.

One issue not affected by the agreement is the future of Crystal City, which Arlington officials fear could become a ghost town once thousands of military jobs leave.

Arlington stands to lose 17,000 jobs -- more than any other jurisdiction in the country -- as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's 2005 recommendations. Of those jobs, 13,000 are in Crystal City, along with 3 million square feet of affected office space.