Redevelopment of the Historic Lorton Prison

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Understand the nuances and complexities of a large-scale historic preservation project that includes historic tax credits and multiple agency coordination and review.
• Apply strategies for creating successful public-private partnerships involving land transfers, municipal co-investments, and shared and differing interests.
• Identify strategies for single-building or campus-complex redevelopment opportunities that include citizen engagement and support, elected leadership support, and private developer partnerships.

MORE SESSION DETAILS

The Laurel Hill Adaptive Reuse Area, an 80-acre site now known as “Liberty,” was part of the 2,300-acre former D.C. Department of Corrections property in southern Fairfax County. The former prison dormitories, vocational training buildings, prison yards, and open spaces were listed in 2006 as part of the D.C. Workhouse and Reformatory National Register Historic District. County acquisition of the site in 2001 was met with skepticism over the suitability of retaining an institutional complex and incorporating it into the fabric of existing and planned neighborhoods. This session will focus on the application of planning principles and practices utilized for reusing the prison site to create a community of historic structures blended with new development to create one of the most unique developments in Virginia. The discussion will encompass the complex interrelationships and partnerships among the county, developers, and multi-stakeholders such as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board, and citizen groups. Learn how the county’s public-private partnership with the development community helped leverage historic preservation tax credits to implement a complex, community-driven plan that considers economic opportunities, creates thoughtful infill development, and preserves and utilizes historic properties.