What’s Happening Now

Community meetings were held in April and May 2024 by Supervisor Lusk to get public input on the future of the site. The Board of Supervisors is currently scheduled to vote (without further public hearings) on May 21, 2024, to transfer the property to the Fairfax Redevelopment and Housing Authority for affordable housing.

Rose Hill Coalition LLC contends that new public meetings and hearing are required to consider alternative uses, and the vote to transfer the property to the Redevelopment and Housing Authority is no longer valid.

The first two community meetings held by Supervisor Lusk to discuss the future of the Franconia Governmental Center site were on April 13 and 22, 2024. These presentations and “discussions” were primarily geared towards the conversion of the site to affordable housing and input on the desires of the community for the district overall. Nevertheless, residents took the opportunity to voice their ideas on the redevelopment of the site for other uses. The top suggested alternative was “Expansion or relocation of fire stations and police stations to ensure public safety.”

Despite calls from Chairman McKay (see March 5, 2024, Board of Supervisors meeting, hour 3:40) and the community, little effort was made to include the Franconia Volunteer Fire Dept (FVFD) which owns and finances the local Beulah Road site, including the fire and EMS trucks. According to the FVFD website, it was established in 1933, and “provides fire and emergency medical services in partnership with The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department to the residents, businesses, and schools of Franconia, Rose Hill, and Kingstowne Virginia.” Unbeknownst to many, the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department is a 501(c)(4) organization. “We depend on proceeds from our charitable bingo operations and community fundraising to maintain our fire station, purchase emergency vehicles and equipment, and support activities of the department.”

The first and only meeting to date initiated by Supervisor Lusk with the chief (and secretary) of the Franconia Volunteer Fire Dept was held on May 3, 2024, prior to the community summary presentation the following week. During the meeting, Lusk acknowledged the alternate use of the site for a new volunteer fire station, which has been a need expressed by FVFD and others.

Supervisor Lusk made a single summary presentation on May 6, that included presentations by the Fairfax Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Fairfax County Fire Dept (not the Franconia Volunteer Fire Dept.), an environmental expert on chemicals related to the removal of the site’s fuel tank, and staff from the Planning Commission. Attendees (about 100+) were asked to share their “favorite aspect of their community”, submit questions on index cards, and vote on their priority of improvements in community amenities not related to the redevelopment of the governmental center.

At the conclusion of the May 6 meeting, Supervisor Lusk acknowledged the community’s interest in making the site available to the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department currently located around the corner and adjacent to the governmental center. Lusk stated that additional research and “conversations” with Fairfax County would be necessary to determine the viability of the site as a new home for the Volunteer Fire Dept.

Based on comments made by the Fairfax County legal counsel at the end of the March 5, Public Hearing (hour 3:40), if the “subject” of the transfer and redevelopment of the governmental center changes from affordable housing to other uses, a new advertisement and scheduling of a public meeting would be legally required. Thus, Supervisor Lusk’s statement that additional conversations are necessary to consider this alternate use, the Rose Hill Coalition LLC contends that new public meetings are now required to consider alternative uses and the vote to transfer the property to the Housing Authority is no longer valid.

Next Steps

At the direction of the Board of Supervisors, the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development staff recently held three virtual Q&A sessions to allow residents to ask questions and express their concerns about the “by right” placement of data centers in Fairfax. These one-hour virtual sessions served as educational forums for the public to better understand the complex land use review process in the County.

The Rose Hill Coalition suggests such virtual information sessions be offered for the Franconia Governmental Center (and other key land use proposals) going forward. “This inclusive format would allow for uncensored questions and presentations by all stakeholders,” said Coalition Founder Sharada Gilkey.

Surveys and Feedback

Note that for several weeks in April, a survey was posted online where residents could submit their views to Supervisor Lusk on the redevelopment of the Franconia Governmental Center site. The “results” of the survey were also summarized at the May 6 meeting, but had little to do with the redevelopment of the site other than for affordable housing and local community amenities.

A separate “live” survey of the attendees at the May 6, meeting was conducted to determine the top three “preferred community amenities to include if this is a housing redevelopment on this site”. No public survey by the Franconia District or the County has been conducted at any time to get the community’s ideas for alternate uses despite extensive discussions of alternatives during the April 13 and 22 community meetings.

If you would like to provide additional feedback, you may email Supervisor Lusk at Franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov. For contact information for the Chairman and other supervisors, go to Sample Emails.

For current information from the County on the development of the site and community engagement, go to:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/Franconia-Governmental-Center-Site

• May 6, 2024, Presentation
• May 6, 2024, Poll
• Summary feedback from in-person April meetings and the online survey

Timeline of Events

• Public hearing and vote (virtual) in March 2021, to convey board-owned property at the Franconia Governmental Center to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. No public comments were submitted, and in 2023, the Virginia courts invalidated the virtual hearing and vote.
• Governmental Center Redevelopment Proposal (PDF, 379 pages)
  submitted on February 3, 2022, upon request to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority by NFP Affordable Housing Corp, Good Sheppard Housing and Family Services, and SCG Development Partners LLC. This was the only proposal requested and submitted.
• Second BOS Public Hearing and deferral of procedural vote on January 23, 2024 (hours 8:03 – 11:05) to “Validate and Convey Property at the Franconia Governmental Center to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority”
• Letter from Community Leaders on February 25, 2024
• Response from Supervisor Lusk on March 4, 2024, and scheduling of community engagement meetings for April and May
• Deferral on March 5, 2024, by the Board of Supervisors of the procedural vote to convey the property until May 21, 2024. Supervisor Lusk requested a deferral of the Board review and vote on the conveyance. The deferral was based on community objections that residents were not sufficiently notified about or consulted on the transfer or future use of the public property.
• Franconia District community engagement meetings held by Supervisor Lusk on April 13, April 22, and May 6, 2024.
• On May 9, 2024, the Rose Hill Coalition LLC contends that new public meetings and hearings are required to consider alternative uses, and the vote to transfer the property to the Redevelopment and Housing Authority is no longer valid.
• The Board of Supervisors (BOS) will vote on May 21, 2024, on the conveyance of the property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. There will be no public comment period before the BOS at this meeting.

>> See more detailed Timeline (March 2021-January 2024) (pdf)

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