The team redeveloping a historic prison in Lorton is preparing to break ground this month on the second phase of the project, the latest addition to southern Fairfax County’s growing development pipeline.
Fairfax County is partnering with Elm Street Development and The Alexander Co. on the $188M redevelopment of an 80-acre portion of the Lorton Reformatory, a prison that operated from 1910 to 2001 and has since been named a historic landmark.
The development team last year delivered the first phase of the project, dubbed Liberty, which included 165 rental apartments in renovated prison dorms on the minimum-security portion of the prison complex. It also added 83 new, for-sale townhouses and 24 single-family homes. Elm Street Regional Partner Jim Perry said the rental units are already fully leased and the homes have had strong sales activity. He said the idea of living in a former prison has appealed to some prospective renters and given the project a competitive edge.
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This article was originally published by Jon Banister in Bisnow Washington, D.C.