Design revealed for Patrick Henry Place
Plans are moving forward to replace the Patrick Henry Emergency Shelter in Seven Corners with a larger facility. The new building will provide permanent supportive housing for families facing homelessness.
The project had been delayed while Fairfax County worked out land acquisition and other issues with the Hollybrooke II Condominium Association, which owns the property. Fairfax County took ownership of 0.66 acres from the HOA.
The existing shelter, at 3080 Patrick Henry Drive, provides short-term accommodation (30 days) to nine families with children.
The building will be demolished to make way for a new facility, to be called Patrick Henry Place, with 16 housing units, project manager Amila Bebek said during a presentation to the Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners Revitalization Corporation.
Construction is expected to start in winter 2022/23. The project should be ready for occupancy in fall 2024.
The existing facility was part of the Hollybrooke community, built as apartments in 1952. Fairfax County acquired property from Hollybrooke in 1985 to create the 10-unit emergency shelter.
It’s in poor condition and doesn’t comply with county building codes, Bebek said. The existing building is 9,500 square feet, while the new four-story structure to be built on the same footprint, will be 24,000 square feet.
Patrick Henry Place will have five two-bedroom units, eight three-bedroom units, and three four-bedroom units. The building will have a multipurpose room, administrative office, controlled access and security system, and solar energy. There will be a playground, public plaza, and electric vehicle charging station.
It’s in a good location, notes Tom Barnett, deputy director of the Office to End and Prevent Homelessness. It’s close to the Seven Corners Shopping Center and bus routes on Leesburg Pike.
Supportive housing offers tenants affordable rents along with services, Barnett said. A case manager makes sure people’s basic needs are met and helps with job referrals and community resources.
The goal is to provide housing stability for residents so they will become self-sufficient, he said. The neighborhood will benefit, too, because there will be less turnover of residents and greater stability.
Funding for the project is from a 2016 county bond. The Mason District Land Use Committee will discuss the project at its June 28 meeting. The Planning Commission hasn’t scheduled a public hearing yet.
15 responses to “Design revealed for Patrick Henry Place”
Leave a reply
What temporary arrangements are being made for those in need while this is under construction?
I also wonder where families will go while this is under construction, but this is great progress in finding solutions for the unhoused. So happy it looks to be ecologically smart too, and it’s fairly attractive.
Electric vehicle charging stations for the homeless? Count me in.
Many homeless families live in their Tesla. Have a heart, will ya?
I’m sure there wasn’t anything better in the project for which that particular $150,000 could have been spent on.
They’re probably being housed in local apartments.
And just where do you expect them to charge their Teslas while staying in a regular apartment? People just don’t think!
these socialist projects NEVER lead to self sustainment …they lead to white democrat elitists feeling good about themselves while we suckers pay for ,it..
That’s the most concise, accurate commentary I’ve read all day. But the feelz are what it’s all about. That’s why I’m a Prius driving, fully vaccinated, double masked, gender fluid, Ukrainian flag waving, anti-racist, blue checked world citizen.
José Amigo, I wish I could be as politically correct as you. Geesh. Braggart
Gotta love it when the fascist snowflakes are triggered by taxpayer-funded initiatives like this. Maybe if the profit-at-all-costs plutocracy would stop flipping their middle finger at the less fortunate in society by trickling-down meager breadcrumbs to them, we could move beyond publicly having to fund these types of projects.
Rusty – I read your reply to my wife. She said, with a laugh “that was so stupid.” This is a true story and she’s literally still laughing as I write this. Now I’ll stop because she keeps laughing as she hears me continue to type. Have a great evening and thanx for the LOL!
How do you maintain the energy to have all these running conversations with yourself?
Tap water, taco bell, positive mental attitude
I just have a few questions, considering the area that 7 corners is in, and the condos around it- why not make the building cohesive to the area? It sticks out like a sore thumb and makes the area look somewhat tacky and gentrified, which sounds so dumb coming out of my mouth bc it’s a homeless shelter- why not build the shelter to make it a part of the village? It seems so out of place. I’d even say they’re living better than the locals in 7 corners at that point.
Margo – they are for sure living better than the locals. That’s the point.
You all will get it in a few years.
The really smart neighbors moved out over the last 2 years.
I can’t do that yet. But, among other things, I did sell a lot of stock last year, have thousands of lbs. of food in mylar bags, water purification systems, and hundreds of gallons of gas with fuel stabilizer. I must have paid $2.50/gallon for the gas. I thought it was pricey at the time. LOL.
Just sitting back and watching the show…………….