Task force to advise county on plan for Northern Virginia Training Center site

This site along Braddock Road could become a community for seniors.

Braddock Supervisor John Cook is creating a citizen task force to advise county officials as they develop a Comprehensive Plan for the site formerly occupied by the Northern Virginia Training Center (NVTC).

In September, Erickson Living, a developer specializing in retirement communities, announced plans to build a continuing care facility for more than 1,100 seniors on the 78-acre site on Braddock Road near George Mason University.

The NVTC, which had served as a residence for people with disabilities, closed in 2016 following a court ruling that found it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

According to Cook, the site has never gone through a Comprehensive Plan review process, and Fairfax County “has begun conducting a community needs assessment to better understand what the area currently lacks or needs to improve on regarding land use, environment, transportation, public facilities, housing, and parks and recreation.” Cook also plans to host a community meeting in January.

The task force will use the needs assessment and public comments from the community meeting as a starting point for developing options for a Comprehensive Plan. These options will be presented to the community at a public meeting in April 2018. The task force is expected to present its official recommendations in June.

Task force members will be selected during the first week of December, and the group will begin working in early February. Any Braddock District resident can apply to be a member by filling out an online application. The task force, however, “will require a significant time commitment from members,” Cook warns.