County Buys 2,323-Acre Prison Property for $4.2M

LORTON, VA-Ownership of the former 2,323-acre Lorton Correctional Complex property officially changes hands from the DC Department of Corrections to Fairfax County in a recent “razor-wire” cutting ceremony. The event also marks the impending conversion of a 1,600-acre portion of the area into a park and green space region to be called Laurel Hill. Fairfax County acquired the property in a $4.2 million deal and will redevelop an additional 180 acres of the land under the County Board of Supervisors’ Comprehensive Plan Amendment and official Reuse Plan.

The prison opened in 1916. Upon its April 2001closing, the facility consisted of 300 structures, of which 136 are considered to be of historical significance. The land transfer marks the final stage of the General Services Administration land disposal project stipulated by the Lorton Technical Corrections Act. The project includes the disposition of 147 acres of land to the County Water Authority for construction of a new water facility, and 115 acres for educational purposes.