A team of planners, managers, engineers, architects, environmental and transportation experts have been selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to lead Fort Belvoir’s realignment in the face of the anticipated base population explosion of more than 21,000 additional personnel.
Designated the Belvoir New Vision Planners, the team has been assembled as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Report which will bring 5,000 military and 16,000 civilian personnel to the post over the next six years. This will impact not only Fort Belvoir but also the surrounding communities in Mount Vernon and Lee districts.
“Since the BRAC recommendations were first announced, we have been very proud that Fort Belvoir was selected to be a flagship installation in America’s overall national security infrastructure,” said Col. Brian Lauritzen, Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander.
“Now we have a first-class team in place to plan and develop this base into a world-class urban federal center. We expect the planning and development to be fast but deliberate, and we are committed to leading a process where we work collaboratively with our partners in the community and the surrounding region,” he said.
The team will be led by Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc., and Skidmore Owings & Merrill. The latter is one of the “world’s leading architecture, urban design, engineering, and interior architecture firms,” according to Don Carr, Belvoir public information officer.
Work by the team is expected to begin immediately with “siting of tenants across Fort Belvoir,” Carr reported.
With the anticipated 21,000 increase, the construction of several new facilities on the base is planned, according to Carr. Among the organizations moving to Belvoir are:
* Medical care functions from Walter Reed Medical Center
* Army and Department of Defense organizations from leased space
* National Geospatial Agency units from other leased locations
* Program Manager Acquisition, Logistics, Technology Enterprise Systems Support from leased space
* Elements of Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems from Fort Monmouth, NJ
* Inventory Control Point functions from Mechanicsburg, PA and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
* Selected Defense Intelligence Agency activities from various lease locations
Major construction of office space and infrastructure is planned based on a comprehensive mater plan and strategy developed by the Belvoir New Vision Planners team. Realignment is expected to be complete by 2011, according to Belvoir command.
“Local community members will have plenty of opportunities to participate and give feedback throughout the process,” according to the announcement.