The Eleanor Kennedy Shelter could move to Beacon Hill Road in the coming years. Moving the shelter is one of the options for Fairfax County Services to co-locate with a new fire station.
Penn Daw Fire Station, currently located at 6624 Hulvey Terrace, was the 35th busiest fire station in 2019 according to Firehouse Magazine. The survey included 206 departments in 43 states and DC.
The station, which was built in 1967 and expanded in the 1980s, does not meet current county standards and there are “significant challenges in expanding or rebuilding existing sites,” according to the Fairfax County website.
When the Hybla Valley Nursery location not far from the existing station became available, the county decided that this was the perfect location for the new station to be built.
The 3.5 acre site at 2801 Beacon Hill Rd. Was also good property to locate additional facilities in the county. Supervisor Dan Stork formed an advisory committee to determine the best co-location options for the site.
One of the possible options is to move the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter, which is currently operated from a converted pumping station on property leased from Fort Belvoir.
The district’s project website states: “The refurbishment of the shelter would require a complete modernization of existing interior and building systems, the refurbishment of historic exterior materials, roof replacement, a new natural gas connection and the addition of rainwater management facilities. The expansion of the shelter by a comprehensive program is prohibited due to the location of the building in a 100-year-old floodplain and resource conservation area. Renovation work is limited due to the historical status of the building. “
Photos of the existing shelter, presented at one of the five committee meetings on the subject, show a dilapidated and cramped condition (photos below). The county says the shared location of a new, modern animal shelter on the site of the new fire station will allow the county to better serve people who are homeless in the area. Affordable housing units could also be accommodated on the site.
A group of community members from Bucknell Manor, Belle Haven Terrace, Springbank, and nonprofits like Quander Road Ministries have created their own website, beaconhillshelter.org, to educate the wider community about the proposed project.
“Our mission is to create an information clearing house so the community can gather information and make informed decisions about the county’s planning for this project. If the community as a whole decides that an animal shelter is a good fit on Beacon Hill Road, we want a voice to make it the best project it can be, ”the website says.
The potential location of a homeless shelter in their backyard has worried a number of residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. Some residents have raised concerns that the county was not transparent in its plans for the location. Issues that neighbors have raised that they believe have not been adequately addressed include concerns that property values will decline and crime, traffic and litter will increase. Other residents have condemned the possible loss of green space and the potential for sex offenders or drug users to protect themselves near family-friendly neighborhoods.
A sixth meeting of the Penn Daw Fire Station and the Supportive Housing Committee is scheduled for April 2nd at 9:30 am through Zoom. A link to the meeting and previous meeting materials can be found on the project website here.