Current Status

The City's examination of potential community center locations is currently focusing on partnering with Fairfax County for a joint development of the Joseph Willard Health Center property (3750 Old Lee Hwy.) and the City’s adjacent Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center.  Fairfax County has indicated a willingness to consider partnering with the City in developing a joint-use facility on this site.  Such a scenario could potentially accommodate a senior center, gymnasium and related amenities as envisioned in the Green Acres Feasibility Study.

A joint development strategy could range from simply sharing parking or entry/exit points to a more involved partnership of a new building containing uses for both jurisdictions.  Both the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County are at the beginning stages of evaluating potential solutions to their joint facility needs.

The City of Fairfax and Fairfax County recently initiated a shared study with an architectural firm, exploring the rough feasibility of space and parking requirements for what each entity desires on the Sherwood/Willard sites.  The City is using the Green Acres Feasibility Study’s recommendations for the size and features of a community center facility as a starting point for this analysis, and the architects are exploring different building and site configurations.  Should community center uses appear feasible for the Sherwood/Willard sites, the City will look to integrate those uses as much as possible with the existing Sherwood Center.

City Council held a work session on November 28 to review the architectural firm’s preliminary findings.  These findings could point the way towards what kind of partnership, if any, would most benefit both the City and County.  

Information garnered from this work session will be used to determine whether to pursue a partnership with Fairfax County regarding locating community center functions on the Sherwood/Willard sites.  Should the Council choose to further explore this option, additional public hearings will be held throughout the process.

The three renderings below, which were presented to the City Council at this work session, show the following:

A) Existing Conditions: Buildings and site features at the City’s Sherwood/Police Building site, as well as at Fairfax County’s adjoining Willard Health Center and Jorgenson Lab sites.

B) Option 1: This shows a conceptual master plan with a new Community Center (containing a senior center and gymnasium) built on the City’s Sherwood/Police Building site.  This new structure would be connected to the Sherwood Center by a covered exterior walkway.

Under this scenario, Fairfax County would build a new Health Center on the Willard site, and this structure would also contain a preschool facility.

Both new structures would share parking facilities as well as ingress/egress points on both Old Lee Highway and Layton Hall Drive.

C) Option 2: This shows a conceptual master plan containing a single new building containing both a City of Fairfax Community Center and a new Fairfax County Health Center.  The Community Center would include a senior center and a gymnasium, and a preschool would be included in the combined building.

The building would straddle both City and County properties, and would be connected internally to the Sherwood Center.  Both new structures would share parking facilities (which include some below-grade parking) as well as ingress/egress points on both Old Lee Highway and Layton Hall Drive.

Community Center Site Evaluation Study of City-owned Sites (June 2017)

The City did site evaluations of the three city owned properties identified in the Green Acres Feasibility Study final report as possible locations for a community center. Click on the images to the right and below to view the Community Center Site Evaluation Study and the plans and renderings for each of the three sites. 

Green Acres Feasibility Study Final Report (June 2016)

Click on the report cover image to view the final report.

Presentations from Green Acres Feasibility Study Meetings

Click on the image links below to view the presentations given on those dates.

Green Acres Feasibility Study Background

The Green Acres Center is a former elementary school located on 10 acres at the southern tip of the City of Fairfax.  The 41,000-square foot building was built as Green Acres Elementary School in 1961, and served as a school until 2000.  Since that time, the building has hosted many City functions, and now serves as a community center and is home to the Main Street Child Development Center, the City’s Senior Center, an exercise room, and many rentable rooms available for private rentals as well as city-sponsored classes.  The Center’s grounds hold four athletic fields, a playground, basketball courts, and a bocce/horseshoes court.

The building itself is in need of significant repairs.  Prior to undertaking such repairs, it is important to examine the Center’s usage and the City’s needs in terms of services and parks and recreation offerings, and determine how the City can best meet those needs.  To accomplish that goal, the committee is looking at the following options for the Green Acres site’s future:

• Continued use as a community center;
• Expanded/renovated use at its current location;
• Moving the current uses elsewhere in the City;
• Using the Green Acres site differently in the future.

All options will take into account the needs of City of Fairfax Public Schools, which has an option to use the Green Acres site for a future school should that become necessary. 

Green Acres Feasibility Committee Members

Questions?

If you have any questions or comments, please email Eric Forman in Community Development & Planning or Cathy Salgado, Director of Parks & Recreation.