FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS TO REDEVELOP THE LORTON REFORMATORY INTO NEW MIXED-USE COMMUNITY

Former Prison Buildings Will Be Adapted & Repurposed for Residential and Commercial Use into the New Liberty Community

Lorton, Va. – April 12, 2016 – Construction began in January to repurpose the former Lorton Reformatory into Liberty, Northern Virginia’s newest urban village that will be home to single-family residences and loft-style apartments, and 138,000 square feet of commercial space.

Liberty will offer modern amenities for residents while largely preserving the architectural features of the historic buildings and surrounding campus. Buildings will be adapted and repurposed for residential and commercial use in the Liberty community, honoring the rich history of the Lorton Reformatory site.

Lorton residents will begin to see construction activity at the walls of the former penitentiary, located at the intersection of Silverbrook Road and White Spruce Way. Two openings will be made in the wall to facilitate the installation of utilities that will serve the Liberty mixed-use community. These openings, and up to three other openings, will eventually provide vehicular access to the retail and commercial center that is proposed for development within the walls of the former penitentiary in a second phase of the project.

The Liberty redevelopment project is a public-private partnership between Fairfax County, The Alexander Company of Madison, Wisconsin, and McLean-based developer Elm Street Development. The Alexander Company is nationally recognized for specializing in historic preservation and adaptive reuse. Local builder Van Metre Homes will be constructing the townhomes and detached single-family homes in the Liberty community.

ABOUT LIBERTY
Liberty is a new urban village in Lorton, Virginia, that has transformed the Lorton Reformatory, a property on the National Register of Historic Places, into a modern and vibrant community hub where residents and visitors live, work, shop and thrive. Liberty is located 25 miles from D.C. and 35 miles from Fredericksburg. www.thelibertylife.com

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