Redevelopment Planning For Original Mount Vernon High To Start

MOUNT VERNON, VA—On Tuesday, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a bid to redevelop the former Mount Vernon High School site into a mixed-use space. The 42-acre site also includes the George Washington RECenter.

The Alexander Company and Elm Street Development and county staff will have nine months to come up with a plan for the old high school, located at 8333 Richmond Highway. The county will pay the developers $399,000 for the plan.

The county envisions redevelopment to create public and private spaces for residential, educational, recreational and non-profit uses. Plans would include connections to a future bus station, one of nine planned along Richmond Highway from the Huntington Metro to Fort Belvoir.

“Our goal for the redevelopment of this innovative community campus is to reflect the unique tapestry of the Fairfax County community; create shared, multi-generational community spaces; and serve as an incubator for nonprofits and businesses alike, while being self-sustaining and contributing to the economy of the region," said Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck in a statement.

Built in 1939, the original building was home to Mount Vernon High School until 1973 and Walt Whitman Middle School up to 1985. The county leased it to the Islamic Saudi school from 1985 to 2016. Plans for redevelopment became a possibility when the lease ended. Now the building serves as interim space for a fire marshal's office and a school’s gym for the South County Teen Center. Planning for other interim spaces is underway.

For more information on the redevelopment plans, visit the Original Mount Vernon High School project website.

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Images via Fairfax County