Army facility near Jeff Todd Way and Telegraph Road slated for mid-2024 completion

The Humphreys Engineer Center Maintenance and Supply Facility, a one-story, 47,300-square-foot building under construction near the intersection of Jeff Todd Way and Telegraph Road, is presently targeted for completion in late summer 2024, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District.

The facility, to be located on the north side of John J. Kingman Drive on Fort Belvoir, is designed to provide vehicle and equipment maintenance, as well as supply storage, for the U.S. Special Operations Command. It will have several loading docks and will accommodate equipment currently stored elsewhere on the garrison. Originally planned for a different location, the facility was resituated to the northwestern corner of the Humphreys Engineer Center campus to avoid areas with wetlands and poor soil.

Rendering of the new Army facility (Credit: National Capital Planning Commission)

This past spring, several community members from Mount Vernon and Franconia Districts expressed concern on the Nextdoor website about the tree clearing that was taking place near the intersection of Jeff Todd and Telegraph, across from the Piney Glen neighborhood in Alexandria. A representative from Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s office confirmed they have received a number of inquiries about the project.

Back in June 2021, the National Capital Planning Commission officially approved the Army Corps of Engineers’ site and building plans, noting that their proposal included “significant tree removal” — a total of 6.6 acres of forested area — but that the applicant intended to “generally comply with the Tree Preservation Policy” of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital and to create forest improvement areas and natural land conservation areas. Due to a lack of on-site space for traditional tree replacement, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed requiring the construction contractor, Coakley & Williams Construction, to remove invasive plant species and replace them with native trees where possible.

Proposed ornamental plantings and forest stand improvement areas (Credit: National Capital Planning Commission)

Tree preservation, replacement and mitigation measures for future development projects are to be addressed in the new master plan for the Humphreys Engineer Center campus. The Army Corps of Engineers said the plan will be developed in partnership with surrounding communities in spring 2023 — a delay from the originally anticipated start date of late 2021. The master plan also will designate the area around the new facility for additional industrial uses and provide enhanced accessibility to other sections of the campus.

According to a Baltimore District spokesperson, the Army Corps of Engineers did not conduct a traffic study  because the project team determined that no disruption or traffic congestion were expected during the construction period, apart from normal construction zone traffic. The new maintenance and supply facility will not contribute to additional traffic on Telegraph Road, said the spokesperson, because it is designed for personnel already working at the Humphreys Engineer Center. The building will only be accessible from an existing security entrance control point on Telegraph Road.

According to contract news from the Department of Defense earlier this year, Coakley & Williams was awarded a nearly $21.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the facility.

The official address for the Humphreys Engineer Center Maintenance and Supply Facility will be 7900 John J. Kingman Road.