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| The Lincolnia area where Fairfax County wants to relocate the Bailey's Crossroads homeless shelter. 1 - the shelter site; 2 Lincolnia Senior Center; 3- Charleston Square; 4 - Stonegate at Landmark. Click map to enlarge. |
About 30 residents came to a meeting organized by Stonegate resident Deb Fraser April 5, where they discussed concerns about declining property values, crime, and safety.
The Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, on Moncure Avenue in Bailey’s Crossroads, has to be relocated to make way for the Southeast Quadrant redevelopment project. The Board of Supervisors had approved a land swap in February that would allow AvalonBay to build a 375-unit apartment building on Moncure while the county would build a human services center on an adjacent property.
That deal is contingent on finding a suitable site to relocate the homeless shelter. On March 28, the county announced the shelter would be moved to modular units in a field behind the Lincolnia Senior Center, at 4710 N. Chambliss St. That would be a temporary location, for four or five years, until a permanent site can be found.
The shelter would have beds for 50 men and women, 24-hour staffing, a parking lot, a hypothermia prevention program, and security features, including outdoor lights and fencing. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, it would open in spring 2017.
No one from Stonegate or Charleston Square received an official notice about the shelter from Mason Supervisor Penny Gross or anyone else, Fraser said, noting, “that is unacceptable.” She has already met with Gross but doesn’t think the supervisor is sympathetic to homeowners’ concerns.
“We can all chuckle at the word ‘temporary.’ Schools have trailers that are 20 years old,” Fraser said.
The planned site is just a stone’s throw from both the Stonegate and Charleston Square communities. Several people at the meeting noted that homeless people would be cutting through their backyards as they walk from the shelter to restaurants, stores, and bus stops on Little River Turnpike and Beauregard Street.
The Bailey’s Crossroads Shelter provides sleeping facilities, but clients cannot spend the day inside, so it’s common to find homeless individuals hanging around nearby streets, vacant lots, and shopping areas.
Lincolnia residents are worried that vagrants would be in their neighborhood panhandling and posing a threat to children at bus stops. And because homeless individuals aren’t allowed to bring drugs or alcohol into shelters, there is a concern that they would hide those items outside where children could find them.
Scott Brewer cited crime statistics from the Fairfax County Police Department listing service calls at the Bailey’s Crossroads Shelter between April 4, 2015, and April 4, 2016, for 23 assaults, five larcenies, six drug offenses, two sex offenses, and one robbery. Nine people who had given their address as the Bailey’s were arrested last month for possession of an open container, trespassing, disorderly conduct, or being drunk in public.
Both Brewer and Fraser stressed they’re sympathetic to the needs of the homeless but said the county’s goal should be to end homelessness.
“We need to protect our families,” Fraser said. “We need to preserve our property values.” She also raised concerns about the safety of clients at the Lincolnia Senior Center. One person at the meeting proposed moving the shelter to the Mason Government Center.
County officials are hosting a community meeting on the shelter April 11, 7-9 p.m., at Peace Lutheran Church, at 6362 Lincolnia Road.
The Mason District Land Use Committee will discuss the shelter April 26, 7:30 p.m., at the Mason Government Center. The Fairfax County Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on it in May.
The Mason District Land Use Committee will discuss the shelter April 26, 7:30 p.m., at the Mason Government Center. The Fairfax County Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on it in May.