An initial design concept is in the works for a new Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston.
The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) began preliminary concept design and programming evaluations in May to establish an updated cost estimate for the long-planned emergency homeless shelter, according to public information officer Sharon North.
The evaluations are being conducted in conjunction with other planning efforts for Reston Town Center North, a roughly 47-acre mixed-use redevelopment project that will replace the Embry Rucker shelter and the Reston Regional Library, among other goals.
This week, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s office and consultants for Inova Health Services kicked off a three-week community survey to gather feedback on potential uses for the development’s central green space.
Guided by recommendations issued by a task force last November, the RTC North redevelopment will be a complicated process involving a joint rezoning application by the county and Inova, followed by a land swap. Inova’s consultants said on Monday (June 17) that they hope to file the zoning application in early January.
“This initial work [on the new shelter] is expected to be complete in early fall 2024 and design work will pause temporarily while property exchange agreements and entitlement efforts for the new shelter site and adjacent sites are finalized,” North said.
Built in 1987, the Embry Rucker shelter has never gotten a major renovation. Operated by the nonprofit Cornerstones, the 10,500-square-foot facility at 11975 Bowman Towne Drive provides 70 beds and social services to both individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
The county has been angling to build a new shelter in RTC North for more than a decade now, approving a comprehensive plan amendment in 2014 and reaching an initial land swap agreement with Inova in 2015. Voters approved human services bonds in 2016 that included $12 million for the shelter project, which has a total estimated cost of $25 million.
The new 25,000-square-foot facility could house 50 single adults and 10 families, while adding medical beds and 14 permanent supportive housing units. It will also have expanded day services for training and workforce development, North says.
According to its fiscal year 2024-2028 capital improvement program (CIP), the county hopes to fund the remaining $13 million needed for the new shelter with Economic Development Authority bonds, which could also finance a $170 million replacement of the North County Human Services Building and contribute $46 million toward the new library and community spaces in RTC North.
The Reston library replacement, which will be preceded by facility upgrades this summer, has already secured $10 million from a 2012 bond referendum.
As recommended by the RTC North task force, the new Embry Rucker shelter will be located on Block 5 of RTC North, land currently owned by Inova. Adjacent to the North County Governmental Center, the site will be sold to the county as part of its real estate exchange agreement.
“When land development matters are resolved, the primary shelter design effort will begin and will include broad community outreach and a focus on sustainable design solutions,” North said.
According to DPWES, the land swap process will start this summer and conclude in fall 2026, so the main design work on the Embry Rucker shelter won’t begin until spring 2026. Construction could potentially finish in spring 2029.
Temporary shelter still in the works
In the meantime, the county is still working on a temporary overnight shelter to house those living in a tent encampment in the woods near Inova’s emergency room and Sunrise Assisted Living.
The temporary shelter will be set up in the North County Human Services Building (1850 Cameron Glen Drive), which also serves as a hypothermia prevention site in the winter, Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness Deputy Director Tom Barnett told FFXnow. An opening date remains unclear.
“The County will provide the individuals sleeping outside nearby with a notification prior to the opening of the shelter and the winding down of the encampment,” he said.
Alcorn suggested in March that the encampment could be cleared “in the coming weeks,” but the shelter setup has evidently been a challenging process.
“The North County Human Services Center requires a significant operational lift, including staffing, permitting, operational supplies, and other logistical considerations as the building is home to multiple Fairfax County services,” said Allyson Pearce, a marketing and outreach manager for the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development.
Like the hypothermia shelter, the temporary shelter in the North County building could accommodate up to 99 people across four spaces, but the final occupancy limit “may be adjusted based on a variety of factors, including staffing and supplies,” Pearce told FFXnow.
Until the shelter opens, the county says overflow capacity is available at Embry Rucker.
