In accordance with the FY 2000 Defense Authorizations Act, the Office of the Secretary of Defense is responsible for transferring approximately 42 acres occupied by the Navy Annex and adjacent land to the Department of the Army for Arlington National Cemetery use. To meet this objective, the building must be demolished, improvements on the property must be removed, and the land must be restored as open green space for future Arlington National Cemetery use.
How will the land be used in the future?
This land will be used by Arlington National Cemetery for the burial of our nation's eligible military veterans and their eligible family members.
Community members and other stakeholders can anticipate seeing construction personnel on-site beginning late September. Demolition of the building exterior will not begin until the removal of any interior recyclable or hazardous materials is complete.
The project is expected to be completed in 11 months or less. It will be conducted in five phases: Abatement and removal of hazardous materials, removal of recyclable materials, demolition of the facility, removal of debris, and restoration of the land after all man-made improvements are removed.
The main impact will be on the Foxcroft Heights Community to the west of the Navy Annex site. An outreach plan is in place for the exchange of information between WHS and The Foxcroft Heights Community Association. Traffic impact will be minimal on Columbia Pike and Joyce Street. Traffic on Southgate Road will be constrained during parts of the work.
Yes, Southgate is a public road that connects Joyce Street to the Joint Base. It has two tiers: a lower (Southern) portion, and an upper (Northern) portion. The lower portion of Southgate Road contains public parking. Parking on the upper portion historically has been controlled by the DoD.
During the hiatus between closing the facility and turning the site over to the contractor, DoD did not enforce the "no parking unless you have a DoD sticker" on the upper portion of the road. The DoD is enforcing this once again as a no public parking zone because the area will be used by contractor personnel and trucks. The DoD wants to keep the road safe for use by the public while ensuring the contractor can perform the work required by the contract without injuring anyone or damaging any vehicles. The Foxcroft Heights Community Association and Arlington County officials are aware of the no-parking enforcement.
The primary reason is that the work is being conducted in five phases:
Once all of the interior work is done, you will see actual demolition of the outside shell begin, commencing with Wing 1. This pattern will be repeated for the remaining 6 wings.
Normal hours of operation (M-F): 6:00am - 6:30 pm Arrive on site at 6:ooam and start actual work within the first hour. Shut down in reverse. (Varies based on daily activities)
Most Saturday hours of operation: 7:00am - 5:00 pm . Arrive on site at 7:00am and start actual work within the first hour. Shut down in reverse. (Varies based on daily activities)