NEWS

Housing contractor, senator disagree over what prompted $50M Fort Lee project

Virginia's Mark Warner said Hunt was among four management firms 'embarrassed' into accelerating timetable

Bill Atkinson
The Progress-Index
This aerial photo taken in 2016 shows Jackson Circle, where the first phase of the $50 million upgrade will take place. About 30 homes will be revamped over the next two years at a cost of about $15.6 million.

FORT LEE — A long-awaited upgrade to on-post military housing is set to begin this month, but the management firm overseeing it says pressure from Capitol Hill, specifically Virginia Sen. Mark R. Warner, had nothing to do with its timing.

The senator says he is not buying that.

Hunt Military Properties, which manages all four housing areas at Fort Lee, plans to launch the first phase of its six-year $50 million project during the second week of August. First up will be 30 homes in the Jackson Circle neighborhood, where many of the oldest and smallest properties are located.

By the end of the project, more than 750 houses will have been fixed up, the company maintains.

Last year, Warner, D-Va., toured housing areas at Fort Lee and other military posts across Virginia, where he met with families who complained that the management firms, including Hunt, had not been receptive to their requests for repairing damage due to rot or pests. Prior to the visits, Warner co-sponsored legislation that applied a "tenant's bill of rights" in the private sector to the military sector, saying that if a landlord did not meet their obligation to make timely improvements, the families could withhold their rent payments.

Warner: 'Urgency' needed for post housing

John Hoyt, Hunt's vice president of development, said in an interview with The Progress-Index that the push by Warner did not speed up the delivery. In fact, he said, over the past 13 years, Hunt had set aside money from rent payments to build up the funds for the renovation, and now was the best time to start it.

"It did not impact the scope. When we have the funds available and we have the needs, we go out and explore the issues," Hoyt said. "It wasn't specifically tied to it, but we're very committed to affordable and livable conditions for our military residents."

Warner downplayed his pressure on Hunt to get the houses fixed, But he added that iif legislation had not been passed and the contractors were not "embarrassed" into making the repairs, he was not so sure that the work would be beginning when it is.

"I will take it for whatever excuse they want to give," Warner said. "But do I believe that if we hadn't passed legislation, do I believe that if we hadn't embarrassed the company, do I believe if we hadn't gotten chain of command actively involved, that we would see this renovation? We might have seen it a decade from now, but I'm not sure we would have seen it now."

Warner wants Fort Lee housing answers

Hoyt said the myriad of repairs to the houses includes new roofs, drywall improvements and upgrading of plumbing systems. Some of the houses in Jackson Circle are among the oldest on post, dating back to the 1960s, and the renovations will improve the living space into a more modern, open- floor plan concept.

The Jackson Circle project is expected to carry a price tag of just more than $15 million.

Once Jackson Circle is complete, the work shifts to the other three housing areas named Harrison Villa, Madison Park and Monroe Manor.

Some of the renovations may require temporary relocation of the families, Hoyt said. They will either be moved to another housing area or a location off post at no cost to them.

Warner said he will monitor Hunt's progress on the housing repairs, while Hoyt said Hunt will keep the senator's office in the loop on how things transpire.

According to a July 22 article in the post newspaper Fort Lee Traveller, garrison commander Col. Hollie Martin called the project "a big win for Fort Lee."

You can reach Bill Atkinson at batkinson@progress-index.com. Follow him at @BAtkinson_PI.

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