Fort Lee lodging facility construction

Draft environmental assessment comment period extended

By Sharon Mulligan, Fort Lee PAO,
and Bill Bradner, FMWRC PAO


The public comment period on Fort Lee’s draft environmental assessment for the proposed Fort Lee lodging facility has been extended for an additional 30 days. Comments can be submitted until Oct. 7 and should be addressed to Ms. Carol Anderson, Environmental Management Office, 1816 Shop Road, Fort Lee, Virginia 23801-1604, or by e-mail to leeenepalee@conus.army.mil.

The draft EA is available for review at the Fort Lee Environmental Management Office, Hopewell Library, Petersburg Library and Army Logistics University Library. Copies of the Draft EA may also be requested by contacting the Environmental Management Office.

The Army is committed to providing the best in safety, security, and well-being of our soldiers, while addressing any questions or concerns with the lodging initiative.

This proposed 1,000 room lodging facility, which would be completed in 2012, will provide much-needed support to Fort Lee soldiers, families and Department of the Army civilians. It will decrease transportation costs and traffic congestion and increase safety, as well as provide physical security and force protection benefits. It will provide military students’ access to the Army Logistics University, library, fitness centers and other university resources within walking distance of their lodging. Having military students lodged on the installation will provide more opportunities for collaboration and joint projects. Some students are currently lodged more than 17 miles away.

Fort Lee’s existing lodging capacity is inadequate to adequately support our soldiers and families and meet the current military student and visitor demand. The installation currently has 577 rooms for its transient population. On a daily average, the current demand requires 479 additional rooms in commercial hotels outside the gates. In 2011 the number of transient students requiring lodging is expected to increase to an average of about 2300.  Adding an additional 1,000 rooms, to bring the on post total to 1577, will not meet these future demands.

With the projected additional student population, the estimated off post lodging requirement could increase to 700-900 rooms on a daily basis, a significant increase from the current demand.  As they do today, Fort Lee will continue to rely heavily on their community partners to meet the total requirements for lodging.

In addition to the students attending courses at the Army Logistics University, there will be a need to support Reserve and National Guard soldiers coming to Fort Lee for annual training as well as Family members who come to Fort Lee for their soldiers’ graduations, promotions, retirements and other events. The projected daily requirement also does not include the military and civilian personnel on official orders to attend meetings, conferences and symposiums. It does not include permanent party soldiers and Department of Defense civilians moving in and out of the area who will require temporary lodging, nor does it include contractors who visit the area on official business.

The estimated cost of the facility is $114 million, with $92 million coming from a commercial loan and the rest paid with Army Lodging non-appropriated funds.  No taxpayer funds will be spent on this project.  This lodging facility will help take care of soldiers, families and civilian employees in training while contributing to the economic growth of the area around Fort Lee.

This construction project delivers on the promises made through the Army Family Covenant to provide soldiers and families a quality of life commensurate with their service through a safe, supportive environment in which they can thrive.