Activity ramps up at Fort Belvoir’s Davison Army Airfield

An infantryman from the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), dismounts from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Davison Army Airfield in 2013. (Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr./Army)

Richmond Highway corridor residents may notice increased helicopter activity during daylight hours throughout this week, according to officials from Fort Belvoir. The helicopters are taking part in a national-level training exercise out of Davison Army Airfield (DAAF), located on the base’s North Post off the Fairfax County Parkway. The exercise — known as Ardent Sentry 2018 — involves the Military District of Washington and Fort Belvoir training for a potential hurricane hitting the Washington, D.C. area.

According to base officials, the aircraft are adhering to the military’s “Fly Friendly” initiative, which attempts to minimize noise impact on the surrounding community. Earlier this year, the Army delivered Congress its “Report on the Effects of Military Helicopter Noise on National Capital Region Communities and Individuals,” prompting local Congressman Don Beyer to propose several noise mitigation-related amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization Act.

Looking ahead, Fort Belvoir is hoping to increase the operational safety of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft flying in and out of DAAF through the implementation of a proposed Area Development Plan (ADP), which lays out an improvement program for the next three decades, according to Fort Belvoir officials. The ADP — which will involve significant construction, replacement, demolition and renovation projects at the 800-acre airfield — is designed to support and complement the base’s Real Property Master Plan for the Main Post and Fort Belvoir North Area.

According to a notice issued by the Army last month, multiple projects are under consideration to “address the airfield’s deficiencies and accommodate the space and functional needs of DAAF’s tenants, consistent with applicable regulations and the airfield’s vision to create a safe, secure, sustainable, consolidated aviation complex that allows for mission growth and provides multiple services in a compact campus.”

To help rectify the airfield’s challenges of aging and inefficiently located buildings — some of which violate airfield design requirements — the ADP envisions the construction of a consolidated complex for the 12th Aviation Battalion. That complex will include a new aircraft maintenance hangar (scheduled for construction in 2024), two aircraft storage hangars, supporting facilities, associated aircraft parking aprons and privately owned vehicle parking. It also foresees the consolidation of the Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate tenant to new facilities; renovation and extension of the existing District of Columbia Army National Guard facilities; construction of a new aircraft maintenance hangar and administrative facility for the Operational Support Airlift Activity/Operational Support Airlift Command; and renovation and extension of the Airfield Division’s building.

The airfield also will undergo infrastructure improvements, including the construction of a 200-foot runway extension, realignment and extension of existing roadways, construction of a highly secure gate, and excavation and grading of a wooded knoll to eliminate airfield clearance violations, according to the Army notice published in Federal Register.

As many as 25 existing facilities would be demolished under the plan.

Because there are potential environmental impacts associated with these projects — including “significant adverse effects” on wetlands and the floodplain associated with Accotink Creek, as well as the designation of part of an existing Army recreational area to become a parking lot— the Army is holding a public scoping meeting under the National Environmental Policy Act to gather information to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the ADP. The scoping process will help the Army identify reasonable alternatives, potential environmental impacts and key issues of concern for the EIS.

The public meeting will be held Wednesday, May 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the South County Office at 8350 Richmond Highway. During the open-house style event, the general public may learn about DAAF, the proposed ADP and the EIS process. Comments may be submitted on-site, via postal mail or email to FortBelvoirNOI@usace.army.mil no later than May 21, 2018.