Fairfax schools might use eminent domain to relieve overcrowding at Bailey’s Elementary
“Fairfax County School Board members are considering the use of eminent domain to acquire a foreclosed commercial office building in the Bailey’s Crossroads area that the board wants to covert into an elementary school.
The school board voted 8 to 2, with two board members absent, Wednesday night to authorize obtaining the building through purchase or the right of eminent domain, which allows a government agency to take private property for public use. The vote came after a closed-door meeting.
The Fairfax school system has been seeking to acquire the vacant building, which is not for sale, to help alleviate severe crowding concerns at Bailey’s Elementary School. Schools officials confirmed Thursday night that the board is seeking to obtain the building.
The possible use of eminent domain to acquire the property, a five-story brick building at 6245 Leesburg Pike, highlights the school system’s urgency in seeking to remedy overcrowding. Bailey’s Elementary opened this year with a projected enrollment of more than 1,450 students, and the building is 30 percent over capacity.”
Shapiro, Rees. Washington Post 6 September 2013.