Fairfax County officials plan to purchase a property at 819 Swinks Mill Road in McLean, then demolish the home and impervious surfaces there and restore the natural floodplain.
The Board of Supervisors on March 21 was set to authorize the Stormwater Planning Division of the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services to accept $920,000 from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). The grant funding, which is available through Aug. 8, 2025, originated from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program.
The project will cost up to $1,424,025, with the remaining $500,000 balance coming from a county stormwater fund.
That section of McLean is quite hilly and leads toward Scotts Run Nature Preserve. The house at 819 Swinks Mill Road was constructed in 1950, before the advent of the National Flood Insurance Program. The home sits withing the 100-year flood-inundation zone of Scotts Run and is at “significant risk” of flood damage, county officials said.
Because the house was damaged by floods during storms in June 2006, September 2011 and July 2019, officials have classified it as eligible for mitigation assistance.
FEMA and VDEM on Sept. 16, 2022, approved grant funding for the project, which will pay for acquisition and closing costs, demolition, debris removal, site restoration and construction management.
