The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) State Veterans Homes provide affordable, long-term nursing care for Virginia’s veterans. When Federal commitments were not met to meet growing need, the State of Virginia decided to fund two new state-of-the-art care facilities for the Department of Veterans Services. The two, 128 bed homes will meet an overwhelming need to accommodate veterans from past and current wars in the region.

LPDA was hired as part of a multidisciplinary team to lead the development of outdoor spaces and amenities. LPDA worked closely with the team to develop site plan options, and to program and design an integrated system of outdoor amenity spaces which facilitated social activity, privacy, recreation and therapeutics. The project was designed to comply with the Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental Standards (VEES).

The new Jones & Cabacoy veterans care center will be built in the Princess Anne section of Virginia Beach on a 24-acre site next to the planned extension of Nimmo Parkway. The new Puller Veterans Care Center will be built on the former Vint Hill Farms Station in Fauquier County, which previously served as a United States Army and National Security Agency facility. The site played a critical role in eavesdropping on enemy communications during World War II. The new care centers will deliver top-quality care to Virginia veterans in a home-like setting. Each center will feature all private rooms that will be organized into households and neighborhoods that surround a central community center.

Although the two sites differ significantly, both facilities will include individual bedrooms for residents, common spaces and activity rooms, dining facilities, multiple plazas and courtyards, walking paths, extensive gardens and natural areas, therapy gardens and facilities, and cutting-edge safety, energy, and facility management practices.