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Fort Lee Defense Community Enclave
The Panelists
Col Mike Flanagan
USA, Retired CASA Emertius
Ms. Joyce Reed
Dep. Sec. of Veteran & Defense Affairs Virginia Commonwealth
Tom Crabbs
Liaison Virginia Secretary of Veteran and Defense Affairs
Dana Newcomer
Past President of the Hopewell Prince George Chamber of Commerce
Kristen Pudlow
Deputy Administrator
Prince George County
The Defense Community Enclave (DCE) at Fort Lee is being developed as a collaborative installation-community project that blends military mission support with civilian opportunities, anchored by the Army museums that preserve and share sustainment heritage. In a resource-constrained environment, the project has engaged public, private, and nonprofit partners to explore innovative redevelopment of underutilized federal property, from data centers and multi-use facilities to residential/mixed use concepts. This session will examine how the DCE evolved, the challenges of navigating complex bureaucracy, and the tangible outcomes shaping both military readiness and community vitality.
View the presentation given at the forum here.
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Area Development Plan
The Area Development Plan for the Defense Community Enclave (DCE) District at Fort Lee is a multi-year plan for the district based on a vision that opens public access to three internationally recognized museums and later opens underutilized federal land for commercial, recreational, government, and affordable housing development through Enhanced Use Leases or other appropriate methods.
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Mr. Flanagan accompanied by Col. Bendelewski spoke to the General Assembly on behalf of the Fort Lee Defense Community Enclave.
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Executive Summary:
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The Fort Lee Defense Community Enclave (DCE) is an innovative Public-Private Partnership (P3) initiative
leveraging the Army’s Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) authority to modernize infrastructure, strengthen
mission alignment, and enhance public access — at no additional cost to taxpayers.
At the center of the DCE is the creation of a unified Army Logistics Museum Complex at Fort Lee,
consolidating:
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U.S. Army Women’s Museum
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U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum
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Ordnance Training Support Facility
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U.S. Army Transportation Museum (identified for closure in 2027/28)
The potential closure of the Transportation Museum presents immediate risk to artifact preservation,
institutional identity, and public access.
The DCE provides a deliberate, sustainable solution: integration — not dispersal.
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