ONLINE
Disability Info
TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Annandale Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Mason
- Maintenance Area(s): 2
- Watersheds: Accotink Creek and Cameron Run
- Major Trails and other connections: Cross-County Trail, Little River Turnpike (Route 236), Ravensworth/Annandale Road, and Braddock Road (Route 620)
- Download:
Location & Character
The Annandale Planning District is located in the central eastern
portion of Fairfax County. The District is bounded by Gallows Road and
Holmes Run Stream Valley to the north, Indian Run Stream Valley and
I-395 to the east, the Southern Railroad right-of-way to the south, and
Guinea Road, Olley Lane and Rolling Road to the west.
The District includes both suburban land use patterns (single-family detached dwelling subdivisions with a handful of retail shopping centers) as well as the more urbanized Annandale Community Business Center (CBC). The CBC is an older, suburban commercial area that is designated as a County Commercial Revitalization District to encourage commercial revitalization in central Annandale.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public
parkland in the Annandale Planning District. There are 44 public parks
with a total of almost 1,500 acres in the district. All of the public
park acreage in the district is owned by the Park Authority, and is
within Park Authority Maintenance Areas 2 and 4.
The parks in the district include district parks, a lakefront park, special uses, local-serving parks, resource-based parks, and stream valleys. Facilities include a RECenter, rectangle fields, diamond fields, skate park, amphitheater, mini-golf, carousel, tennis and multi-use courts, playgrounds, trails, mountain bike challenge course, and picnic facilities.
Wakefield, Lake Accotink, Ossian Hall, Roundtree, and Mason District Parks are larger parks in the district that provide a variety of active and passive recreational facilities. When combined, Lake Accotink and Wakefield Parks create one of the largest tracts of contiguous parkland in the County. The combined size is over 700 acres and they provide an extensive habitat for a diverse group of animal, bird, plant and aquatic species. This parkland also provides recreational facilities that require a large land area.
The Accotink Stream Valley Park serves as a significant thoroughfare for The Cross County Trail, as well as one of the few contiguous natural areas in the eastern section of the county. This park connects to Wakefield and Lake Accotink Parks to the south.
It is anticipated that the most significant land use changes in the district will likely occur through redevelopment in the Annandale CBC. There may be opportunities to add new urban parks in Annandale to the existing parkland in the district. Map 2 identifies parkland and areas that contain regulatory or other protections including public park ownership, conservation easements, and Chesapeake Bay Ordinance designated Resource Protection Areas (RPA).
Map 1: Public Parks by Class in the Annandale District
Map 2:
Protected Land in the Annandale District
Park Classification
In June 2005, a new Park Classification System was adopted and
incorporated into the Park and Recreation chapter of the Countywide
Comprehensive Policy Plan. The Park Classification System is a general
framework intended to guide open space and public facilities planning
by grouping parks according to certain common typical characteristics.
The park classification gives an indication of the intended use,
general park size range, typical facility types, and the general
experience a user may expect at a park.
Local Parks serve surrounding neighborhoods and communities and offer a variety of local-serving recreation opportunities, such as playgrounds, trails, athletic facilities, picnic areas and natural areas. Typically these parks are designed to serve up to a 3 mile radius depending on the facilities and can range from 2 to 50 acres in size.
Local parks may be urban or suburban in character. Urban parks (including pocket parks, civic plazas and common greens) are a type of local-serving park that are generally more compact and located within an urban or transit-oriented setting. These parks generally consist of high quality design and construction, are well integrated into surrounding development, uses and the public realm and primarily serve to define local urban character, support outdoor enjoyment, social gatherings, recreation needs and special events. These parks may be privately or publicly owned and are usually privately maintained.
District Parks are larger parks that serve greater geographic areas of the County (3 to 6 miles) and provide a wide variety of indoor and outdoor recreation facilities and park experiences. Generally, these parks are more than 50 acres in size. These parks typically accommodate visits of up to a half day, longer operational hours and a larger number of users. Many district parks also have extensive natural areas.
Countywide Parks are larger parks that serve the whole County
and provide a variety of larger-scale indoor or outdoor recreation
facilities, or both, and facilities or resources that are unique
within the County. Typically, these parks are greater than 150 acres
and provide opportunities for passive and active recreation to a wide
range of simultaneous users for experiences of up to a day in
length.
Resource-Based Parks have significant cultural and natural
resources. These parks support nature, horticulture and history
programs, gardening, nature watching and appreciation of local,
regional, state and national history. Extensive stream valley parks
are part of the resource-based parks network. Typically, trails and
interpretative features and facilities are the primary uses. Some
resource parks may have separate areas designated for recreation
purposes.
Regional Parks are lands and/or facilities administered by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). These parks have region-wide significance that supplement and enhance the County and municipal park systems.
While some parks are Resource-Based, note that all park types may include areas designated for natural and/or cultural resource protection. In addition, many state and federal parks augment local and regional parks and also serve to protect natural and cultural resources within the County. Table 1 lists and classifies the parks in the Annandale district according to the County parks classification system or by state or federal ownership. Table 1 also includes information about whether and when parks were master planned and if a master planning action (new master plan development or plan update) is needed.
Table 1Table 1: Parks in the Annandale Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisor District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Accotink S.V.1 |
841.13+ |
BR,LEE,MA,MV,PR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Americana |
3.92 |
BR |
Local |
2000 |
|
|
Annandale |
50.78 |
MA |
District |
1997 |
|
|
Ashford East |
3.80 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Backlick |
8.96 |
MA |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
Backlick S.V.1 |
63.10+ |
BR,LEE,MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Barcroft Knolls |
0.49 |
MA |
Local |
* |
|
|
Broyhill Crest |
4.03 |
MA |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Camelot School Site |
4.37 |
MA |
Local |
^ |
|
|
Canterbury Woods |
4.65 |
BR |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Deerlick |
19.11 |
MA |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Edsall |
3.31 |
MA |
Local |
1971 |
|
|
Fairfax Hills |
1.62 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Fitzhugh |
10.86 |
BR |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Flag Run |
8.66 |
BR |
Resource-Based |
1977 |
|
|
Holmes Run S.V.1 |
129.91+ |
PR, MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Howery Field |
7.51 |
BR |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Indian Run S.V.1 |
56.69+ |
MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Kendale Woods |
2.41 |
MA |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Kings Park |
9.20 |
BR |
Local |
2009 |
|
|
Lake Accotink |
448.09 |
BR |
Countywide |
1993 |
X |
|
Larchmont |
2.40 |
MA |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
Leewood |
9.44 |
BR |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Long Branch Falls |
5.10 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Long Branch S.V.1 |
155.51+ |
BR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Manassas Gap Railroad |
13.32 |
MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Mason District |
121.15 |
MA |
District |
2001 |
|
|
Masonville |
0.67 |
MA |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
North Springfield |
4.97 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Oak Hill |
10.21 |
BR |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Ossian Hall |
22.75 |
BR |
Local |
2004 |
|
|
Pine Ridge |
42.74 |
MA |
District |
2007 |
|
|
Poe Terrace |
14.33 |
MA |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Red Fox Forest |
7.34 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Rose Lane |
1.74+ |
MA |
Local |
|
|
|
Roundtree |
73.12+ |
MA |
Local |
1971 |
X |
|
Rutherford |
21.59+ |
BR |
Local |
1971 |
|
|
The Wakefield Chapel |
1.44 |
BR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Toll House Park 2 |
0.05 |
MA |
Local |
|
|
|
Valley Crest |
8.96 |
MA |
Local |
1983 |
|
|
Wakefield |
292.59 |
BR |
Countywide |
2000 |
|
|
Wakefield Chapel |
9.15 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Wilburdale |
8.11 |
MA |
Local |
|
X |
|
Willow Woods |
12.24 |
BR |
Local |
1965 |
X |
|
Winterset Varsity |
10.29 |
MA |
Local |
|
|
1. Resource-Based Stream Valley parks by practice do not have master
plans.
2. Toll House Park is an urban park located within the Annandale
CBC. It is owned by the Board of Supervisors and does not have a
master plan.
* This park was dedicated by a private developer and may be subject
to a Conceptual Development Plan associated with an approved rezoning
that takes the place of a park master plan.
+ A portion of this park lies outside of the Annandale
district.
^ School Sites operated on an interim basis as parks by the Park
Authority do not have master plans as they are owned and governed by
the Fairfax County Public Schools.
Park Master Plans
A park master plan is a general guide for appropriate park uses and
their approximate location within a specific park site. The plan serves
as a long-range vision (10-20 year timeframe) for future development
and programming. Issues typically addressed include planned park
elements, natural and cultural resource management, and general design
concerns. The plan is conceptual in nature and not intended to address
detailed issues related to engineered site design or park operations.
The plan is just one of many steps in the process that leads to the
development of a public park. An archive of park master plans
is available.
Website Survey 