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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Baileys Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Mason
- Maintenance Area(s): 2
- Watersheds: Cameron Run and Four Mile Run
- Major Trails and other connections: Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail, Leesburg Pike (Route 7), Columbia Pike (Route 244)
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
Location & Character
The Baileys Planning District is located in the eastern portion of
Fairfax County. It is adjacent to the City of Alexandria, Arlington
County and City of Falls Church and shares overlapping service areas
with recreation facilities offered in all three adjacent jurisdictions.
This planning district is one of the earliest settled portions of the county and is intensely developed. It has the highest population density (13.2 persons/acre), among planning districts. It also stands out demographically as one of the most diverse, with the highest percentage of Hispanic (30.4%) and multi-racial (22.5%) residents of all of the planning districts.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public
parkland in the Baileys Planning District. There are 18 public parks
with a total of about 145 acres in the district. These parks make up
about 3.6 percent of the total acreage of the district. Nearly all the
public park acreage in the district is owned by the Park Authority and
is within Park Authority Maintenance Area 2. Other parkland, at Upton
Hill Regional Park, is owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority (NVRPA).
The parks in the district include historic sites, local- and district-serving recreational facilities, and stream valleys. Facilities include rectangle and diamond ball fields, tennis and multi-use courts, volleyball courts, playgrounds, trails and picnic facilities.
J.E.B. Stuart Park is the largest sports-oriented park in Baileys. It provides a recently upgraded diamond field, four tennis courts, a playground, picnic area and basketball court. At over 58 acres, Lillian Carey Park is the largest park in the district and surrounds Holmes Run Stream Valley. Only a small portion of this sprawling local park is developed with facilities, since 90% of the park contains steep slopes and is within a Resource Protection Area (RPA). The Clark House at Barcroft Mews Park is a 1902 Victorian farmhouse that has been restored and is available for rental.
Much of the development in the Baileys district occurred prior to the establishment of the Park Authority. As a result of this early development, the amount of parkland in this district is less than other areas of the county, even though the population density is greater. This development pattern results in a shortage of all types of parkland and therefore many recreational services for residents of this planning district are provided by parks outside the district. Opportunities to add to existing parkland in Baileys are limited, due to the densely developed nature of 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 Baileys DistrictMap 2: Regulatory Protections on Land in the Baileys 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 Baileys 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 Baileys Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisor District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Baileys |
2.24 |
MA |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Baileys Elementary School^ |
1.84 |
MA |
Local |
|
|
|
Belvedere |
1.83 |
MA |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Boyd & Charlotte Hogge |
6.10 |
MA |
Local |
2011 |
|
|
Clark House at Barcroft Mews |
0.85 |
MA |
Resource-Based |
1987* |
|
|
Dowden Terrace |
8.61 |
MA |
Local |
1970 |
|
|
Glasgow |
4.31 |
MA |
Local |
1980 |
|
|
Glen Hills |
2.53 |
MA |
Local |
|
|
|
Heywood Glen |
4.27 |
MA |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Holmes Run S.V.1 |
129.91+ |
PR, MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
J.E.B. Stuart |
17.98 |
MA |
Local |
2009 |
|
|
Lillian Carey |
58.06 |
MA |
Resource-Based |
1978 |
X |
|
Munson Hill |
2.22 |
MA |
Local |
1983 |
|
|
Parklawn |
3.89 |
MA |
Local |
1970 |
|
|
Skyline |
4.00 |
MA |
Local |
1994* |
|
|
Spring Lane |
5.21 |
MA |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Summers Cemetery |
0.40 |
MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Upton Hill Regional Park |
27.00+ |
MA |
Regional |
N/A |
|
1. Resource-Based Stream Valley parks by practice do not have master
plans.
* 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 Baileys 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.
Acreages for non-FCPA parks are estimates derived from GIS.
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.
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