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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Jefferson Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Mason, Providence
- Maintenance Area(s): 1, 2, and 7
- Watersheds: Cameron Run, Accotink Creek, Pimmit Run
- Major Trails and other connections: Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
Location & Character
The Jefferson Planning District is located on the eastern edge of the
County, between the City of Falls Church and Tysons Corner. It is
bounded by the Fairfax, Annandale, and Baileys Planning Districts.
Most of the Jefferson District is developed with single-family residential homes. There are garden apartment developments in the Route 50 and Lee Highway corridors. Community and neighborhood commercial centers are located along Route 50 near its intersections with Graham Road and Annandale Road.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public
parkland in the Jefferson Planning District. There are 27 public parks
with a total of about 342 acres in the district. These parks make up
about 7 percent of the total acreage of the district. About 95 percent
of the public park acreage in the district is owned by the Park
Authority, and is within Park Authority Maintenance Areas 1, 2, and 7.
The other 18 acres are owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority and is part of the Washington and Old Dominion Regional
Trail.
The parks in the district include a district park, RECenter, special uses, local-serving recreational facilities, and stream valleys. Facilities include trails, rectangle fields, diamond fields, mini-golf and golf, tennis courts, multi-use courts, playgrounds, and picnic facilities
The largest parks, Jefferson District, Holmes Run Stream Valley, and Roundtree Community Parks all have more than 15 acres. Roundtree is adjacent to Holmes Run Stream Valley, but other parks in the district have little connectivity between them. Though relatively small, many of the neighborhood and community parks in this district provide a full range of facilities. Jefferson District Park is heavily used with sport courts, playground, mini golf, and golf. The 45-mile Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail traverses the northern portion of the Jefferson District between the City of Falls Church and I-495.
Opportunities to add to existing parkland in Jefferson 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 Jefferson DistrictMap 2: Protected Land in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson district according to this system 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 Jefferson Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisor District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Azalea |
1.18 |
PR |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
Bel Air |
1.44 |
MA |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
Broyhill |
4.20 |
MA |
Local |
1963 |
|
|
Devonshire |
3.41 |
PR |
Local |
1968 |
|
|
Hollywood Road |
5.20 |
PR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Holmes Run S.V.1 |
129.91+ |
PR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Idylwood |
13.84 |
PR |
Local |
1990 |
|
|
James Lee School Site |
12.44 |
PR |
Local |
1974 |
|
|
Jefferson District |
60.81 |
PR |
District |
1974 |
X |
|
Jefferson Village |
2.01 |
PR |
Local |
1986 |
X |
|
John C. & Margaret K. White Gardens |
13.41 |
MA |
Resource-Based |
2006 |
|
|
John Mastenbrook |
1.56 |
PR |
Local |
1980 |
|
|
Larry Graves (Whittier School Site)^ |
5.23 |
PR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Lee Landing |
0.50 |
PR |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Luria |
5.33 |
PR |
Local |
1966 |
X |
|
Merrifield |
0.78 |
PR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Merrilee |
1.11 |
PR |
Local |
|
X |
|
Pine Spring |
5.00 |
PR |
Local |
1968 |
|
|
Providence RECenter |
13.38 |
PR |
District |
1979 |
X |
|
Rose Lane |
1.71+ |
MA |
Local |
1989 |
|
|
Roundtree |
73.12+ |
MA |
Local |
1971 |
X |
|
Sleepy Hollow |
12.67 |
MA |
Local |
1971 |
|
|
Tyler |
2.46 |
PR |
Local |
1980 |
|
|
Walnut Hill School Site^ |
3.49 |
PR |
Local |
|
|
|
Washington & Old Dominion Trail |
172.00+ |
|
Regional |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Westlawn School Site^ |
4.70 |
MA |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Woodburn School Site^ |
8.20 |
PR |
Local |
|
|
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 Jefferson
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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