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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: McLean Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Dranesville, Providence
- Maintenance Area(s): 1, 6
- Watersheds: Difficult Run, Pimmit Run, Turkey Run, Scotts Run, Four Mile Creek, Dead Run, Bull Neck
- Major Trails and other connections: Cross County Trail, Pimmit Run Trail, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Scotts Run Nature Preserve
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
The McLean Planning District is located in the northeastern corner of the County near the Potomac River, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.
Most of the developed portions of the McLean Planning District are single-family residential communities at suburban densities. The McLean Central Business District is a medium-scale mixed use center. The Tysons Corner urban center, the most intensely developed area in the County, is also a part of this district.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public
parkland in the McLean Planning District. There are 54 public parks
with a total of over 2,600 acres in the district. These parks make up
about 16 percent of the total acreage of the district. About half of
all the public park acreage in the district is owned by the Park
Authority, and is within Park Authority Maintenance Areas 1, 6, and 7.
The rest is owned by other providers, primarily the Federal government.
The parks in the district include special uses, nature preserves, historic sites, local-serving recreational facilities, and stream valleys. Facilities include a RECenter, rectangle and diamond ball fields, disc golf, tennis and multi-use courts, playgrounds, trails and picnic facilities.
The largest parks, Turkey Run Park and Scotts Run Nature Preserve, are located along the Potomac River shoreline. Turkey Run is a National Park featuring a Colonial-era farmstead. Langley Fork Park, adjacent to Turkey Run, is a district park with athletic fields. Clemyjontri Park has a unique multi-apparatus playground facility, designed for use by children of all abilities. Lewinsville Park is a heavily-used district park with athletic fields, sport courts, playground, garden plots, historic house and seasonal farmers market. Spring Hill Park has athletic fields, a playground, picnic area and a RECenter with an indoor pool and fitness facilities. The 41-mile Cross County Trail traverses a portion of the western edge of the McLean District along the Difficult Run stream valley. McLean Central Park is a focal point for downtown McLean.
Opportunities to add urban-scaled parks to the park system in the McLean Planning District exist both in Tysons Corner and the McLean Community Business Center as both areas redevelop with pedestrian-oriented, higher density mix of uses. The redevelopment of Tysons Corner, in particular, provides an opportunity to add over 100 new acres of urban parkland. This would include pocket parks, civic plazas, common greens and recreation-focused parks, including a centrally-located signature park of up to ten acres. Opportunities to add to existing parkland elsewhere in McLean are limited. 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 McLean DistrictMap 2: Protected Land in the McLean 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 McLean 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 McLean Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisory District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alfred Odrick Homesite |
.511 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
X |
|
Bryn Mawr |
5.17 |
DR |
Local |
1981 |
|
|
Bull Neck S.V.1 |
15.97 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Chesterbrook School Site |
9.50 |
DR |
Local |
1979 |
X |
|
Churchill Road |
12.37 |
DR |
Local |
1971 |
|
|
Clemyjontri |
18.63 |
DR |
Countywide |
2002 |
|
|
Cooper Intermediate School^ |
7.00 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Dead Run S.V.1 |
10.32 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Difficult Run S.V.1 |
900.68+ |
HM, DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Dolley Madison Estates |
3.84 |
DR |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Falstaff |
3.69 |
DR |
Local |
1976 |
X |
|
Fisher |
0.50 |
DR |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Franklin Woods |
1.48 |
DR |
Local |
* |
|
|
George Washington Parkway |
1150 |
DR |
Federal |
|
|
|
Great Falls Park |
48.00 |
DR |
Federal |
|
|
|
Greenway Heights |
39.22 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
1977 |
X |
|
Griffith |
1.10 |
DR |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Haycock- Longfellow |
24.19 |
DR |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Kent Gardens Greenway S.V.1 |
22.13 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Kent Gardens |
26.37 |
DR |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Kirby |
3.00 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Langley Fork |
52.85 |
DR |
District |
1980 |
X |
|
Langley Oaks |
101.61 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Lemon Road |
9.97 |
DR |
Local |
1970 |
|
|
Lewinsville |
37.71 |
DR |
District |
1977 |
X |
|
Lewinsville Center ^ |
8.67 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Linway Terrace |
10.89 |
DR |
Local |
1981 |
|
|
Lisle |
0.92 |
DR |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Little Pimmit Run S.V.1 |
16.63 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Longfellow School Site^ |
1.10 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Marie Butler Leven Preserve |
20.36 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
1987 |
|
|
McLean Central |
27.59 |
DR |
Local |
1979 |
X |
|
McLean Hamlet |
18.12 |
DR |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
McLean High |
9.63 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
McLean Hunt Estates |
10.47 |
DR |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
McLean Knolls |
3.00 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Mount Royal |
3.00 |
DR |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Old Dominion School Site^ |
13.75 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Olney |
11.93 |
DR |
Local |
1967 |
|
|
Pimmit Barn |
0.59 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Pimmit Hills2 |
1.04 |
DR |
Local |
1964 |
|
|
Pimmit Run S.V.1 |
81.86 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Pimmit View |
5.31 |
DR |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Potomac Hills |
9.49 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Salona |
51.00 |
DR |
Local |
|
X |
|
Scotts Run Nature Preserve |
384.28 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
1988 |
|
|
Scotts Run S.V.1 |
10.84 |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Spring Hill |
51.30 |
DR |
District |
2003 |
|
|
Timberly |
23.08 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Tollbrook Ridge |
4.62 |
DR |
Local |
|
|
|
Tysons Pimmit |
7.00 |
DR |
Local |
1981 |
X |
|
Westgate |
12.47 |
DR |
Local |
1990 |
X |
|
Wolf Trap Farm Park |
147.00+ |
DR |
Federal |
|
|
|
Wolf Trap S.V.1 |
41.24+ |
DR |
Resource-Based |
|
|
1. Resource-Based Stream Valley parks by practice do not have Master
Plans.
2. Maintenance Facility
* 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 McLean 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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