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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Pohick Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Braddock, Mount Vernon, Springfield
- Maintenance Area(s): 4, 5
- Watersheds: Accotink, Little Rocky Run, Pohick, Johnny Moore, Wolf Run, Sandy Run, Mill Branch, Old Mill Branch, Popes Head, Ryan’s Dam, and Occoquan
- Major Trails and other connections: The Cross County Trail, South Run
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
Location & Character
The Pohick Planning District is located in the southwestern part of the county near the Occoquan River and surrounds the Town of Clifton.
Pohick is predominantly a residential area in which the eastern portion has a typical suburban character, with single-family homes and townhouses, and the western part is predominantly large lot residential development on five acre lots and larger.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public parkland in the
Pohick Planning District. There are 54 public parks with a total of
over 8,500 acres in 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 4 and 5. The rest is owned by other
providers, primarily the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
(NVRPA), which provides a significant amount of recreational parkland
and facilities along the Occoquan River.
The parks in the district include special uses, lakefronts, historic sites, local- and district-serving recreational facilities, and stream valleys. Facilities include a RECenter, rectangle and diamond ball fields, golf, mini-golf, disc golf, tennis and multi-use courts, off-leash dog park, playgrounds, trails and picnic facilities.
The largest parks in the district, Fountainhead, Hemlock Overlook, and Sandy Run Regional Parks, are located along the Occoquan River shoreline. Burke Conservancy owns and operates over 470 acres of common lands with trails and recreational facilities for the Burke Centre planned community.
Most of the County parks are located on the eastern side of the district and include some local parks, large stream valley holdings along Pohick and Middle Run streams and several parks that surround large regional stormwater detention ponds, such as Huntsman, Royal and Mercer Lakes. Burke Lake Park is a countywide lakefront park centered on a state-owned fishing lake that also features a golf course, mini golf, campground, miniature train, boating and other family-oriented facilities. South Run District Park offers sports facilities, a dog park and a RECenter. Twin Lakes Golf Course, Braddock Park and Patriot Park provide golf and sports facilities in the northwest portion of the district.
Cultural resources throughout the district are abundant especially as they relate to the Civil War. Confederate Fortifications Historic Site in Clifton is a significant park site that provides interpretive features. Map 2 identifies parkland and areas that contain regulatory or other protections, including conservation easements, and Chesapeake Bay Ordinance designated Resource Protection Areas (RPA).
Map 1: Public Parks by Class in the Pohick DistrictMap 2: Protected Land in the Pohick 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 Pohick district according to this system. 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 Pohick Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisory District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Braddock |
227.05 |
SP |
District |
1997 |
|
|
Brimstone |
4.94 |
SP |
Local |
|
|
|
Bull Run Regional |
1,300.00+ |
SP |
Regional |
|
|
|
Burke Lake & Golf Course |
614.16 |
SP |
Countywide |
2002 |
|
|
Burke Ridge |
3.79 |
SP |
Local |
* |
|
|
Burke Station |
18.06 |
SP |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Chapel Acres |
0.87 |
MV |
Local |
|
|
|
Chapel Road |
25.64 |
SP |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Cherry Run |
3.98 |
SP |
Local |
* |
|
|
Clifton Park |
8.40 |
|
Town of Clifton |
|
|
|
Confederate Fortifications |
161.43+ |
SP |
Resource-Based |
2005 |
|
|
Country Club View |
39.33 |
BR |
Local |
1970 |
|
|
Crooked Creek |
12.20 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Fairfax Park School Site |
13.20 |
SP |
Local |
|
X |
|
Fountainhead Regional |
2,310.00 |
SP |
Regional |
|
|
|
Greenfield |
4.74 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Greentree Village |
19.13 |
SP |
Local |
* |
|
|
Hemlock Overlook Regional |
804.00 |
SP |
Regional |
|
|
|
Herzell Woods |
3.00 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Hidden Pond |
25.60 |
SP |
Resource-Based |
1974 |
|
|
Huntsman |
105.47 |
SP |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Johnny Moore S.V.1 |
353.75 |
SP |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Kings Park West |
40.66 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
Lake Braddock School Site^ |
13.20 |
BR |
Local |
|
|
|
Lake Mercer |
196.55 |
SP |
Local |
1990 |
|
|
Lakeside |
11.84 |
BR |
Local |
1969 |
|
|
Middle Run S.V.1 |
210.73 |
SP, MV |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Middleridge |
7.79 |
BR |
Local |
1979 |
|
|
Monticello |
8.85 |
BR |
Local |
|
X |
|
Newington Commons |
8.71 |
MV |
Local |
|
|
|
Newington Heights |
69.34 |
MV |
District |
1986 |
|
|
Orange Hunt Estates |
8.11 |
SP |
Local |
1967 |
|
|
Patriot |
130.54 |
SP |
District |
2003 |
X |
|
Piney Branch S.V.1 |
184.24+ |
SP |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Poburn Woods |
11.31 |
SP |
Local |
|
|
|
Pohick S.V.1 |
822.88+ |
SP, MV |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Popes Head |
75.62 |
SP |
District |
1981 |
|
|
Popes Head S.V.1 |
20.30 |
SP |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Rolling Valley West |
20.69 |
SP |
Local |
1978 |
|
|
Rolling Wood School Site |
13.10 |
MV |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Rolling Woods Estates |
3.34 |
BR |
Local |
|
|
|
Royal Lake |
46.21 |
BR |
Local |
1973 |
|
|
Sandy Run Regional |
342.00 |
SP |
Regional |
|
|
|
Sandy Run S.V.1 |
39.51 |
SP |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Saratoga |
7.18 |
SP |
Local |
1983 |
|
|
Shannon Station |
13.66 |
SP |
Local |
|
|
|
Silas Burke |
10.27 |
SP |
Local |
1983 |
|
|
Silverbrook |
10.70 |
SP |
Local |
* |
X |
|
South Run District |
192.17 |
SP |
District |
2001 |
|
|
South Run S.V.1 |
360.27 |
MV |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Twin Lakes Golf Course |
186.85 |
SP |
District |
1993 |
|
|
Twinbrook Road |
4.48 |
BR |
Local |
* |
|
|
West Springfield Village |
12.99 |
SP |
Local |
* |
|
|
Woodglen Lake |
63.02 |
BR |
Resource-Based |
2004 |
|
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 Pohick 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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