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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Rose Hill Planning District
- Maintenance Area(s): 3
- Watersheds: Accotink Creek, Dogue Creek, Cameron Run and Little Hunting Creek
- Major Trails and other connections: Countywide Trail
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
Location & Character
The Rose Hill Planning District is located in southeastern Fairfax County. The City of Alexandria is adjacent to the northern boundary of the district, but is separated from Rose Hill by the Capital Beltway.
Most of the developed portions of the Rose Hill Planning District are single-family residential communities at suburban densities. The Kingstowne and Manchester Lakes areas are newer planned communities that have areas of concentrated commercial uses.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public parkland in the Rose Hill district. There are
26 public parks with a total of just over 2,000 acres in the district.
These parks make up about 24% percent of the total land area of the
district. All of the public park acreage in the district is owned by
the Park Authority, and is within Park Authority Maintenance Area 3.
The parks in the district include special uses, natural resource protection areas, historic sites, and district- and local-serving parks. Facilities include a RECenter, nature center, rectangle and diamond ball fields, golf course, tennis and multi-use courts, playgrounds, trails and picnic facilities.
The majority of the park acreage is concentrated in Huntley Meadows Park, Lee District Park, and Greendale Golf Course. These three parks bring together an extraordinary combination of natural resources, cultural resources and recreation facilities. They reflect the balance the Park Authority strives to maintain between natural and cultural resource protection and provision of recreational facilities.
A majority of the remaining parks in the district are local parks that are integrated within residential communities and are generally within walking distance, or are convenient by bicycle, to the surrounding neighborhoods. Unlike in other areas of the county, the Park Authority does not own the stream valley corridors in the district and only small portions of the Dogue Creek and Indian Run stream valleys are under Park Authority ownership. Map 2 identifies parkland and areas that contain regulatory and other protections, including conservation easements, and Chesapeake Bay Ordinance designated Resource Protection Areas (RPA).
Opportunities to add to existing parkland in the Rose Hill district are limited.
Map 1: Public Parks by Class in the Rose Hill District
Map 2:
Regulatory Protections on Land in the Rose Hill 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 primary 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 Rose Hill 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 Rose Hill Planning District
|
Park Name |
Acres |
Supervisor District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Beulah |
10.30 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Burgundy |
7.59 |
LEE |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Bush Hill |
5.35 |
LEE |
Local |
1984 |
|
|
Clermont |
40.61 |
LEE |
Local |
1975 |
X |
|
Dogue Creek S.V.1 |
82.74+ |
MV |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Franconia Forest |
6.63 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Greendale Golf Course |
148.78 |
LEE |
District |
1976 |
|
|
Hayfield |
2.08 |
LEE |
Local |
1977 |
|
|
Heritage Hill |
2.28 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Historic Huntley |
2.88 |
LEE |
Resource-Based |
2002 |
|
|
Huntley Meadows |
1,506.61+ |
LEE |
Resource-Based |
1978 |
|
|
Hybla Valley |
1.15+ |
LEE |
Local |
1979 |
|
|
Indian Run S.V.1 |
56.67+ |
MA |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Kingstowne |
76.92 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Lee District |
137.96 |
LEE |
Countywide |
2006 |
|
|
Loftridge |
48.14 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Manchester Lakes |
28.09 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Mark Twain |
10.02 |
LEE |
Local |
1968 |
|
|
Olander and Margaret Banks |
10.00 |
LEE |
Local |
2011 |
|
|
Ridgeview |
24.67 |
LEE |
Local |
1968 |
|
|
South Kings Forest |
3.53 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Stoneybrooke |
14.27 |
LEE |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Tara Village |
4.41 |
LEE |
Local |
* |
|
|
Virginia Hills School Site^ |
6.00 |
LEE |
Local |
|
|
|
Wickford |
7.57 |
LEE |
Local |
1976 |
|
|
Wilton Woods School Site^ |
4.70 |
LEE |
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 Rose Hill
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.
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