Vienna Planning District

Better integrating parks with surrounding land uses (neighborhoods and employment centers) and increasing park-to-park connections within the system will allow for greater access and enjoyment. Strategy suggestions include adding trails, trail connections, bridges and other forms of improved access to and between parks.

Map 3 illustrates existing and planned connections and points of interest within the Vienna Planning District. The map depicts high-level, conceptual connections and incorporates elements from the adopted Countywide Trails Plan and Park Authority Trail Strategy Plan. Connections link natural and cultural resources and recreational destinations, supporting recreational activity and frequently offering alternative transportation options.

Issue: The Park Authority should work to improve non-motorized access to parks from commercial and residential areas and to increase connectivity between park sites. 

Strategies:
V-C-1.  Use criteria provided in the Park Authority's Trail Strategy Plan to evaluate potential new trails, connections and improvements.
V-C-2.  Build a trail along the Old Courthouse Stream Valley to connect the Ashgrove Historic site to Raglan Road and Freedom Hill Parks - the Tysons Plan provides for connections across this stream valley park that will connect Tysons to the neighborhood to the west;
V-C-3.  Improve the Wolf Trap Stream Valley trail;
V-C-4.  Connect neighborhoods to the W&OD Regional Trail by adding trail segments to Clarks Crossing Park; and
V-C-5.  Connect Cedar Pond Drive to the W&OD Trail by building trail segments along Angelico Branch.

Issue: Multiple, separate park sites located across Fairfax County should be linked through thematic interpretive connections.

Thematic connections, emphasized through elements such as signage, maps, or website information, can foster greater public awareness of important features. Increased knowledge of site features could encourage greater support for stewardship and management activities.

Strategies:
V-C-6.  Add Ashgrove and the Hunter House at Nottoway Park to an interpretive trail that links these sites to other historic structures within Fairfax County to illustrate changing architectural styles through the County's development; and
V-C-7.  Consider linking the garden plots at Nottoway Park to a gardening interpretive theme including Green Spring Gardens and other horticultural parks.

Map 3: Non-motorized Connections and Points of Interest in the Vienna District

Issue: District and Countywide parks and the Cross County Trail should be served by the public transportation system to provide equitable access to recreational facilities.

Public transportation service in the Vienna district includes the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU and Dunn Loring Metrorail transit stations, Metrobus service and the Fairfax Connector bus. Four public parks are located within a half mile of the two Metro Stations serving the District. Nottoway, East Blake Lane and Briarwood Parks are within a half mile of the Vienna Metro station. Dunn Loring Park is within a half mile of the Dunn Loring Metro station. Two future Metrorail stations are planned along Route 7 in the Tysons Corner Area at the northeast edge of the Vienna district. Ashgrove Historic Site, Old Courthouse Branch Stream Valley Park, Raglan Road Park, and Freedom Hill Park are located within a half mile of these future Metrorail Stations. Metrobus and the Fairfax Connector buses have routes throughout Vienna that are designed for commuters but do not operate off hours when people may need service to reach parks in the district.

Strategies:
V-C-8.  Promote the creation of new parks in Tysons Corner that will be within walking distance of the four planned new Metrorail transit stations.

Issue: The Park Authority should work to improve access to waterways and promote the use of "water trails" throughout the County.

Since there are no navigable waterways in the district, no district- or park-specific strategies exist for this issue in the Vienna Planning District.

Local parks are places where people can interact and build community. Well-designed and located parks, park facilities and programs support greater social interaction. Community-building park facilities and activities include reservable picnic areas, amphitheaters, dog parks, garden plots, farmers markets, performances and special events. Collocation of facilities with other community uses can also assist in strengthening communities. Strategy suggestions include ways to increase the community-building role of local parks in residential neighborhoods and providing parks and recreation facilities near other civic uses.

Nottoway Nights is a concert series held at Nottoway Park that brings people from the Vienna area together on summer nights. Nottoway Park also has a reservable garden plot area that allows individuals to enjoy the outdoors as they work the land alongside others. Additional community-building park facilities at Nottoway Park include picnic and play areas and the Historic Hunter House that can be rented out for special events. The Town of Vienna provides an off-leash dog park on Courthouse Road near Nottoway Park. 

Issue: Local and urban parks should include a combination of facilities, amenities and gathering spaces to attract and promote social interaction among community members.

Strategies:
V-CB-1.  Promote the establishment of off-leash dog parks in Tysons Corner as that area redevelops and its population grows;
V-CB-2.  Encourage developers to provide picnic pavilions and community gathering spaces in Tysons Corner as that area redevelops and its population grows; and
V-CB-3.  Seek opportunities to include flexible open spaces for public performances and arts in the parks in Vienna and Tysons Corner.

Issue: Parks should be collocated with other civic uses (libraries, community centers, senior centers, etc.) to promote social interaction among community members.

Strategies:
V-CB-4.  Add recreational facilities and amenities, where appropriate, to parks in the district that are collocated with other civic uses.

The Park Authority provides quality facilities that are well used, but may not be equitably distributed across all parts of the County or accessible to all groups. Countywide and specialty facilities, in particular, may not serve a true county-wide service area. Residents desire recreational facilities and opportunities at parks near where they live and for all age groups and socio-economic populations. Strategy suggestions include creating more facilities, better distributing facilities across the County, and reducing barriers to use.

Service level standards for over twenty park facility types were established through the 2004 Needs Assessment process and incorporated into the Countywide Policy Plan in 2005. Facility standards are countywide goals for providing park and recreation facilities that reasonably satisfy community needs. Standards are expressed in units per population, and are based on extensive analysis of citizen demand and preferences compared with the existing public facility inventories. Based on the Countywide adopted facility service level standards and projected population growth, Table 2 shows the projected surplus or deficit of several key local serving facilities in the Vienna Planning District for the year 2020. While overall facility needs are quantified in Table 2, the location of needed facilities is determined through the site specific master planning process that considers site conditions, context, resources, and community input. For more detailed information on existing facilities in each park and service levels, please see the Existing Conditions Report.

Table 2: Vienna Planning District 2020 Park Facility Needs Analysis 

+ 60 ft and 65 ft diamond fields are assigned to the sport where primarily allocated.

 Most of the Vienna District was developed in the early- to mid-twentieth century so it has not had a substantial change in population and housing growth over the past twenty-five years. In 1980, the population was approximately 48,000. In 2007, the population had increased to about 63,500, an increase of about 32 percent, a relatively slow growth rate compared to the rest of Fairfax County, which grew by 74 percent in that period. In 2010, the population in the Vienna District rose again to 65,974.

The Vienna population is projected to grow modestly over the next ten years, to almost 70,000 by 2020. Most of the growth will be generated by new high-rise residential development in the Tysons Corner Urban Center, in the Merrifield Suburban Center area and in the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metro station area. The impact of this type of development will increase the need for urban parks in these growth portions of the district. Most parks in the district are small or constrained; however, opportunities to build new and upgrade existing athletic fields at Nottoway, Oakton Community and Lawyers Road Parks.

Issue: The Park Authority should provide and equitably distribute facilities to meet established facility service level standards. 

Strategies:
V-SD-1.  Implement the master plans at Oakton Community and Lawyers Road Parks to provide additional athletic fields in the Vienna district; and
V-SD-2.  Encourage developers to provide athletic facilities in Tysons Corner as that area redevelops and its population grows. This may include creative approaches, such as on rooftops, indoors or collocated with other civic uses and/or stormwater management facilities.
V-SD-3.  Explore opportunities to upgrade existing athletic fields at Nottoway Park in order to expand capacity.

Issue: The Park Authority should provide new kinds of parks and facilities and in new ways to meet the needs of the County's changing population.

Strategies:
V-SD-4.  Encourage creation of new urban parks in Tysons Corner, in accordance with the Urban Parks Framework and the urban parkland standard, as that area redevelops.

Issue: The Park Authority should re-examine park master plans to determine if parks are planned to best serve the needs of Fairfax County residents.

Raglan Road Park, located in the Tysons Corner area of the district, and Briarcliff Park, located in the eastern portion of the district currently do not have master plans, but both parks have the potential to provide local-serving facilities for residents if master planned.

Ashlawn Park, located in the western portion of the district, has a master plan that was approved in 1979; however, no facilities have been built at that park. A re-examination of the master plan for this park may provide the opportunity to better meet the needs of the residents in that area.

Strategies:
V-SD-5.  Consider revising the master plan for Dunn Loring Park to allow for development of new or different recreational facilities to meet the needs of Vienna residents;
V-SD-6.  Develop master plans for Raglan Road and Briarcliff Parks to allow for development of new recreational facilities to meet the needs of Vienna residents; and
V-SD-7.  Re-examine the master plan for Ashlawn Park to determine if it is best planned to meet the needs of the residents in the Vienna area.

The Park Authority has a great diversity of facilities and resources in various lifecycle stages. Funding and schedules for replacement or reinvestment are inconsistent and adding new facilities has sometimes taken precedence over renewal of existing facilities. Strategy suggestions include repairing, replacing, upgrading, and improving utilization of existing facilities and equipment.

Issue: Repair, replacement, and upgrading of existing park facilities should be addressed through a system-wide lifecycle replacement program that takes into account changing facility needs.

Strategies:
V-FR-1.  Consider replacing the shuffleboard court at Dunn Loring Park with another more popular use, such as volleyball;
V-FR-2.  Replace athletic field and tennis court lights at Nottoway Park;
V-FR-3.  Renovate the asphalt parking area at Nottoway Park; and
V-FR-4.  Replace the aging playgrounds at Tysons Woods and Wolf Trails Parks.

Issue: Parking standards and levels of service should reflect user patterns to minimize impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

There are often parking issues at Dunn Loring Park, which has 20 asphalt parking spaces and one ADA parking space. Parking is full when picnic shelter is reserved, and also people park there to use offsite facilities, including the W&OD trail and Metro transit. Parking at Wolf Trails Park overflows into the adjacent neighborhood during soccer events. When all three tennis courts are in use at Nottoway Park, there is not enough parking near the courts and people have to park farther away. 

Strategies:
V-FR-5.  Explore the possibility of increasing the amount of parking provided at Dunn Loring and Wolf Trails Parks;
V-FR-6.  Explore the possibility of providing more parking spaces close to the tennis courts at Nottoway Park; and
V-FR-7.  Explore the possibility of providing horse trailer parking at Clark's Crossing Park.

Additional parkland is needed to protect and buffer natural areas and historic sites and to provide room to develop new recreational facilities. Strategy suggestions include ways to continue to add appropriate land to the Park Authority's land holdings to expand the park system.

Service level standards for both local and district/countywide parkland were established through the 2004 Needs Assessment and incorporated into the Countywide Policy Plan in 2005. Parkland standards represent countywide goals for providing land for the two types of parks (Local and District/Countywide) that support service delivery and facility development and are expressed in units per population. Local parks include both suburban and urban park types. Resource-based parks occur where resources are located and therefore do not require quantitative service level standards. Please refer to the Park Classification discussion earlier in this chapter for additional information on park classification descriptions.

The Town of Vienna and Fairfax County neighborhoods immediately surrounding the town are well-served by local parks. The Tysons, Merrifield, and Oakton areas, however, are underserved by local parks. With redevelopment, there will be opportunities to add local parks in the Tysons and Merrifield areas. Oak Marr is a larger park located in an adjacent district, but serving the Vienna district. Based on adopted service level standards and projected population growth, Table 3 shows the projected surplus or deficit of parkland in the Vienna Planning District for the year 2020.

Table 3: Vienna Planning District 2020 Park Land Needs Analysis 

+ The District and Countywide Parks that serve this Planning District may be located outside the Planning District and this outlying acreage is not reflected in this table.
* There is no service level standard for Resource-Based parkland. The amount of resource based parkland owned and/or protected is based on the existence and sensitivity of the resources.

Issue: Parkland for recreation should be provided according to adopted service level standards and distributed equitably throughout the County.

Strategies:
V-LA-1.  The total land holdings in Raglan Road Park should be increased to offset growth in the Tysons Corner Area.

Issue: Urban parks should be provided in higher density/mixed use areas of the County (i.e. Tysons Corner, Transit Station Areas, Commercial Revitalization Districts).

Strategies:
V-LA-2.  Encourage new development in the Tysons Corner Urban Center to provide improvements to Ashgrove Historic Site, Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, Freedom Hill, and Raglan Road Parks; and
V-LA-3.  Encourage new development in the Tysons Corner Urban Center to provide new urban parks southwest of Route 7 in the Vienna district.

Issue: Property acquisition is important for protecting cultural resources in Fairfax County and ensuring their preservation for future generations.

Strategies:
V-LA-4.  Seek opportunities to add land adjacent to Nottoway, South Railroad Street, Ashgrove, Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley, Lahey Lost Valley, Difficult Run Stream Valley, and Clark's Crossing Parks; and
V-LA-5.  Encourage owners of private parcels with historic resources to place conservation easements on their property to protect these resources.

Issue: Property acquisition is an important strategy for protecting natural resources in Fairfax County and ensuring open and natural areas for future generations.

Strategies:
V-LA-6.  Seek opportunities to add land to the Difficult Run Stream Valley, Clark's Crossing, Lahey Lost Valley, and Armistead Parks;
V-LA-7.  Encourage owners of large private parcels to place conservation easements on their property to protect natural resources. This is particularly important in the Piney Branch and Difficult Run Stream Valley areas near Tamarack Park and Clark's Crossing, where many of the few remaining larger lots are located;
V-LA-8.  Land acquisition should focus on large, relatively undisturbed parcels, land that provides linkages between natural areas and areas with high-quality resources in the Piney Branch and Difficult Run stream corridors; and
V-LA-9.  Seek to acquire and/or protect through purchase, donation, development dedications, or conservation easements remaining natural areas in the district, especially large tracts connecting to other natural areas and those containing unique or significant natural resources.

Residents may not be aware of or understand the importance of the vast number of natural and cultural resources the Park Authority holds in public trust. Strategy suggestions include adding to the existing interpretive facilities, signs, and programs. Roadway and trail waysides permit park visitors opportunities to stop and view interpretive signage.

Issue: The full range of natural and cultural resources within Fairfax County should be interpreted through facilities as needed.

Parkland within the Vienna District has many significant natural resources. These resources are primarily related to the water resources and the protection associated with large continuous forest. The larger park parcels including Tamarack, Clark's Crossing and the adjacent Regional park land (Meadowlark Gardens) contain fairly healthy wetlands and habitat that supports uncommon plant and animal species.

The Vienna Planning District has many important cultural resources. The most important of these are Civil War features, a number of 18th through 20th century domestic sites, and many Native American sites. These Native American sites exist in abundance in the undeveloped portions of our park lands.

Historic sites in county parks in the district reflect different phases of the architectural and agrarian history of Fairfax County during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. They provide opportunities to interpret the evolution of Fairfax County from colony through the Revolution, Civil War and into the period of the New Nation.

Strategies:
V-RI-1.  Provide resource interpretive facilities at resource based parks and other parks with significant resources in the district;
V-RI-2.  Provide cultural resource interpretive facilities at Oakton Community (Oakton Schoolhouse), Nottoway, South Railroad Street, Ashgrove, Freedom Hill, Lahey Lost Valley, Old Courthouse Stream Valley, and Difficult Run Stream Valley Parks; and
V-RI-3.  Replace Cross County Trail (CCT) waysides and incorporate additional interpretive themes.

Many factors threaten the health, protection and viability of natural and cultural resources on county parkland. Strategy suggestions include focusing on managing threats and actively managing existing natural and cultural resources consistent with guidance provided in the countywide Cultural Resource Management Plan and Natural Resource Management Plan.

Cultural Resources

Some of the important historic resources in the district are the Hunter House at Nottoway Park, the Oakton School House at Oakton Community Park, the Ash Grove Historic Site in Tysons Corner, and Lahey Lost Valley.

Demands and pressure to provide recreational facilities, human use trails and other traditional "park" resources are often placed in direct conflict to the preservation of archaeological and other cultural resources.

Issue: Historic structures should be stabilized, repaired, renovated and/or restored to ensure their preservation and availability for public viewing and interpretation.

No district- or park-specific strategies exist for this issue in the Vienna Planning District.

Issue: Cultural Resources should be identified and evaluated prior to any proposed construction activity.

Strategies:
V-CR-1.  For any site subject to proposed construction activity, a preliminary assessment of the property will be carried out using GIS and pedestrian reconnaissance. Should potential resources be present, a cultural resource survey will be conducted and mitigation measures will be developed, as necessary.

Issue: Impacts to National Register eligible cultural resources should be avoided where at all feasible. If impacts cannot be avoided mitigation level documentation or data recovery should occur.

Strategies:
V-CR-2.  Document and record buildings and structures using Historic American Buildings/Historic American Engineering methods (research, measured drawings and archival photographs) and conduct data recovery excavations for archaeological sites, as appropriate.

Issue: New, expanded and upgraded facilities are needed to house artifact collections to ensure their preservation for future generations.

No district- or park-specific strategies exist for this issue in the Vienna Planning District. This is an issue of countywide concern that should be addressed with centralized facilities.

The Difficult Run Stream Valley Park and Clark's Crossing Park located in the northwest corner of the district provide natural areas that serve as a wildlife corridor and protect stream quality. The Old Courthouse Spring Branch Stream Valley Park at the northeastern portion of the district provides an important natural corridor at the edge of the Tysons Corner Urban Center. Nottoway Park contains the headwaters for Accotink Creek and represents an important opportunity for forest restoration and stormwater improvement. Most of the parks in the district that provide recreation facilities also have some natural area fragments.

The park parcels in the Vienna district are largely dedicated to active and passive recreational uses with small and marginalized strips of vegetation. There are a few exceptions along the Wolf Trap Creek, Piney Branch and Difficult Run stream corridors.

Issue: Natural habitats and the wildlife they support are disappearing due to development and are fragmented from development, trails, easements and utilities. Meadow and upland habitats are especially scarce.

The natural areas of the district are extremely fragmented, with significant portions of edge habitat and few large tracts remaining. Most of the natural areas are concentrated in the low-lying lands since many of the uplands have been converted to built features. Transportation and utility corridors and other easements crisscross natural areas, often resulting in less than ideal management practices. Neighborhoods are built too close to corridors for movement of animal and plant species; increasing citizen/wildlife conflict and limiting natural migration in many areas of the county. Habitat for many animal species has been significantly impacted through disruption or conversion by humans, over-browsing by deer and over-simplification of habitat by invasive plant species.

Strategies:
V-NR-1.  Seek to acquire and protect remaining natural areas in the district especially large tracts, those connecting to other natural areas and those containing unique or significant natural resources;
V-NR-2.  Protect and improve existing corridors, linkages and watersheds;
V-NR-3.  Provide new linkages between remaining public and private natural areas;
V-NR-4.  Manage utility corridors and other easements consistent with natural resource goals, not just utility service goals. This is especially important along the W&OD trail in the Clark's Crossing and Tamarack Park areas;
V-NR-5.  Designate permanent resource protection zones in park master plans that define appropriate uses and development; and
V-NR-6.  Place conservation easements on public lands to ensure natural resource protection in perpetuity.

Issue: Water resources and stream valleys are degraded due to development and associated stormwater runoff.

Strategies:
V-NR-7.  Work with the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) and private land owners to capture and treat stormwater high up in the watershed. This could take the form of incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) methods on residential and commercial lots and renovation of larger properties to provide new or enhanced stormwater facilities;
V-NR-8.  Encourage private property owners to adopt wildlife and water friendly landscaping practices to improve water quality and habitat;
V-NR-9.  Conduct riparian buffer restoration projects such as has been done in Waverly Park; and
V-NR-10.  Support implementation of stormwater management recommendations found in the Tysons Corner Urban Center Plan as that area redevelops.

Issue: The Park Authority does not have an adequate inventory of natural resources on parkland, nor the capacity to actively manage and protect natural resources.

Strategies:
V-NR-11.  Direct development of park infrastructure to areas that, when inventoried, reflect few or poor quality natural resources, unless otherwise incompatible;
V-NR-12.  Ensure that natural resources are assessed prior to any park development. Use design principles that minimize natural resource impacts and include monitoring and restoration of impacted natural areas as part of development plans;
V-NR-13.  Conduct natural resource inventories and develop and implement natural resource management plans for natural areas; and
V-NR-14.  Identify, preserve, protect and enhance wetlands within the Wolf Trap Creek, Piney Branch and Difficult Run stream corridors.

Issue: Non-native invasive plants are threatening natural resources by reducing the diversity of native species and impacting wildlife habitat.

The extremely fragmented nature of the natural areas in the district coupled with small park size and high levels of human disturbance have generally resulted in degraded park conditions with high occurrence and coverage by invasive plant species. Due to the mature nature of the development in the Vienna area, invasive plant species are well established and often cover large percentages of vegetated areas. With the assistance of resident volunteers, an Invasive Management Area (IMA) site has been established in this district at Nottoway Park.

Strategies:
V-NR-15.  Educate citizens on the problems associated with invasive plant species. Work with them to eliminate or limit invasives on private property near parks and to prevent new introductions of invasive species; and
V-NR-16.  Expand non-native invasive plant management and habitat restoration on parkland by implementing the Non-Native Invasive Plant Prioritization Plan and Assessment.

Issue: The County has a goal to expand tree canopy. The Park Authority should contribute to this goal wherever possible by ensuring existing forested areas are sustainable and expanding canopy where possible.

Strategies:
V-NR-17.  Ensure sustainability of tree canopy on parkland by developing and implementing management plans and controlling threats such as non-native invasive plants and deer herbivory;
V-NR-18.  Encourage tree planting and natural landscaping techniques on private land;
V-NR-19.  Incorporate natural landscaping techniques on parkland, avoid tree loss from development and where possible increase tree canopy; and
V-NR-20.  Designate permanent resource protection zones on parkland that define appropriate uses and development.

Issue: The Park Authority should utilize innovative practices in construction of recreational facilities and buildings to minimize impacts to the environment and demonstrate stewardship.

No district- or park-specific strategies exist for this issue in the Vienna Planning District.