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TextGreat Parks, Great Communities: Bull Run Planning District
- Supervisory District(s): Springfield, Sully
- Maintenance Area(s): 5
- Watersheds: Bull Run, Cub Run, Horsepen Run, Little Rocky Run, Popes Head
- Major Trails and other connections: Cub Run Stream Valley Trail, Rocky Run Stream Valley Trail, Bull Run – Occoquan Trail
- Existing Conditions
- Revised Plan
- Public Comments
Location & Character
The Bull Run Planning District is located in the southwestern corner of Fairfax County, adjacent to Prince William and Loudoun Counties and Dulles International Airport.
This district has a diverse mix of suburban land uses and rural conservation areas. Located in the Occoquan watershed basin, the area is a major source of drinking water for County residents. Land use planning in the district, including large lot residential use, is based on measures to protect the water quality of the Occoquan Reservoir. More intense commercial and residential uses are concentrated in the Centreville and Chantilly areas.
Park System Summary
Map 1 depicts the public
parkland in the Bull Run Planning District. There are 40 public parks
with a total of about 6,800 acres in the district. About 80% of the
public park acreage in the district is owned by the Park Authority, and
is within Park Authority Maintenance Area 5. Other public parkland in
the district is owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
(NVRPA) and the National Park Service (NPS).
The parks in the district include a RECenter, district parks, special uses, local-serving recreational facilities, large cultural and natural resource protection areas and stream valleys. Facilities include trails, rectangle fields, diamond fields, golf, tennis courts, multi-use courts, volleyball courts, nature center, dog park, playgrounds, and picnic facilities.
Arrowhead, Ellanor C. Lawrence, Greenbriar, Poplar Tree, and Rock Hill District Parks are larger parks in the district that provide a variety of active and passive recreational facilities. Cub Run RECenter, next to Westfields High School, serves fitness and aquatic needs in the western part of the County. Cub Run has the only indoor leisure pool in the park system that draws users from a wider area. A public golf course at Richard W. Jones Park offers an upscale, 18-hole course and driving range.
The Sully Woodlands Assemblage, including the nearly 1,400 acre Elklick Preserve, is located in this district. Sully Woodlands represents the largest parkland assemblage in the County and offers some of the last opportunities to preserve relatively undisturbed natural and cultural resources. Complementing the district's County parks is the 1,230-acre Bull Run Regional Park, operated by NVRPA. It provides spacious field areas for sports, open play and special events; group picnic areas; outdoor Atlantis-themed leisure pool; a disc golf course; shooting range; camping facilities and extensive nature and water trails. 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 Bull Run DistrictMap 2: Protected Land in the Bull Run 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 Bull Run 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 Bull Run Planning District
|
Acres |
Supervisor District |
Park Classification |
Approved Master Plan Date |
Master Plan Action Needed |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arrowhead |
35.61 |
SU |
Local |
2001 |
|
|
Brentwood |
10.06 |
SP |
Local |
|
X |
|
Bull Run Regional |
1,300+ |
SU |
Regional |
|
|
|
Centre Ridge |
10.29 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
X |
|
Centre Ridge North |
8.95 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
|
|
Centreville Military Railroad |
1.00 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
|
|
Chalet Woods |
10.70 |
SU |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Chantilly |
6.13 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
X |
|
Chantilly Library Site |
8.62 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
X |
|
Confederate Fortifications |
161.43+ |
SP |
Resource-Based |
2005 |
|
|
37.28 |
SU |
Countywide |
2002 |
|
|
|
Cub Run S.V.1 |
876.00 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
|
|
Elklick Preserve |
1,647.40 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
X |
|
649.96 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
1991 |
X |
|
|
Fair Ridge |
8.78 |
SP |
Local |
1985 |
|
|
Flatlick Run S.V.1 |
93.36 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
|
|
Flatlick Shop2 |
17.43 |
SU |
Local |
|
|
|
Frog Branch S.V.1 |
75.33 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
1977 |
|
|
Greenbriar |
36.55 |
SP |
District |
1985 |
|
|
Greenbriar Commons |
4.48 |
SP |
Local |
20063 |
|
|
Hickory Forest |
97.26 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
X |
|
Historic Centreville Park |
20.93 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
2008 |
X |
|
Lane’s Mill |
29.01 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
2002 |
|
|
Lincoln Lewis-Vannoy |
14.77 |
SP |
Local |
|
|
|
54.00+ |
SU |
Federal |
|
|
|
|
Mountain Road District |
200.12 |
SU |
District |
2006 |
X |
|
Old Centreville Road |
9.33 |
SU |
Local |
1975 |
|
|
Ox Hill Battlefield |
4.72 |
SP |
Resource-Based |
2004 |
|
|
Piney Branch S.V.1 |
184.24+ |
SP |
Resource-Based |
|
|
|
Pleasant Hill |
11.58 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
X |
|
Poplar Ford |
480.54 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
X |
|
Poplar Tree |
48.26 |
SU |
District |
1985 |
|
|
Richard W. Jones |
245.75 |
SU |
District |
19933 |
|
|
Rock Hill District |
168.96 |
SU |
District |
20033 |
|
|
Rocky Run S.V.1 |
337.19 |
SU |
Resource-Based |
20063 |
|
|
Stone Crossing |
9.69 |
SU |
Local |
20063 |
X |
|
Stringfellow |
38.10 |
|
Local |
|
|
|
Sully Historic Site |
25.54+ |
SU |
Resource-Based |
2005 |
|
|
Westfields School Site^ |
16.70 |
SU |
District |
|
|
|
Willow Pond |
52.42 |
SP, SU |
Resource-Based |
|
|
1. Resource-Based Stream Valley parks by practice do not have master
plans.
2. Maintenance Facility
3. Included in the Sully Woodlands Regional Master Plan
* 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 Bull Run
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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