Fairfax County will seek $1.9 million in federal funding to comprehensively renovate and modernize South Lakes Drive Park in Reston.

Supervisor Walter Alcorn voted today to authorize the Fairfax County Park Authority to apply for funding through the U.S. National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program. This is a nationally competitive matching grant program.

“This is an important step toward renovating this aging park and providing the community with a safer, more accessible recreation space for people of all ages,” said Supervisor Alcorn. “Along with county funding, this federal grant, if approved, would provide the resources needed to improve the park’s layout and facilities and create new outdoor recreational opportunities for all residents.”

Located at 11851 South Lakes Drive, the 13.9-acre neighborhood park was built in the early 1980s. It is among the highest-priority parks that need Americans with Disabilities Act improvements, according to the Park Authority.

The proposed project would create a safer, more accessible and welcoming multigenerational recreation space for the surrounding neighborhoods.

A More Accessible Park with New Recreation Opportunities

The proposed improvements would reorganize the park’s layout around a central, more visible recreation area with upgraded amenities and accessible routes throughout the park. The plan calls for:

• Improved athletic field: Upgrade the existing 195-foot by 360-foot rectangular sports field with refreshed turf and install irrigation to support more reliable use for community sports.
• Relocated playground and basketball court: Move and replace the existing playground and basketball court from the park’s wooded edges to a more visible, central, open location that’s also closer to the primary parking lot.
• New community lawn and pavilion: Create a flexible 28,200-square-foot lawn and pavilion area for neighborhood gatherings, family activities and informal recreation. To provide this new green space, the park’s existing 60-foot baseball diamond would be removed. However, youth sports groups will still have access to a nearby sports diamond four miles away. This diamond will be significantly upgraded to provide an even better facility than the one at South Lakes Drive.
• Accessible walking trail: Build a paved, ADA-accessible loop trail connecting the park’s major amenities with existing neighborhood paths.
• Environmental restoration: Replant the 12,748 square-foot area where the playground and sports court sit today with native mixed hardwood forest, helping increase tree canopy and improve habitat connectivity.

The project would also include new park furnishings, signage, drainage and stormwater improvements.

County to Contribute $1.9 Million to the Project

If approved, the federal grant program requires the county to provide an equivalent amount of local matching funds. The county would contribute $1,974,930 to the project, using previously approved park bond money that will be specified at a future date. This would bring the project’s total estimated cost to more than $3.9 million. If the grant isn’t approved, the Park Authority plans to fully pay for the project with bond funds. 

Grant Funding Process and Timeline

 Grant applications are due by Nov. 1, and the National Park Service expects to announce awards in May. If it successfully secures the grant, the Park Authority will undertake a required environmental compliance process that’s anticipated to take six to 12 months. Grant funds would then be awarded in May 2028 with a five-year deadline to complete the project. As a condition of accepting this federal money, South Lakes Drive Park must be maintained as a public outdoor recreation area in perpetuity. 

The National Park Services’ Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program is part of its Land and Water Conservation Fund established by Congress in 1964. It is funded by earnings from federal offshore oil and gas leasing. The Outdoor Recreation grants aim to fund new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors. The year, there is $120 million available through the grant program.