Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia
On Wednesday, 26 July 2006, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved the White Horticultural Park Master Plan. The plan calls for an emergency and maintenance vehicle entrance on Goldsboro Drive to the east, with the main vehicular entrance on Princess Anne Road to the west. Both entrances will include pedestrian access.
The master plan is comprehensive in setting forth a general management plan and a conceptual development plan. It supports the park purpose of preserving resources, promoting stewardship, and providing a unique visitor experience. This document will be a valuable guide to future park management, improvements, and use.
The master plan is supported by a Horticultural Landscape Report prepared by John Milner Associates of Charlottesville. This document inventories and maps the major horticultural resources and provides proper treatment recommendations that will guide the Park Authority and volunteers in the management of this future garden park.
The site is still a private residence and is not open to the public. Until the Park Authority has possession of the site and capital funding, no capital site improvements will be made. Capital funding generally comes from voter approved bonds. Generally, park bonds occur every four years. The next bond cycle where funding may be provided is 2008.
A public hearing on the draft Master Plan and Vehicle Access Report for the future John C. and Margaret K. White Horticultural Park was held on 8 May 2006, at J.E.B. Stuart High School. The Park Authority Board received comments on the draft Master Plan, which proposes uses that emphasize preservation of the site's garden resources and support an enjoyable visitor experience, and the Vehicle Access Report, which presented information regarding five alternative entrance locations.
The White's acquired the 13.7 acre property in Falls Church in 1938 and built their home in 1939. Over the years, they raised a family and developed extensive woodland gardens. Mrs. White sold the property to the Park Authority in 1999 and retains a life estate. The property remains a private residence and is not yet open to the public. However, the county wants to be ready soon with a plan of action when the time comes.
The site's most notable features are azalea and rhododendron gardens which burst with colorful spring and summer blossoms; woodland areas with winding pathways; a large open meadow; the family residence and a circa 1876 barn; and a small spring fed pond. Protecting the horticultural resources is a primary purpose of this future park.
The park will not be used for events or classes like Green Springs Park. Instead, it is anticipated that a majority of park visitors will be neighbors entering the park on foot. There will be some vehicular traffic, and the county wants to develop an entrance to the property with parking for 25 cars and access for emergency vehicles.
One possible en-trance to the park is the middle of Kerns Road on the south side where the wood-ed area extends right up to the road. Four other small roads could connect up to the property, including the current entrance off of Princess Anne Road. Based upon the likely impacts to the horticultural, ecological, and overall landscape aesthetic, Goldsboro Drive (east end of the property) and Princess Anne Road (west end of the property) were recommended for further consideration as they would result in the least amount of damage to site resources.
The hearing on 8 May was mostly about large numbers of nearby residents strongly supporting the entrance to the park being located on the opposite side of where they live. Emotions were high—one group even wore red shirts to show their solidarity—and over a hundred speakers had their three minutes to state and restate and re-restate arguments of opposition for the entrance being located on their side of the park. While a few spoke out with positive, helpful suggestions, the specific issue of the park entrance brought out the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) in many people.
I did not speak, and I did not stay until late in the night to hear all the citizen comments. I did provide a written comment, suggesting that entrances be built at both ends of the park. My thinking is that if one of the two proposed entrances is limited only to pedestrians, people who drive to the park from the side furthest from the parking entrance will simply park on the street near the closest pedestrian entrance, causing parking problems in that neighborhood.
My hats off to the Park Authority Board and our Mason District representative, Frank Vajda, for listening to citizens' comments and evaluating the merits of each option in an environment of intense emotions. I saw a similar outpouring of emotion by residents near the Annandale/Gallows/Hummer Road intersection who strongly opposed any improvements to the intersection. The good news about the public hearing process is that if anyone knew any reason why the entrance would be better in one location over another, they have already raised the issue, so the Park Authority Board should be fully informed.
The board made refinements to the draft Master Plan based on public input up through 8 June, and board direction will be incorporated into the final master plan. Park Authority Board consideration of approval of the Master Plan will be scheduled this summer.
The phone rings often in the busy Resource Management Division and Park Operations offices of the Park Authority. On some days, it seems like one call after another involves encroachment.
No, Mr. Breen, you can't keep your children's swing set on parkland. You'll have to move it out of there.
That's encroachment-placing personal property on parkland.
I see. Your neighbors are dumping their grass clippings on parkland. Thank you. We'll check into it.
That's encroachment-dumping your own yard debris on parkland.
Yes, ma'am. I understand it looks like scrubby underbrush. But it's actually a habitat for both plants and smaller animals, so destroying it to make it look like your yard cannot and should not be done.
And that's encroachment-destroying parkland to expand your yard area.
It is common for homeowners to extend their back-yards into parks by clearing native vegetation and creating additional lawn area. Other homeowners dump grass clippings or yard debris, sometimes thinking such composting helps the environment.
In truth, encroachments cause a big costly mess. Clearing, mowing, and dumping debris promotes the spread of invasive plants and harms native plants with an excess of chemicals. Piles of yard waste attract rodents and snakes. Removing trees and vegetation reduces the tree cover needed to mitigate air pollution. Last but not least, using park land as though it is personal property robs the public of its use.
Some encroachments may seem trivial, but in the worst cases, encroachments can destroy wetlands, trees, native vegetation, and wildlife. Since virtually all Fairfax County parks suffer from encroachments to some degree, the collective impact is enormous. Besides the environmental damage, it's expensive. The Park Authority spends thousands of dollars every year cleaning up encroachments.
Here are some guidelines for preventing encroachment: