Planning is underway for a Northfax Linear Park that will one day have open green spaces, capture stormwater, and connect neighborhoods with a trail and retail plaza in Fairfax City.
During the Fairfax City Council’s work session on Tuesday (June 23), staff presented an early concept for what the park could look like, along with a timeline for finalizing the design guidelines.
“The condition across the length of this proposed park varies,” said Paul Nabti, the city’s planning division chief. “In some places, it really functions just as an enhanced streetscape with improved stormwater measures and visible open spaces … In other places, it functions as an urban retail plaza. Other places, it functions as more of a larger programmable open space or park, and in some … as a natural area.”
Envisioned as a new social center for the Northfax Small Area Plan, which serves as a guide for future development in an area along Fairfax Blvd (Route 50) from McLean Avenue past Willow Wood Plaza, the park will emerge “on a piecemeal basis as private parcels redevelop and as public investments in stormwater and street infrastructure occur,” according to a city staff report.
Completion of the full park is expected to be about a decade away.
The design standards call for tree canopy and ground cover, furnishings such as tables and chairs, and areas for stormwater management and retention, which would fill during rainfall and slowly drain away.
The actual design guidelines with more specific guidance on dimensions, amenities, types of trees and plants, styles of furnishings and other considerations will be set after staff meet with stakeholders, including property owners, as well as various city boards and commissions in June and July.
Those guidelines, intended to make the park feel like “a cohesive effort,” will be finalized by October, according to Nabti.
The city council’s feedback was largely positive, with members recommending contacting additional commissions for feedback, inquiring about what types of amenities might be provided, and asking questions about the process.
“Will there be any kind of displacement or any disruption in any way for any of the affiliated property?” Councilmember Stacey Hardy-Chandler asked.
Nabti confirmed that some impacts on neighboring properties are expected, but the goal is to implement the park “as development occurs.”
“So, the idea is not that the city is going in and acquiring land for park space and things like that,” he said.
Instead, the city would show developers working on adjacent sites the design standards to encourage their voluntary participation, Nabti said.
Council members and Mayor Catherine Read also stressed the importance of considering accessibility and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when creating dimensions for the project and choosing materials.
“There are a lot of materials that might be desirable from an environmental standpoint, but create mobility issues,” Read said. “…We have to balance true ADA accessibility and true safe passage with environmental concerns too.”
“Walkability, safety, accessibility, and being ADA friendly is really important, I think, to all future planning for this park, and everything else that we do,” she added.
