Controversial Trail Project To Be Reviewed By Fairfax City Council

Correction: This story was updated to include information about the landscaping included in the final design for George Snyder Trail that the Fairfax City Council approved in 2020.

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Even though the Fairfax City Council approved the final plan for the George Snyder Trail Project in October 2020, the council members will be giving the project a second look during Tuesday night’s work session at Fairfax City Hall.

Following an Oct. 23 public hearing, the council asked staff to come up with some options to consider after residents, environmentalists, and homeowners who lived along the trail route voiced their objections to the plan as it was currently envisioned.

The project seeks to build a 2-mile trail that would serve as an east-west link between Draper Drive Park and Chain Bridge Road in the Northfax area. The city has already spent $3 million on the project’s design and environmental review. It has also acquired the right-of-way of two of the five parcels needed to complete the trail.

Related: Environmentalists Oppose Latest Iteration Of George Snyder Trail Plan

Opponents of the trail said that the city would lose more than 7 to 8 acres of wooded habitat, which would cause erosion and lead to more stormwater runoff. With the removal of more than 1,200 mature trees, carbon levels in the air would also increase significantly.

Councilmember Kate Doyle Feingold voted against the adoption of the trail plan at the council’s Oct. 23 public hearing.

"There are great alternatives out there that have been proposed where we can achieve the connectivity that we want without it being so harmful to the environment," she told Patch in October. "Connectivity is important. Alternative modes of transportation, those being available are important, but the reality is here because of the number of trees that are going to be destroyed we are never going to see a reduction in CO2 (carbon dioxide) from people using this trail."

Despite these concerns, landscaping was includedin the the final design of the project that the city council approved in October 2020. The city will planting 858 trees and 815 shrubs along the trail. Of this total, 518 trees and 353 shrubs would be planted within the resource protection area.

City staff has given councilmembers three options to consider at its work session on Tuesday:

1. Continue with the project as proposed.
2. Cancel the project.
3. Modify the project.

If the council decided to cancel the project, the city might have to repay all or part of the $3 million it’s already spent from the city’s general fund. Canceling the project after already spending $3 million might impact the city’s reputation and ability to receive future funding. This could also impact the city’s ability to obtain small scale funding for the George Snyder Trail extension.

Staff gave the council two options for modifying the project. In the first option, the city could link the trail to the new traffic signal provided by the Virginia Department of Transportation at Chain Bridge Road. This would reduce the size of the overall project and the city would have to return funding to VDOT. Also, the remaining money would not be available to construct the eastern section of the trail.

In addition, such a modification could jeopardize the city’s already approved $9.5 million Smart Scale project to connect the Wilcoxon Trail with the eastern end of the George Snyder Trail. VDOT would likely re-score the project to determine its overall benefit. Also, there is a risk that the Commonwealth Transportation Board might ask the city to repay a portion of the plan extension cost for the eastern section of the trail.

Staff’s second modification option involved keeping the eastern half of the trail project, but realigning one or more segments. This would delay the project by approximately two years and mean additional engineering costs estimated at $1 million to $2 million. Of course, if the council adopted this option, there was no guarantee that it would have the support of the community.

Of the options presented, city staff recommended that council members either continue with the project as proposed or modify the project by constructing the west half of the trail — Chain Bridge Road to Fair Woods Parkway — and leave the eastern segment as is. The city council would need adopt a resolution at its Jan.23 meeting to affirm the direction of the project.

Tuesday’s discussion will take place during the council’s work session, which will occur after its regular meeting. As such, there will be no opportunity for public input during the work session. However, those who wish to speak can provide input during the general public comment portion of the public hearing, which begins at 7 p.m.