Dave Seager saw one major problem with the proposed Oakton Community Park, getting there. "I live less than 400 feet from the park, and I know that I have to get in my car and, for the safety of my children, I have to drive to the park," Seager said.
Seager was one of about 80 people who came to a public hearing on Tuesday, March 29, at Oakton Elementary School to discuss the proposed Oakton Community Park. Four members of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board came to the meeting.
The proposed Oakton Community Park sits on 9.8 acres on Hunter Mill Road. The proposal for developing the park includes a rectangular (soccer or lacrosse) field, playground and walking trails. The wooded area of the park will be left generally undisturbed. The field will be located in the existing, relatively flat open area. The field will have irrigation but not lighting. The existing structures on the property — a white, boarded up house and barn — will be removed.
An area has been set aside for the Oakton Schoolhouse [see RELATED STORY page xx], should it be moved to the park. The only vehicular access will be from Hunter Mill Road and will lead to a lot with 50 parking spaces. Trail access will be provided to surrounding residential neighborhoods, and a 50-foot wooded buffer will be built around the developed areas of the park.
PARKING AND park access were two of the major concerns expressed by residents at the public hearing. Soccer games that would be played on the field would draw two teams of at least 11 players each. With one game going on, and anyone left from a previous game, or coming early for a subsequent game, residents noted that the 50-space parking lot would likely be clogged.
Some from the surrounding neighborhoods feared soccer players would use their residential streets as overflow parking. "We are going to have parking all over the place," said Frank Puschauver.
Terry Lash of Vienna Youth Soccer said that his organization planned to work with the community and perhaps change their scheduling procedures to allow more time than usual between games.
Nan Coleman, of the English Oaks Homeowners Association, objected to the size of the field. A smaller field, she said, would be more appropriate for a spot that she argued should be considered a neighborhood park, not a community park. Neighborhood parks, which are up to 10 acres in size, do not typically have athletic fields, Coleman said. "We propose more of the limited space be used for playgrounds and open space," she said.
A host of people, most of whom identified themselves as coaches or parents of children involved in organized sports, spoke in favor of adding the field. "There is a strong need for safe and effective areas for kids to play," said Patrick Andress.
If a field is to be built, Coleman suggested it being smaller than the suggested 60 by 100 yards. This size, she said, would be used primarily for practices and not for games, Coleman said.
The field size can’t really go any smaller, said Angie Allen, project manager for the Park Authority. The recommended size is the smallest in the range of sizes recommended by the county’s Public Facilities Manual, the guidebook that sets standards for virtually anything the county builds or installs.
Additionally, the park may soon be designated a community park either way. The Park Authority is considering a change to its classification system that would lump this park with most other recreation parks under 75 acres in size.
If that change is approved, said Kirk Holley, manager of park planning for the Park Authority, it would not change the master plan that is currently under development.
Besides Seager, others came to speak about a need for sidewalks along Hunter Mill Road. Bill Flanagan, of the Northern Virginia Friends School, was concerned about a lack of pedestrian access. His school is housed in the Unity of Fairfax Church on the opposite side of Hunter Mill Road, a bit further south. "We say, my goodness, we’re going to have to get a bus and drive [the students] there," he said.
The Park Authority is not the county agency that installs sidewalks, but it may include a sidewalk along Hunter Mill Road in front of their park.
After the public comment period closes on April 29, the plan will be presented to the Park Authority Board that may modify the plan. From there, it must go to the Fairfax County Planning Commission for approval before it can enter the final design phases and construction. It could potentially be built within one to two years.