New Sleepy Hollow sidewalk project would have less of an impact on property owners

Some homeowners along Sleepy Hollow Road still have signs protesting the proposed sidewalk project.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has revised its plans for the Sleepy Hollow Road sidewalk project for the third time.

“This iteration impacts property owners significantly less” than the previous proposal, says project manager, Mark VanZandt. The new plan reduces the width of sidewalks along the mile-long road and would remove fewer trees.

According to VanZandt, the changes were made in response to residents’ concerns. At a raucous community meeting in April 2018, there were lots of complaints about the loss of trees, declining property values, and the potential for harming the character of the neighborhoods that line Sleepy Hollow Road. That proposal was revised in October.

VanZandt has held several small gatherings with residents to explain the newest changes. FCDOT expects to host a large community meeting in April. The date hasn’t been set.

Here are some of the key changes from the previous plan:

• The sidewalk would be reduced from eight to six feet wide – and to five feet in a few places where a large tree or utility pole is in the way. There would be a two-foot grass buffer between the sidewalk and curb.  

• For 95 percent of the project, the sidewalk will be moved into the parking lane on the right side of the street as one drives toward Columbia Pike. That means homeowners will see less of a disturbance on their property, the county won’t have to take as much private land, and fewer trees will be cut down. It also means fewer places to park. 

• Between Columbia Pike and Dearborn Drive, the sidewalk would be on the left side, as one drives from Seven Corners to Columbia Pike. 

• Only 28 trees with a diameter greater than six inches will be removed. The plan announced in April 2018 called for the elimination of 111 large trees. Homeowners will be compensated for the loss of trees on their property. 

• Along Sleepy Hollow Road across from Congressional School between Marlo Drive and Tripps Run, the turn lanes would be reduced from 12 feet to 11 feet wide. That would allow the sidewalk to be pushed out a little closer to the road. Eleven feet meets VDOT standards. 

• FCDOT dropped its plans for two new retaining walls, except for the one in front of Sleepy Hollow Methodist Church. That wall is needed to save the large tree on that property. 

• By moving the sidewalk into the parking lane, the fence and trees on the lot at the corner of Sleepy Hollow and Dearborn Drive will be saved.  

• The new sidewalks would connect with the six-foot sidewalk planned by the developer of the Glavis property between the church and Malbrook Drive. That wooded area with an old house on it will be developed with new housing; the details haven’t been announced yet. 

• Two more crosswalks would be added to the plan – at the entrance to Congressional School and at Carolyn Drive. 

• There would be three refuges in the middle of Sleepy Hollow Road – at Baytree Lane, Kennedy Lane, and Castle Place – to give pedestrians a safe place to stand while crossing the street. A proposed refuge at Dearborn Drive in the previous plan has been removed. 

• There are a few small spots where the county will need permanent land easements from property owners. The county will also need temporary easements during construction from all affected homeowners. 

FCDOT hasn’t yet announced a timeline for the project. “It’s not imminent,” VanZandt says. “Assuming we get buy in, we have to advance the plans.” Land acquisition alone would take about seven months before construction could start.

Under the previous plan, the Sleepy Hollow sidewalk project was estimated to cost $5.975 million. That included design, land acquisition, and construction. The revised plan is expected to cost less.