Objections raise on the process for giving Little River Turnpike an honorary name

About a dozen people showed up at a meeting on April 17 to discuss a proposal to bestow an honorary name on Little River Turnpike to honor the Korean-American community.

An honorary name is just that – it won’t be an official name recognized by the post office and no one’s address would change.

The meeting, held at American Legion Post 1976, was convened by a group called Annandale United.

Their main complaints were about Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez’s process for soliciting feedback on the proposal.

The idea for the honorary name was presented to Jimenez last fall by the local Korean business community led by Steve Lee. Jimenez held two community meetings on the proposal, in January and February.

He also invited residents to fill out a survey asking whether they support the honorary name and to indicate what that name should be. It listed several options, such as Gangnam Street and Koreatown. The results of the survey have not yet been announced.

Related story: Annandale residents express their views on renaming Little River Turnpike

Jimenez publicized the meetings and survey in the Mason Matters newsletter and on his social media accounts.

At the meeting, several people complained that many Annandale residents didn’t know about the survey because it wasn’t widely distributed to community groups and HOAs.

They said Annandale residents who live in the Heritage Drive and Americana Drive areas in the Braddock District didn’t know about it because they don’t receive the Mason District newsletter. Meanwhile, they said Mason District residents who live in Bailey’s Crossroads and Lincolnia did have a chance to vote on it.

“A lot of people are unhappy,” said Joe Nam Do, who facilitated the meeting. “If people don’t know about it and can’t vote on it, it is unfair.” 

Do and Joseph McCauley were the only people at the meeting who acknowledged being associated with Annandale United. “People were afraid to come or give their names because they don’t want to antagonize the Mason supervisor,” Do said.

Susan Jollie, a community association president, said that when she notified residents of her Annandale neighborhood, “people were negative on the concept. People from other ethnic groups were not happy with this. The process was not good.”

McCauley, a retired realtor, said he circulated a petition to residents of his neighborhood and to non-Korean businesses along Little River Turnpike. When he submitted it to the supervisor’s office, it was not accepted. The deadline for responding had passed.

The petition, which McCauley also posted online, says, “We believe the historic name of Little River Turnpike should be the only street name that accurately describes our community.”

“We oppose honorarily re-naming Little River Turnpike and installing signage identifying Annandale as ‘Koreatown’ or ‘Gangnam Street,” the petition states. “This commercial branding does not accurately reflect the diverse population of Annandale. It is unfair to all other residents and business owners. The image discourages investment. We do not believe Fairfax County should endorse an image of Annandale that prefers one ethnic or cultural group over all others who have lived and worked along Little River Turnpike since 1802.”

Related story: They built the road they would be forced to walk: a brief history of Little River Turnpike

“I love history. I don’t want to see it disturbed, McCauley said. “Little River Turnpike was the first turnpike authorized by the federal government.”

He suggested giving an honorary name to a smaller road in Annandale or putting up a historic marker, rather than renaming Little River Turnpike.

Do said when he reached out to leaders of the Hispanic community, they opposed having Annandale identified as Koreatown. “They wanted their own honorary name.”  

Do, along with several other Annandale residents, questioned why “the Koreans should be elevated above everyone else.”

Someone else at the meeting said it was unfair to have people vote on an honorary name when there hasn’t been any decision on how many street signs there would be, where they would be located, and what they would look like.

Another attendee noted that many owners of Korean businesses in Annandale don’t live in the community.

Related story: Annandale residents oppose an honorary name for Little River Turnpike

A three-and-a-half-page letter sent to Jimenez on March 25, and signed by McCauley, Do, and two other people with business interests in Annandale, states: “Giving exclusive recognition to one ethnic group ignores the contributions of countless other residents and business owners who rightly believe they have contributed as much to Annandale. For most residents, the only acceptable image of Annandale is a community that welcomes all persons and businesses regardless of racial or ethnic background.”

The letter, which also cites the concerns about an inadequate community engagement process, states: “Everyone who lives or does business in Annandale has a financial interest in deciding how the community will be portrayed. Residential and business property values could be negatively impacted by the inaccurate perception that Annandale’s restaurants and businesses cater only to those seeking Korean food or services.”

According to the letter, “The prospects for investment in the redevelopment of Annandale’s Central Business District depend on Annandale being viewed as a venue offering a wide variety of eating, entertainment, and shopping experiences.”

This is not the first time a name change has been proposed for Little River Turnpike. In 1958, Beverly Coleman tried – and failed – to get the road renamed for his grandfather, Confederate soldier Col. John Singleton Mosby.

Then in 1979, Route 50 in Loudoun County was renamed for Mosby. In 2021, as part of an effort to get rid of Confederate names, Loudoun changed the name of the John Mosby Highway to Little River Turnpike.