Park Authority proposes land swap to resolve park encroachment by homeowner
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| A map showing the location of the land swap. [FCPA] |
The Fairfax County Park Authority is proposing a land swap of about 1,000 square feet in Mason District with homeowners Bruce and Patricia Kasold of 5914 Skyline Heights Court, Alexandria.
Under this proposal, the Park Authority would transfer approximately 1,000 square feet of “disturbed property” in the park to the Kasolds, where they had encroached on county parkland.
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| The Kasold’s backyard. [FCPA] |
In exchange, the Kasolds would transfer to the Park Authority 1,000 square feet of undisturbed property, which would be added to Holmes Run Stream Valley Park.
The Kasolds also agreed to grant a conservation easement approximately 2,000 square feet in size to the Park Authority for a potential future trail connection.
When the Kasolds built a deck, swimming pool, hot tub, and emergency generator in their backyard, they didn’t know it was parkland owned by the county, says David Bowden, director of the Park Authority’s Planning and Development Division. The property line should have been checked when their building permit was approved, but it fell through the cracks.
The Park Authority’s policy on encroachment could have required the Kasolds to tear down their improvements, “We tried to find a solution that works for everyone,” Bowden says.
The Park Authority is holding a public hearing on the land swap on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Herrity Building. Members of the public can speak at the hearing or submit written comments by Oct. 23 to [email protected]. Requests to speak at the hearing should be sent to the same address.
Park Authority policy approved in January calls for it to “resist by all appropriate means, including legal action, any attempt to damage, destroy. or encroach upon any park, historical site, nature preserve, or recreational facility under its control.”
It defines encroachment as “the construction of any facility or structure,” as well as clearing or mowing land, planting or pruning of vegetation, or dumping trash in a park.
2 responses to “Park Authority proposes land swap to resolve park encroachment by homeowner”
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How could no one have looked at a plat before proceeding?
It happens all the time, particularly when neighbors build fences, they often don't check the plat and encroach sometimes by a significant amount of footage. That's why it's important to do survey's wnen purchasing as these are usually when it becomes apparent. In this case, the parkland was just taken by the adjacent landowners whether they knew it or not.