Public feedback sought on changing the name of Lee Highway

Fairfax County’s Confederate Names Task Force is seeking public input on whether the names of Lee Highway and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway should be changed and what alternative names should be considered. 

Members of the public are invited to take a survey and send comments via email on the potential name changes. 

The task force will host a virtual community listening meeting on Nov. 1, 7-8:30 p.m. Join the meeting on WebEx or call in to 1-844-621-3956; access code: 2339 357 4472

In-person community listening meetings will also be held:

• Oct. 28, 7-8:30 p.m., at the Providence Community Center, 3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax. Public transit access: Metrobus route 2B. 
• Oct. 30, 10-11:30 a.m., at the Fairfax County Government Center, Board Auditorium, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Public transit access: Metrobus route 1C; Fairfax Connector route 605.
• Nov. 4, 7-8:30 p.m at the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly. Public transit access: Fairfax Connector routes 640 and 642.

Related story: Board of Supervisors appoints task force to consider renaming roads that honor Confederates

The Board of Supervisors established the Confederate Names Task Force in July to review the names of Lee Highway and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway and make recommendations on whether to change the names of one or both roadways and, if such a recommendation is made, propose alternative names. 

Both highways were named or renamed for Confederate generals. As a result, some members of the community have raised concerns about the appropriateness of the names. 

Lee Highway was named for Robert E. Lee in 1919. The roadway under consideration for a name change consists of 14.1 miles of U.S. Route 29 in Fairfax County in two sections (split by the “Lee Highway-Fairfax Boulevard” combined section within the City of Fairfax).

Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway was named for Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in 1922.

The highway section under consideration consists of 8.4 miles of U.S. Route 50 from the City of Fairfax through western Fairfax County. Route 50 is named Fairfax Boulevard within the City of Fairfax and Arlington Boulevard in eastern Fairfax County.

The task force is expected to complete its work by end of 2021. The Board of Supervisors will make a final decision on the names of the two roads. 

In a related issue, residents of the Lee District are considering changing the name of the district.  

The names of two major institutions in Lee District have already been changed. In 2020, the former Robert E. Lee High School was renamed John R. Lewis High School (honoring the civil rights leader and politician). In 2019, the Park Authority Board changed the name of Robert E. Lee RECenter to Lee District RECenter.

Supervisor Rodney Lusk of Lee District has held three public meetings in recent months on whether the name of the district should be changed. 

Alternative names brought up at those meetings include Franconia, Dogue (for Dogue Creek), Laurel Grove, and Huntley Meadows, said Matt Renninger, Lusk’s chief of staff. 

Related story: Fairfax County board appoints committee charged with redrawing supervisory districts

The appropriate time for renaming a Fairfax County District is when redistricting takes place, Renninger said. That is going on now, with new maps to be drawn by the end of the year and a final redistricting plan in place in February 2022.

Lusk hasn’t yet announced his preference for a new name for the district. The final decision will be made by the Board of Supervisors.