Public urged to comment on revised Annandale design guidelines

Toll House Park on Little River Turnpike.

The Fairfax County community revitalization staff seeks public comment on an updated version of the Annandale Urban Design Guidelines. The document provides recommendations for multimodal streets, landscaping, streetlights, and other design elements.  

There will be a virtual presentation on the new guidelines on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Register here. 

The new design guidelines will also be discussed at the Feb. 23 meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee. Comments can be submitted online through Feb. 25. 

The new document reformats and updates Volume II of the District Guidelines for Annandale published in 2011. 

Volume I, issued in 2018, includes broad urban design recommendations for all Fairfax County Commercial Revitalization Districts and Commercial Revitalization Areas. 

The revised Volume II contains guidelines specifically for Annandale, including new sections on public art, streetscape materials. complete streets, townhouse design, and electric vehicles. 

The final version of the design guidelines is expected to be submitted to the Board of Supervisors this spring. 

After that, the new guidelines will be used to evaluate redevelopment projects proposed for Annandale. They are not mandatory, but rather can be applied flexibly to meet the specific needs of a development.  

The document designates Little River Turnpike as a “boulevard street type.” It recommends two types of bicycle facilities along this roadway: a shared facility for both cyclists and pedestrians in the urban center of Annandale and a separate cycle track and sidewalk in other areas. 

There are updated recommendations on the design and materials for benches, lighting, bike racks, bus shelters, trash cans, sidewalks, signage, and paths in public areas. 

The previous guidelines on hardscape materials called for brick pavers. That material was found to create accessibility difficulties and require costly maintenance, so the new document recommends poured concrete. 

The new trashcan designs would have weather domes that could eventually incorporate technology to monitor trash levels and adjust track pickup times. 

The currently used “acorn lights” aimed at lighting the way for pedestrians contribute to light pollution, so a new design is proposed. 

The section on landscaping lists specific types of trees and shrubs recommended for Annandale, based on the general recommendations in Volume I.