The Annandale Greenway gets a green light

By James Albright

Much has happened since my last post on the proposed Annandale Greenway, the four-mile “braided” trail that winds its way through Northern Virginia’s most intriguing community.

As I described it last year, the trail crosses Annandale just to the north of Little River Turnpike, providing an alternative east-west passage that accesses six Fairfax County park facilities (soon to be seven) while connecting them all to the heart of the community.

To understand why so much has happened in a short (bureaucratically speaking) time, keep in mind that the trail already exists in some form or another. The greenway runs along sidewalks, natural surfaces, and streets. There are just a few gaps and needed upgrades.

So where are we after a year since the proposal? Community members have banded together to form the Annandale Greenway Alliance (AGA), our initial organizing step to build some consensus around the imperative to finish this path.

Related story: The (proposed) Annandale Greenway: a path from Annandale Community Park to Green Spring Gardens

The AGA held a trail cleanup on Sept. 11, 2021, and a Fall Greenway Walk in late October. Each event was well-attended and provided community members the first view of the possibilities of the trail – a thread that could unite the many very different neighborhoods that make up Annandale. The AGA has also worked on logos, trail markers, and efforts to elevate the trail into the consciousness of Fairfax County leaders.

Remarkably, there has been significant attention on the proposed Greenway from local officials. The original plan was presented to Mason Supervisor, Penelope Gross, a long-time supporter of increasing trail networks across the county. With her support, we were able to meet with representatives from the Park Authority, county and state transportation officials, and other critical county staff.

This meeting, held in November, led to a commitment from Gross to have the trail officially designated on the county trail list – making the Annandale Greenway eligible for funding in formal budget cycles.

In late December at a Board of Supervisors Transportation Committee hearing, the trail moved from a dream to an officially designated path – a significant accomplishment.

Where are we going from here? Two major threads of work are in front of us.

The first is the challenging work of building a community around the idea of the Greenway. That entails working with members of the AGA to build attention and support for the trail, bring interested stakeholders to our ever-expanding table, and create unique events that highlight the value of the trail.

Additionally, the alliance needs to continue the work we have started on selecting a trail brand (logo, signs, and kiosks), hosting more trail cleanups, and even some initial efforts on trail implementation.

We will be looking to schools, scouting groups, environmental groups, and other partners to learn from them and to harness their energy around a new trail.

The second major thread calls for an AGA working group to build institutional support for the trail and to make sure that design and funding opportunities are pursued and that connections to existing county efforts in trail and bikeway efforts are codified.

This work is less glamorous and perhaps perceptively slower. In a county the size and wealth of Fairfax, however, this “bureaucratic” effort is essential to the final realization of a trail that does our community proud.

Related story: Community members explore the future Annandale Greenway

In pursuit of these threads, the AGA will meet next in late February to continue planning for an Earth Day Greenway community event on April 23 involving trail cleanup and, possibly, some trail repairs. This will be our big event for the spring.

The working group will also start the hard work of identifying trail segments for further work and determining how to make the Greenway an actual, official trail through Annandale.

If you are interested in participating in our Greenway work, want to walk the nascent trail, or just want to help on April 23, drop me a line at [email protected]. I will find a place for you in this communal effort.

This article originally appeared in James Albright’s Living Life in 4D blog.