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Fairfax City leaders are reconsidering a nearly two-mile trail approved more than a year ago, with the newly constituted City Council leaning toward building only its western half to reduce environmental damage and avoid canceling the project outright.

The $20 million George Snyder Trail has been planned for more than a decade. The proposed shared-use path, featuring asphalt sections and concrete boardwalks, would extend 1.78 miles from Chain Bridge Road to the Wilcoxon Trail at Draper Drive, south of Fairfax Boulevard.

It would connect with a Virginia Department of Transportation path along Route 123 built as part of the I-66 Outside the Beltway improvements. That connection would allow trail users to travel about 33 miles east to Washington, D.C., or roughly 20 miles west to Haymarket along the I-66 corridor.

But five members of the six-person council are new, and their views differ significantly from those of the council that approved the project. By the end of a March 11 work session, several members appeared to favor constructing only the western portion.

Three options—and millions at stake

Transportation Director Wendy Sanford presented three choices: proceed with the entire project, cancel it, or build the western section from Chain Bridge Road to Fair Woods Parkway while leaving the eastern portion to Draper Drive untouched.

Canceling could require Fairfax to repay some or all of the $3.7 million already spent on design, environmental review and right-of-way acquisition. The city has received $20.6 million from outside sources for the project, but unused funding cannot be transferred to another city initiative.

Sanford also warned that abandoning the trail could damage Fairfax’s reputation and its ability to secure money for future projects.

VDOT suggested the western-only option in response to opposition from residents, she said. That version would create eight-tenths of a mile of trail and require one bridge instead of four.

The western terrain is gentler, so construction would require less grading and fill dirt and would disturb fewer trees, roots and soils. It would preserve more than half the trees affected by the full plan, remove fewer trees rated in good or excellent condition and leave the mature oak-hickory forest on the eastern side intact.

Changing course would still carry costs and delays. The western-only plan would require new reviews at the 30% and 60% design stages and could not be advertised again for authorization for a year. The city would also spend about $50,000 to restart design work at the 30% stage.

Any unused portion of $13.6 million in VDOT concessionaire funding would be returned and would not remain available if Fairfax later decided to build the eastern segment. The city would not, however, have to repay the $3.7 million already spent.

Trees, access and maintenance divide council

Mayor Catherine Read defended the full project, noting that she cast the tie-breaking vote on Jan. 23, 2024, to keep it moving. She said Fairfax committed to using regional transportation money that otherwise could have gone to other jurisdictions.

“If we don’t go ahead with it, it would be reneging on our commitment to NVTA and to VDOT,” Read said. She also noted that separated, walkable greenways have appeared in city plans since 1992.

Councilmember Tom Peterson asked about studying another alignment for the shortened trail. Sanford said alternatives had already been examined and that VDOT would not wait another two years while Fairfax considered an on-road route or a different alignment.

The concessionaire money was intended for projects expected to open alongside the improved I-66 corridor, she said, and there was no guarantee that a revised route would be approved. The time for making such a change had passed before the city bought the necessary rights of way.

Councilmember Stacey Hardy-Chandler emphasized the need for wheelchair and stroller access and asked how removed trees would be replaced. Sanford said the city had identified replanting sites and methods, planned measures to control invasive plants and adopted strong tree-protection practices.

Public Works Director David Summers said the trail covers an overall area of 90 acres but would affect 6.18 acres.

Urban forester Anna Safford said trees in the eastern section would require 80 to 100 years to regrow because the area is an old-growth forest. Trees in the western portion would take approximately 20 to 40 years.

Summers estimated maintenance for the entire trail at about $25,000 annually during its first five years, rising to $50,000 a year afterward.

Councilmember Anthony Amos cited concerns about city finances, schools, a possible tax increase, tariffs and the federal situation. He said he was leaning toward either cancellation or the western-only plan.

Councilmember Stacy Hall said she supports trails but views this proposal as “roads in the woods.” She backed building only the western half on fiscal grounds while expressing environmental concerns about any construction.

Hardy-Chandler called cancellation irresponsible and said reversing decisions made by previous councils could establish a troubling policy precedent. She preferred the complete project but said she would consider the western-only option with additional information.

Councilwoman Rachel McQuillen opposed the trail, pointing to testimony about stormwater runoff, continuing maintenance expenses and environmental effects. She argued that an on-road route could be safe, based on her experience bicycling and pushing strollers on sidewalks beside roads with 35 mph speed limits.

Councilmember Billy Bates disagreed, saying an eight- to 12-foot shared-use path in the woods would better accommodate runners, cyclists and pedestrians than a five-foot sidewalk beside traffic. A bicyclist swerving around an obstacle or pedestrian on a narrow sidewalk could be forced into the road, he said.

Bates nevertheless favored constructing only the western half. He also said some trail supporters had been reluctant to speak publicly because neighbors opposed the project.

State approval remains uncertain

Peterson questioned an earlier federal environmental review that found no environmental impact or public opposition and anticipated none. He said both conclusions had proved wrong and called for a better city decision-making process in the future.

Read pushed back against assumptions about the breadth of the opposition, saying many residents in her neighborhood were unaware of the project and that specialists were trying to help the council reach the best decision.

If the council chooses the western-only plan, it must adopt a formal resolution declaring that intention. Sanford would then approach VDOT, and the city would provide additional opportunities for public participation.

The change would also require approval from the Commonwealth Transportation Board. Acting City Manager Bryan Foster said Read would need to contact the board’s Northern Virginia representative, which she agreed to do.

Amos said the council could revisit the issue in April but should not let deliberations continue beyond May. Hardy-Chandler said more details about the western-only alternative would help the council decide.

Read warned that cancellation and repayment of $3.7 million would affect the city budget. She also noted that early voting for the next mayoral, council and School Board elections would begin in 18 months and one week, raising the possibility that another council would inherit the dispute.

The city’s contract with VDOT calls for construction of the full trail. Read said attempting to change that agreement presents the central risk: If state officials reject a partial project, Fairfax could lose both the trail and all the funding available to build it.