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A trail project once considered settled could be dramatically scaled back—or canceled—as Fairfax City Council reconsiders the environmental cost of building through wooded land along Accotink Creek.

The council approved the George Snyder Trail in January 2024, allowing city staff and consultants to proceed with planning. But residents opposed to the removal of hundreds of trees, construction of a paved path through the woods and disruption of wildlife continued speaking at nearly every council meeting.

Their sustained campaign is now influencing a council with five new members. In 2025, councilmembers began considering whether to construct only half the trail or abandon the project altogether.

“Most of the emails I’ve received say that, if it’s built, they’d like a different alignment,” Councilmember Tom Peterson said during a March 11 work session. He questioned whether the Virginia Department of Transportation could help the city identify a better project.

The proposed trail has appeared in the city’s Comprehensive Plan since 2012. The nearly two-mile route would run along the southern side of Accotink Creek between Chain Bridge Road, also known as Route 123, and Fairfax Boulevard, or Route 50.

Supporters say the trail would improve bicycle and pedestrian connections. During a July 2023 work session, John Gordon, owner of the WillowWood I and II office buildings, said direct trail access could help attract businesses and generate real estate revenue for the city.

City Sustainability Coordinator Stefanie Kupka also said encouraging residents to walk and bike instead of drive could reduce pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Opponents argue those benefits do not justify the environmental damage. Although most of the project area would remain wooded, construction of the trail, bridges and boardwalks would require the removal of more than 500 trees.

At the July 2023 session, resident Katherine Johnson presented a petition carrying 1,577 signatures and asked the council to preserve Fairfax’s forests by placing the trail in a less environmentally damaging location.

Residents renewed those objections at the March 11 council meeting. Marianna Fournier said community members wanted assurance that officials were listening to them.

Phil Latasa, representing Friends of Accotink Creek, warned against clearing part of the city’s remaining forests and wetland habitat. He said existing paved infrastructure offered alternatives and urged Fairfax to drop the project.

Judy Fraser challenged statements in a National Environmental Policy Act report saying there had been no public opposition and that no substantial environmental controversy was expected. She called those assertions outdated and urged councilmembers to question the documents supporting the project and explore other options.

The trail continues to have advocates. Douglas Stewart, speaking for Fairfax City Citizens for Smarter Growth, said the group has supported it from the beginning because it would connect bicyclists to regional trails and provide access within Fairfax to offices, shopping centers and developing areas.

Stewart acknowledged the environmental concerns and backed a compromise: constructing only the trail’s western section. He said that portion would have fewer effects while still connecting to WillowWood.

Other residents called for the city to preserve the woods entirely. Sophie McNeil, a Country Club Hills resident who expected to graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall with an environmental studies degree, said she opposed both the Snyder Trail plan and the connection through her neighborhood.

McNeil said she and her friends grew up playing in the wooded area and that those experiences inspired her interest in restoring ecosystems. She argued that Fairfax should address existing trail plans instead of building a bicycle path through the area behind her home.

Nearby resident Jack Kull asked the council to apply “common sense.” If officials would not cancel the project, he said, they should at least modify it to reduce its financial and environmental costs.

Shelley Vance said residents had repeatedly objected to the project since at least March 2020, but its design continued moving toward completion. She also argued that the city had not adequately notified people living near the proposed route.

Vance urged the new council to pursue an alternative that would maintain trail connections while preserving the woods.