Photo: View of the path of the proposed trail, Val Morgan
Tom Blackburn, Chair, Advocacy Committee
Following a long and hard-fought campaign by environmental advocates, the Fairfax City Council voted not to proceed with constructing the George Snyder Trail, which would have destroyed much of the city’s urban forest. This victory for the environment over development is a classic demonstration of the effort needed to secure an environmental “win.”
First proposed in 2015, the George Snyder Trail project was envisioned as an at-grade natural surface or stone dust trail between Chain Bridge Road and Fairfax Boulevard costing about $200,000. City staff revised the plans to make the trail eligible for funding from a concession payment to the state by the contractor who widened I-66. The result was a radically different asphalt trail 8 feet wide with only 1/3 of the trail on existing terrain, and the rest on boardwalks, bridges, excavations and fill dirt. The projected cost of the 1.8-mile trail exceeded $20 million.
Despite an almost total lack of public notice, opponents of the trail, including the Friends of Accotink Creek and others, began mobilizing in 2018. Katy Johnson, who subsequently joined NVBA’s Advocacy Committee, was a key figure in organizing opposition. The opponents pointed out that the “free money” from the award of concession payment funds came with a substantial environmental cost, including the loss of 600 mature trees and thousands of smaller trees, and the destruction of much of the forest ecosystem and topsoil because of the construction and equipment needed to build the trail. They also explained that alternatives to the trail on existing trails and low-use neighborhood streets would avoid nearly all the environmental damage.
NVBA formally joined the opposition in October 2023 when I, on behalf of NVBA, testified using as the theme Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” (“They paved paradise, put up a parking lot”). Katy Johnson, Virginia Native Plant Society’s Potowmack Chapter, A.E.R.O., Climate Action Now, many residents and NVBA joined the earlier opponents of the trail in testifying at several Fairfax City Council hearings. They explained the importance of the mature oak-beech forest ecosystem, detailed the extent of the destruction the trail would cause, analyzed the number of additional trips on the trail by people who switch from driving to biking that would be needed to offset the loss of carbon sequestration from the destroyed trees and pointed out the impact on flooding in Accotink Creek from the loss of trees that absorb groundwater. They also addressed claims that if the city canceled the project it would have to repay $4 million that the Virginia Department of Transportation had spent on project design and related costs.
The issue was resolved on January 13, when the City Council voted on whether to appropriate an additional $4.6 million in VDOT concession funds for the trail. The appropriation was needed because the lowest bid for construction was $4.6 million higher than the previously approved appropriation. NVBA joined other environmental groups and individuals in testifying in opposition to the trail, and numerous supporters of the trail testified as well. You can read NVBA’s testimony, as well as photographs showing the extent of the damage to the forest that would result from constructing the trail above and below ground, [here]. The Council voted 3-3 on the motion to appropriate the additional $4.6 million. Because a majority vote was needed to approve the appropriation, the motion failed. The council then voted to notify VDOT that the trail had been canceled.
The dispute over the George Snyder Trail highlights the difficulty of balancing the need for trails for recreation and commuting against protecting the environment. NVBA has attempted to address the environmental issues associated with trails through natural areas by developing criteria for evaluating bicycle and multi-use trails, which you can read here. It also demonstrates the importance of conducting careful environmental reviews of proposed trails through natural areas before substantial design work has been completed – something that was not done for the George Snyder Trail. Finally, it serves as a reminder that continued vigilance and sustained involvement are critical to protecting our environment.