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Additional Improvements Planned for Chestnut Hills Park

In December 2012, funding was approved for frontage, safety and beautification improvements to Chestnut Hills Park through the County’s Neighborhood Conservation program. That funding was in addition to maintenance funding that resulted in the rebuilding of the park’s “tot lot” playground area. That work was completed in late 2014. The Parks department determined it was best to complete that work prior to performing the improvements funded through the Neighborhood Conservation program.

Information on the now-completed tot lot playground improvements can be found at: Chestnut Hills Park Preschool (2-5) Playground Redesign

A meeting was held on Thursday, August 13, 2015, to review the plans for the additional improvements.

Updated plans May, 2016

As approved by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, the scope for the additional improvements is as follows:

Implement frontage and beautification improvements along the existing Chestnut Hills Park to promote pedestrian safety, increase curb appeal and unify the entire park. Improvements to the frontage of the site include: a new, set-back fence encompassing the lots on either end of the park with gated entrances as well as improved ADA accessibility to the site.

Pedestrian improvements could potentially include crosswalks with nubs for traffic calming, 3-5 Carlyle lights between the fence and the sidewalk and pervious paving along the edge of the sidewalk in certain areas to provide a wider surface.

Interior improvements include: new bences, an accessible pathway for the portable toilet, a new enclosure for the portable toilet and walkways connecting the lots on either end of the park with the central playgrounds.

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Football Field and Track to Close for Synthetic Turf Replacement

The civic association has been notified by Arlington County that both the football field and track at Greenbrier Park/Yorktown High School will be closed from June 13 through August 1, 2016, for replacement of the synthetic turf and other improvements.

The $1.6 million improvement project was approved by the County Board on April 16, with the cost being split between FY 2016 Pay-As-You-Go Parks maintenance capital funds and funding from Arlington Public Schools. $674,000 of the total was awarded to Fieldturf USA Inc for installation of an EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) and silica sand replacement field, which is expected to be “softer than crumb rubber and is less abrasive on turf fibers than rubber,” according to a press release from Arlington County.

In addition to installation of new turf, the project includes the addition of new inlaid game field markings (including mid-field logo and end zone lettering), replacement of corner flags, combination football/soccer goals, and discus cage, as well as necessary repairs to the field base. The total approved by the Board also includes expenses related to design, survey, construction and project management.

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County Board Approves Marymount Dormitory and Classroom Project

On July 9, 2007, the Arlington County Board approved plans to allow construction by Marymount University of a classroom building, dormitory and underground parking garage on the block currently used for surface-level parking at the corner of 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive. The approval came after months of meetings on the project, and ultimately a modification that eliminated one of the project’s major components, a proposed auditorium, along with wider building setbacks. Project construction is expected to begin by mid-2008.

A very detailed discussion of the project can be found on the county’s website at:

Marymount University Use Permit Updates

For additional information on the project, see:

Video of July 9, 2007, County Board hearing

Staff Report to County Board

After a discussion on the final project plans at the May 2007 civic association meeting, the executive committee voted to support the revised project design.

The project was first proposed in early 2006. On June 8, 2006, Marymount released the details of an amendment to the use permit application that would increase sidewalk widths and building setbacks, as well as reduce building sizes somewhat. However, the building height was not changed — the roofline of the new structures would match that of the adjacent St. Mary’s church. At the civic association’s October, 2006, meeting, the membership voted to oppose that version of the project.

YCA Oct. 2006 resolution on Marymount project

Under that proposal, the new building setbacks would be about 40 feet from the existing curb line. The dormitory would include 60 – 4 person suites. The underground parking structure would provide for a net increase of 210 spaces over the number provided by the current surface lot. The auditorium is expected to accomodate seating for 300.

The original use permit amendment application described the layout of the project as follows: “The classrooms and student housing surround a 350-seat theater/auditorium and are separated from it by internal passages reminiscent of narrow European streets. A campanile [freestanding bell tower] at the 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive intersection creates an identity for the University while also serving as a community gathering landmark. A landscaped plaza at Old Dominion Drive provides a gathering space for students, and a pedestrian bridge over Yorktown Boulevard allows direct, safe access to the Main Campus.”

The entrance to the new underground parking ramp would be located on Yorktown Boulevard, directly across from the entrance to the existing Marymount parking structure. A service entrance and loading docks would also included on the Yorktown Blvd. side of the project.

To read the complete Traffic Impact Analysis on the project, follow this link (NOTE: the PDF file is very large — 20 MB — and may take several minutes to open depending on your connection speed): Marymount TIA [PDF],