Zoning Application RZ 2008-LE-001 and 002;
Comprehensive Plan Amendment S08-IV-RH1:
Hilltop Sand and Gravel
Vicinity of Beulah Street and Telegraph Road.
Trails and Sidewalks Committee, Lee District
Last Reviewed: 30 November 2008
Version 1.0
Summary:
The subject area is a very large parcel located in a roughly triangular tract between Beulah Street on its west and Telegraph Road on its South. The Hilltop Sand and Gravel property abuts the Hilltop Golf Club on its east and Kingstowne on its North. Figure 1 shows a map of the area.
Three separate activities are planned. Area A (yellow) in Figure 1 shows the planned location of a "town center." Area B (blue) is the planned site of a landfill (it is presently a gravel pit). Area C (gray) is going to be a golf course.
The Comprehensive Plan Amendment is for a mixed use development up to 0.45 FAR to include office, retail, and residential uses. Currently, the area is zoned for private recreation (a golf course) with an option for residential dwellings at 2 to 3 dwelling units per acre and residential at 3 to 4 units per per acre.
The development plan for the Hilltop Village Center (Area A - yellow) proposes to provide a 10-foot asphalt trail along the frontages of Beulah Street and Telegraph Road, but the development plans for the landfill (Area B - blue) and the golf course (Area C - gray) do not provide any trail.
Figure 1: Map of Subject Area
Discussion:
The Beulah Street Trail runs across the entire western frontage of Area B and Area A. It is a 5 foot 10 inch wide asphalt trail. Although it should be a ten foot trail, its present width is a compromise that dates back to the reconstruction of Beulah Street approximately ten years ago. There is no trail at all along Telegraph Road, the Southern frontage of Areas A and C.
Field Check 30 November 2008
The photographs show the existing sidewalk area around the Hilltop Sand and Gravel property.
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| Photo 1: Beulah Street looking south. The sidewalk in front of the tree line is five feet ten inches wide. Area B of Figure 1 is behind the tree line. |
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| Photo 2: Telegraph Road just east of the Beulah Street intersection. Area A is on the camera's left. There is no trail at all along this frontage. Just over the hill is a Fairfax County Firehouse. |
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| Photo 3: Telegraph Road east of the Fairfax County Firehouse, just in front of the Area C "tab." The shoulder shown in Photo 2 becomes very narrow, and disappears around a blind corner. |
Recommendation:
Encourage Hilltop Sand and Gravel to add trail improvements to Telegraph Road. In particular, improve visibility along Telegraph Road east of the Firehouse along the "notch" that provides a safe path around the blind corner.
The large white area shown in Figure 1 between Area A and Area C along Telegraph Road is mostly Hilltop property.
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