Pickett Road Connector Trail

The Pickett Road Connector Trail is a planned trail project in Fairfax City that has been part of the city's comprehensive plan and funded through transportation dollars, having originated in the Parks Strategic Plan. The project drew sustained public opposition beginning at least in January 2025, primarily from residents and groups such as Friends of Akatank Creek concerned about impacts to remnant forests and wetlands in the Akatank Creek watershed. At the March 11, 2025 City Council work session, Councilmember Bates expressed support for moving the trail to the west side of Pickett Road and merging it with an existing sidewalk if feasible without losing funding, while Councilmember Hall requested more information. On April 8, 2025, the Council voted 3-2 (Peterson, Bates, Hall yes; Hardy-Chandler and McQuillen no; Amos abstaining) to pause all expenditures on the trail until after the April 22, 2025 work session. At the April 22, 2025 work session, trail alternatives were discussed, and the Council subsequently voted 4-2 (Amos and Hardy-Chandler opposed) to pause all actions on the Pickett Trail in order to examine alternatives. A staff update was provided at the July 8, 2025 City Council work session, at which public comment included residents expressing opposition. On July 22, 2025, the Council reversed the pause on a 4-3 vote (Read, Amos, Bates, Hardy-Chandler yes; Hall, McQuillen, Peterson no) and unanimously directed staff to hold a public outreach meeting for Foxcroft Colony and Scout on the Circle residents in October to address safety concerns. On November 18, 2025, the Council unanimously approved a Deed of Easement with Fairfax County Water Authority for water main installation on parcels associated with the trail corridor; staff confirmed no conflict with the City's pedestrian bridge or proposed conservation easement. By March 9, 2026, staff reported that the Pickett Road Connector Trail is no longer on hold and is actively in design.

Proposal at a glance

Official record

Connection of Thaiss Park to Route 50, linking the Wilcoxon, Cross-Country, and City of Fairfax Connector Trails. This 1,260-foot trail will provide safe, off-road access to mass transit, businesses, and parks, enhancing connectivity and safety along Pickett Road.

• Address: Pickett Road, Fairfax, VA
• City record

2025-01-14 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 6: Initial general public comment period (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Ten residents addressed the Council on various topics including opposition to the George Snyder Trail, Country Club Hills Commons Trail, Pickett Road Connector Trail, City Hall Landscape project, and the recent firing of the City Manager.
• [6] Residents expressed opposition to the Pickett Road Connector Trail during public comment.

2025-03-11 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 10a: Work Session: Discussion and update on the George Snyder Trail project (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Discussion held during work session. No formal council action taken. Multiple members of the public spoke in opposition during general comment periods. Councilmember Bates stated his support for canceling the Country Club Hills Connector Trail and moving the Pickett Road Connector Trail to the west side; Councilmember Hall also requested more information on those connector trails and Jermantown Road CIP improvements.
• [10a] Councilmember Bates expressed support for moving the Pickett Road Connector Trail to the west side and merging with the sidewalk if feasible without losing funding; Councilmember Hall also requested more information on this trail.

2025-03-25 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 7b: Public hearing on the proposed FY26 budget (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Public hearing opened; no Council action taken. Multiple residents spoke regarding the budget, including requests to maintain arts funding (Fall for the Book, City of Fairfax Theatre Company, Fairfax Band Association) and opposition to a proposed real estate tax increase. The Mayor stated the public hearing would remain open until April 8, 2025.
• [7b] One speaker recommended cutting expenses on the Pickett Road Trail as part of budget reduction measures.

2025-04-08 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 4b: Pausing of Additional Staff Activity on Trails Projects (Country Club Hills Trail and Pickett Road Trail) (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Council approved 3-2 (Amos abstained, Hardy-Chandler and McQuillen opposed) to pause the expenditure of any further funds on the Country Club Hills Trail, the Pickett Road Connector Trail, and any other trail until after the April 22, 2025 Work Session, and to eliminate any activity independent of roadway projects currently in progress.
• Vote (passed): Motion that the City pause the expenditure of any further funds on the Country Club Hills Trail, the Pickett Road Connector Trail, and any other trail until after the April 22, 2025 Work Session and the elimination of any activity independent of roadway projects currently in progress. — Amos: abstain, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: no, McQuillen: no, Peterson: yes
• [4b] Council voted 3-2 to pause all expenditures on the Pickett Road Connector Trail until after the April 22, 2025 Work Session.
• Status after: deferred

2025-04-22 — City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting

Agenda item 1e: Work Session: Discussion and update on trail projects (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Discussed in work session. Actions arising from this discussion were taken under agenda item 4a.
• [1e] The Pickett Trail was discussed during the work session, leading to Council action under item 4a. [4a] Council approved 4-2 (Amos and Hardy-Chandler opposed) to pause all actions with respect to the Pickett Trail in order to examine alternatives.
• Status after: deferred

2025-07-08 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 11a: Work Session – Update on the Pickett Trail project

• Outcome: Discussed in work session. No formal vote taken.
• [11a] Staff provided an update on the Pickett Trail project during the work session. Public comment included at least two residents expressing opposition to the project.
• Status after: in_progress

2025-07-14 — Planning Commission Regular Meeting/Work Session

Agenda item 9: Staff Report (watch the moment)

• Outcome: Staff provided updates on recent City Council meetings and upcoming agenda items, including the NOVA Transportation Authority Bus Transit Action Plan recap, Move Fairfax discussion, Pickett Road Trail update, and upcoming public hearings on The Davies proposal, Courthouse Plaza redevelopment, and zoning text amendments.
• [9] Staff reported that an update on the Pickett Road Trail was provided at the July 8, 2025 City Council meeting.

2025-07-22 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 9c: Discussion regarding the current pause implemented by the City Council on April 8, 2025 to the Pickett Road Trail project

• Outcome: Two motions passed: (1) staff directed unanimously to set up a public outreach meeting for Foxcroft Colony and Scout on the Circle residents in October to address safety concerns; (2) the April 8, 2025 pause on the Pickett Road Trail project was reversed on a 4-3 vote.
• Vote (passed): Direct staff to set up a public outreach meeting for the Pickett Road Trail project for Foxcroft Colony and Scout on the Circle residents in October to address safety concerns. — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• Vote (passed): Reverse the City Council adopted action on April 8, 2025 that paused the Pickett Road Trail project. — Read: yes, Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: no, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: no, Peterson: no
• [9c] Council reversed the April 8, 2025 pause on the Pickett Road Trail project (4-3) and unanimously directed staff to hold a public outreach meeting for Foxcroft Colony and Scout on the Circle residents in October to address safety concerns.
• Status after: in_progress

2025-11-18 — City Council Meeting

Agenda item 8b: Public hearing and Council action: Ordinance authorizing Deed of Easement with Fairfax County Water Authority for water main installation on Tax Map Nos. 48-4-01-000-C and 48-4-01-003

• Outcome: Public hearing held with no public testimony. Council unanimously enacted the ordinance approving the Deed of Easement.
• Vote (passed): Motion to enact the ordinance authorizing and approving the Deed of Easement with Fairfax County Water Authority for water main installation on Tax Map Nos. 48-4-01-000-C and 48-4-01-003. — Amos: yes, Bates: yes, Hall: yes, Hardy-Chandler: yes, McQuillen: yes, Peterson: yes
• [8b] The Deed of Easement discussion arose in connection with the City's request for a separate easement associated with the Pickett Trail project; staff confirmed no conflict with the City's pedestrian bridge or proposed conservation easement.

Open questions

• Whether any scope or cost changes to the trail project will trigger a SmartScale rescoring, and whether the project would retain its funding if rescored against the original 2018 applicant pool (raised 2025-07-08 City Council).
• Whether the public outreach meeting directed for Foxcroft Colony and Scout on the Circle residents in October took place as planned, and what its outcomes were (2025-07-22 City Council).

Member commentary

• Bates — At the March 11, 2025 work session, Bates expressed support for moving the Pickett Road Connector Trail to the west side and merging it with the sidewalk if feasible without losing funding. On April 8, 2025, he voted yes to pause expenditures on the trail until after the April 22, 2025 work session. On July 22, 2025, he voted yes to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the trail project.
• Hall — At the March 11, 2025 work session, Hall requested more information on the Pickett Road Connector Trail. On April 8, 2025, she voted yes to pause expenditures on the trail until after the April 22, 2025 work session. On July 22, 2025, she voted no on reversing the pause on the trail project.
• Hardy-Chandler — On April 8, 2025, Hardy-Chandler voted no on the motion to pause expenditures on the Pickett Road Connector Trail. On April 22, 2025, she voted no on the motion to pause all actions on the trail to examine alternatives. On July 22, 2025, she voted yes to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the trail project.
• McQuillen — On April 8, 2025, McQuillen voted no on the motion to pause expenditures on the Pickett Road Connector Trail. On July 22, 2025, she voted no on reversing the pause on the trail project.
• Amos — On April 8, 2025, Amos abstained from the vote to pause expenditures on the Pickett Road Connector Trail. On April 22, 2025, he voted no on the motion to pause all actions on the trail to examine alternatives. On July 22, 2025, he voted yes to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the trail project.
• Thomas Peterson — On July 22, 2025, Peterson voted no on reversing the pause on the trail project.
• Catherine Read — On July 22, 2025, Read voted yes to reverse the April 8, 2025 pause on the trail project.

Screening-level estimates of the economic and fiscal effects of Pickett Road Connector Trail. Figures are decision-support context with named assumptions and sensitivity ranges — not predictions. The full analysis has the interactive assumptions panel and maps; methods documents every formula.

Headline estimates

• Annual trail-user spending at nearby businesses: $3.7M (range $985k – $12.7M) — annual user-days x direct spending per user-day (NCDOT four-trail range, destination trails excluded); allocated to businesses by walk-decay Huff from the access points
• Annual real estate tax increment (trail premium): $129k (range $0 – $214k) — property value uplift x RE rate / 100 — recurring only if the premium capitalizes into assessments

Method notes, caveats, and non-headline metrics live on the analysis page.