City Council Meeting

Shelley Vancepublic commentI'm Shelley Vance and I live in Cambridge Station. I'm a 20-year resident of Cambridge Station and a 40-year resident of the city of Fairfax. Over the past two years, I have spoken on several occasions before the city council of my opposition to a realigning the George Snyder Trail, GST, into the woods on the south side of Cardinal Road between Fairwoods Parkway and Ranger Road Park. such an alignment will be to the detriment of the city tree canopy and no doubt to what will eventually become a completed stream restoration parallel to the proposed trail realignment it will jeopardize the ultimate success of the stream restoration and its improvement of lake this is not a case of nimby not in my backyard a majority of the residents in cambridge station

want the George Snyder Trail to be in our front yard, in front of our houses, right down along Cardinal Road. I'm speaking in the hopes that you will express support of a resolution to suspend the George Snyder Trail realignment and to direct city staff to explore, to create a safer east-west connection between Chainbridge Road and the Wilcoxon Trail for bicyclists and pedestrians, but to do so using primarily, if not exclusively, existing roadways and paved park pathways. The city must reassert its commitment to environmental and fiscal responsibility in furthering the city's transportation goals. Minimize land and habitat disturbances and the installation of additional impervious surfaces.

Insist on community-wide engagement, sorely lacking from the 2020 forward, when the GST was first envisioned and public engagement was nearly non-existent. I spoke to this exact issue at a city council meeting in December 2023 and again in January 2024 after attending a city council work session where I was stunned by the staff report revealing the nearly total lack of community engagement on this trail realignment project. Community-wide engagement similar to the kind and level for the nearby stream restoration project is the standard that all city projects that impact residents should strive for. There are other reasons to suspend the George Snyder Trail realignment, having to do with the city's apparent plan to make Fairfax Boulevard safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The city should not spend money to build a trail through city green space that runs parallel to a road that will be upgraded within five years. The city council must lead by providing direction to city staff in developing a George Snyder Trail realignment plan for presentation at the upcoming March 11 meeting. Environmental sustainability, that was one of the five outcomes that the budget manager proposed tonight. This is an issue of environmental sustainability. Thank you. our next

Philip LaTassapublic commentI speak tonight representing the Friends of Akatink Creek. We strive to be the voice of of Akatink Creek and the remnants of woods and wetlands in its wider watershed. Too often that voice is drowned out by louder voices asking to slice away just a little bit more of the forest, to intrude just a little further into the wetlands in fulfillment of some purpose deemed to be of such overriding necessity that the sacrifice is fully justified. There is no such overriding necessity for the George Snyder Trail, the Pickett Road Connector Trail, or similar projects that propose to pave paths through our few remnant forests for the sole and self-justifying purpose of having paved pathways through our forests.

The forests of this city have conceded all but a sliver of their former greatness to our insatiable desire for pavement. Please allow that sliver to continue to exist in peace. Please say enough. Please forgo the George Snyder Trail, the Pickett Road Connector Trail, and other projects of their kind. Thank you.

Ellen Pencepublic commentmy number two item is very familiar to some of you to those of you who have heard about this many times before I apologize for the repetition. In 2007, when the Stafford Park soccer field was built, we in Cambridge Station and the Mosby Woods condos fought to save the same trees that we are fighting to save now in Stafford Park. Here we are 18 years later. Those trees are again endangered by the city council. The George Snyder Trail is currently located along Cardinal Road. It is a dead-end road on both ends. There is very little automobile traffic on Cardinal Road, especially at its east end. There is no through traffic and no rush hour traffic on Cardinal Road. Cambridge Station is located on the east end of Cardinal Road.

Katie Johnsonpublic commentIt was a great effort, but it was only a dent in this massive problem that we are facing in our parks. I would also like to point out that the invasive species thrive in disturbance and edge habitats. These are exactly what are created by trails, especially trails that bisect our forest. This path, I am asking you again tonight on behalf of 2,372 signers of our petition to stop the destruction of woodlands in our city, please amend, reroute, or cancel the George Snyder Trail, the Country Club Commons Trail, the Picket Connector, the trails that threatened our forest. Thank you.