Pickett Road
Summary
Pickett Road is a multi-issue corridor in the City of Fairfax that has drawn attention across several distinct but overlapping matters. Most prominently, on 2026-02-17 the City Council unanimously approved (6-0) a resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit a letter of endorsement for the City's FY 2027 application to the Transportation Planning Board's Regional Roadway Safety Program; Pickett Road between Main Street and Fairfax Boulevard is the subject of the proposed safety audit, having recorded over 200 crashes in the past five years. Separately, the Pickett Road Tank Farm is a significant land-use concern: developer Brookfield LLC has purchased the northeast quadrant and plans to demolish 10 fuel tanks and construct two warehouse buildings totaling over 300,000 square feet by right, prompting neighboring Sutton Heights residents to advocate for a stricter noise ordinance at the 2026-05-12 Council meeting. Additionally, a Pickett Road connector trail, previously on hold, was reported to be in design as of 2026-03-09. Old Pickett Road also figures in Planning Commission discussions as a boundary reference and future street-connectivity element near the Circle Gateway pre-application proposal briefed on 2026-07-13, and a separate proposal for approximately 13–14 townhomes in the Montantua Professional Park off Pickett Road was mentioned as an upcoming Planning Commission item at that same meeting.
Open questions & options on the table
- Whether the City's FY 2027 Regional Roadway Safety Program application was awarded by the Transportation Planning Board (award was expected spring 2026, with technical assistance to begin July 2026).
- Outcome of the noise ordinance amendment (Chapter 38, Article 2) being considered in relation to the Pickett Road Tank Farm warehouse development — no vote result is recorded in the available material.
- Status and scheduling of the Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed ~13–14 townhomes in the Montantua Professional Park off Pickett Road, referenced as forthcoming at the 2026-07-13 meeting.
- Whether the Circle Gateway proposal (3226 and 3250 Blenheim Boulevard) will advance to a formal application, and how the Old Pickett Road / Blenheim Boulevard intersection alignment and street connectivity question raised at the 2026-07-13 work session will be resolved.
- Current construction or design status of the Pickett Road connector trail, which was reported in design as of 2026-03-09.
What members have said
At or around the 2026-02-24 meeting, Peterson connected the regional transportation safety report to the Pickett Road safety effort, describing Pickett Road as a 'poster child' for addressing regional road safety issues, and expressed appreciation for the city's efforts while noting much more work remains to be done.
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Discussion time
Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.
Full history
[2] Pickett Road between Main Street and Fairfax Boulevard is the subject of the proposed roadway safety audit, cited for over 200 crashes in the past five years.
passedApprove a resolution to authorize the City Manager to submit a letter of endorsement for the City's FY 2027 application to the Regional Roadway Safety Program, including recent citizen input and requests for key issues to be considered in the application and proposed scope of work, and noting that the city will provide all public input to the selected consultant to inform the evaluation and transportation safety study.✓ Amos✓ Bates✓ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✓ McQuillen✓ Peterson[8a] Old Pickett Road is referenced as a neighboring boundary in the Circle Gateway pre-application briefing scheduled for this work session.