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Historic district plans raise concerns
More than a year after the Centreville Historic District was expanded, some residents in the area worry it may not be all they are hoping for.County officials expanded the historic district in the heart of Centreville from 17 to about 50 acres last year after receiving feedback from residents and historic groups in the area about what they wanted there.
Their suggestions included proposals for historic markers, trails and shops.
Resident Larry Baldwin says there is “quite a bit of distaste” with the plan among residents who have examined parts of a Fairfax County Park Authority plan for the future of the district.
It looks like it's just a park with signs and not enough community amenities, said Baldwin, a Centreville resident and former member of the county's Planning Commission.
The Friends of Historic Centreville met June 10 to discuss the plan.
Cheryl Repetti, a leader of the history group and a Centreville resident, is concerned the park authority may not have enough staff and money during a tight fiscal year to do what the community wants in the area.
Centreville is an unincorporated community in the western part of Fairfax County that was the town of Newgate before the Civil War. During that war, what is now Centreville Historic Overlay District was occupied by Union and Confederate soldiers, according to local historians.
Today, it is located near Washington Dulles International Airport and one of Northern Virginia's fastest-growing office complexes and is lacking in community gathering places.
Around the same time that the Board of Supervisors approved the expansion of the district, the park authority began acquiring land there with the intent to preserve the area's history.
The park's draft plan currently prioritizes the preservation and identification of significant historic resources in the district, and does allow for trails, and perhaps a museum there, Scott Sizer, a park planner, said.
Park staff hope to develop the area in a way that will “create a sense of identity for Centreville,” Sizer said.
There is discussion on whether “a park and a set of signs” would be enough to draw people into the area, Repetti said.
Budget is not a factor when it comes to creating the master plan, Sizer said. “We try not to constrain ourselves with what the current budget situation is.”
Park staff will present the draft plan to the Park Authority Board this week before they officially release it for public comment.
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