- Bicycling around Fairview Park will soon get better.
FABB recently learned that on January 27, 2021, the Fairfax County Planning Commission reached an agreement with the owners of an office building at 3130 Fairview Park Drive, just east of the INOVA Fairfax campus, for an easement for a planned shared use path bridge landing over I-495. This bridge and landing will allow local residents and others to safely cross twelve lanes of traffic for commuting and short-distance trips. The building is just 1.5 miles from the Dunn Loring Metro station.
In return for approval of a new use of the 8th floor of the building for the Arizona School of Nursing, the owners also agreed to:
- Install 5 bicycle racks near the front door;
- Install 10 bicycle racks in the parking garage; and
- Add showers and changing facilities for building tenants and future nursing students attending classes there.
The property is part of the existing Fairview Park Pedestrian Walkway network that was built in 1990. The paved trail connects the business park buildings to the Providence RECenter and the Holmes Run Stream Valley Trail.
FABB salutes the Planning Commission for this agreement. Such increases and improvements to bicycling and walking facilities obviously make bicycling better in Fairfax County. But, they also set great precedents for future development and help foster communities where bicycling and walking can be regarded as a primary means of transportation.
