The County' Safe Routes to Schools Program is planning to install sidewalks in front of six homes on the north side of Little Falls Road near Nottingham School. The County's initial plans were to complete the sidewalk by taking a ten foot strip from the residents' property. There are six residents involved. In four cases, the County either owns the property in question or has an existing easement. In two cases, the County has no such easement and would have to buy the property.

On 10 June 2002, Arlington County Staffer Charles Denney (Bicycle & Pedestian Program Manager at the Department of Public Works Planning Division) met with the homeowners involved. Five of the six property owners attended. All property owners strongly opposed the County's plan to carve the new sidewalks from their front yards.

At the meeting, we discussed a compromise which would involve narrowing the median on the John Marshall to Nottingham block to eight feet (vice 14), with the new sidewalk being constructed from what is currently roadway. For the two properties on the Nottingham block, this is not an option, because the roadway is too narrow to support a median and this block is not part of the Little Falls Project. However, we recommended that the County build the sidewalks in the existing (nonmarked) parking lane to avoid what may be a costly legal battle to seize the owners' land. This would entail no parking on those strips.

The issue was discussed at length at the 18 June meeting of WCA officers and committee chairs. A resolution embodying the compromise plan – modified to include realigning the curbs on the east side of the intersection of Little Falls Road and John Marshall Drive – was approved by the Board.

Little Falls Sidewalk Resolution

At the June 25 WCA meeting, Col Harry Sheppard presented the Little Falls Sidewalk Resolution. A brief discussion ensued, followed by a unanimous vote in favor of the resolution. On 26 June, WCA sent this resolution to the Department of Public Works Planning Division and the Office of Neighborhood Services. WCA is now working with these two organizations to ensure that our community desires are reflected in the engineering plans for both the Little Falls Project and the Safe Routes to Schools Project.

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