Minor Hill – located above the intersection of Little Falls Road and Williamsburg Boulevard – was a focal point of early settlements in the Williamsburg area. Named after George Minor, who settled in the area in the 18th century, the hill was the site of the first school and later became part of the defensive ring around Washington during the Civil War. When the area was developed in the 1950s, Minor Hill (the one remaining large green space in Williamsburg) was used first as a dumping ground and then as a leaf collection point. The hill was later the target of developers seeking to build a gas station on what is now Emily Sharp Park. Those efforts were thwarted by the Williamsburg Civic Association.

In the nineties, Minor Hill became a battleground in the larger cell tower war. Communications companies view the hill, with an elevation of 484 feet above sea level, as a desirable site for communications towers and associated service buildings. Williamsburg residents, by contrast, view Minor Hill (including Emily Sharp Park) as the sole green space in our community and want to beautify the property and turn it into an asset for the local community rather than out-of-state communications interests.

Williamsburg neighbors, working through the Civic Association, are trying to turn community goals for Minor Hill into reality. This involves a two-pronged strategy:

• In the short term, we are defending Minor Hill from encroachments by various communications companies who want to exploit this last remaining green space to construct communications towers. In 1996, Sprint applied for a permit to erect a 100 foot cell tower on the site. Community anger over Sprint's plans for Minor Hill mobilized the neighborhood and led to the revitalization of the then-moribund Civic Association. Then again in 2000, AT&T proposed to site their own tower on the Hill, together with a 900 square foot service building. These plans entailed removal of many of the major trees currently serving as a buffer between homes and the water facility on the Hill. AT&T cancelled its plans after a neighborhood meeting when many residents expressed their opposition.
• Over the longer term, we need an integrated plan for the Minor Hill//Sharp Park area. WCA made Minor Hill one of two priority projects competing for Neighborhood Conservation Plan funds in the spring 2001 funding round. After consultations with County staff, we asked the County to develop a Minor Hill Plan for the entire area, embracing a series of measures that would be eligible for several types of County funding. At the June 2001 NCAC funding session, NCAC members approved only a portion of our Minor Hill project: the Minor Hill Use Plan. Although we were disappointed that only a small part of our project was approved, over the summer and fall of 2001, we pushed forward with a strategy to convince the County to undertake some short terms improvements, while the Use Plan was underway. More Information In May 2002, County staffers completed some initial proposals for land use. We are now soliciting neighborhood feedback on these proposals. More Information onthe Minor Hill Use Plan

How you can help:

• Attend Minor Hill Task Force information meetings. These are open meetings. We urge all neighbors with an interest in Minor Hill to attend. The timing of the meetings depends on when we are able to get input from the County staff and get a place to meet. As soon as we have a meeting scheduled, we will post it on the web and send an email alert. For more information, call Don Gross at 703-237-1059.
• Write or call County officials to share your views on the Hill.
• Help the Minor Hill Task Force alert neighbors of developments affecting Minor Hill (through phone calls and action alerts distributed by hand). These forms of communication will be especially useful if other communications companies attempt to site towers on Minor Hill.

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