Accotink Creek
Accotink Creek is a waterway and watershed within or adjacent to the City that has been the subject of multiple overlapping municipal actions related to water quality, erosion, stream restoration, and citizen science monitoring. 6 separate matters touch this place; each has its own status.
Asian Festival on Main
The Asian Festival on Main is an annual outdoor festival held in historic downtown Fairfax City, organized by the Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA) and originally created in 2021 by Wendy Wong, co-owner of the Standard Barbershop, in partnership with several sponsors. Attendance has grown each year, making it one of the largest Asian festivals in the DMV region.
- Feb 12, 2026Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5hCommunity Member Updates
Diana Gibson and her students at the New School are continuing to monitor salt and nitrate levels in Accotink Creek.
George Snyder Trail
The George Snyder Trail was a planned off-street shared-use path project (VDOT UPC 112816) intended to improve multimodal connectivity along Fairfax Boulevard in the City of Fairfax. The project drew sustained and significant public opposition throughout its consideration.
- Jan 13, 2026City Council · item 7ePublic Hearing and Council Action on a Grant Supplemental Appropriation Resolution – $4,600,000 from Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding for the George Snyder Trail
Accotink Creek was referenced in public testimony from a representative of Friends of Accotink Creek opposing the George Snyder Trail project.
failedApprove the supplemental appropriation resolution in the amount of $4,600,000 from Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Concession Funding for the George Snyder Trail✓ Amos✓ Bates✕ Hall✓ Hardy-Chandler✕ McQuillen✕ Peterson
Thaiss Park
Thaiss Park is a City park undergoing a full redevelopment project contracted to Bright Masonry, Inc. for $7,725,650, approved by City Council on October 8, 2024. Construction began in December 2024 following utility relocation work and full park closure; the cross-county trail was kept open but made inaccessible from the park during construction.
- Dec 11, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5hCommunity Member Updates
Diana Gibson reported that citizen science data from Salt Watch shows road salt is already reaching unhealthy levels at Accotink Creek at the Thaiss Park/Pickett Rd Underpass.
The City of Fairfax's Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) 5-Year Update is a long-term planning document required by Virginia state code to be updated every five years, covering a twenty-year planning horizon. The plan was last updated in 2021 and the update process was underway as of mid-2025, with a public meeting held on November 20, 2025, at Katherine Johnson Middle School Library and a community survey open through the end of 2025.
- Dec 11, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5hCommunity Member Updates
Diana Gibson reported that citizen science data from Salt Watch shows road salt is already reaching unhealthy levels at Accotink Creek at the Thaiss Park/Pickett Rd Underpass.
The Fairfax Circle Small Area Plan is one of four Activity Center Small Area Plans developed by the City of Fairfax. Planning began in Spring 2023.
- Jun 12, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 4aFuture Stream Restoration Projects – Satoshi Eto, Storm Water Manager
Assessment identified erosion issues along Accotink Creek and its tributaries; segment north of Fairfax Boulevard was among community-prioritized sites, and the corridor from Fairfax Blvd to Pickett Rd was recommended for conceptual engineering.
- Sep 10, 2024City Council · item 8dMOA on Sediment TMDL Compliance Strategy – Difficult Run and Accotink Creek Watersheds
Accotink Creek watershed is a subject area of the approved sediment TMDL compliance MOA.
- Jun 11, 2026Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 5hCommunity Member Updates
Friends of Accotink Creek is proceeding with the vernal pool project plan at Kutner Park.
In full
In September 2024, the City Council approved (4-0) a Memorandum of Agreement covering a sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) compliance strategy for the Accotink Creek and Difficult Run watersheds. In June 2025, Storm Water Manager Satoshi Eto presented a stream assessment of 128 segments along Accotink Creek and its tributaries to PRAB, with staff recommending preliminary engineering for Daniels Run Park and conceptual engineering for the corridor from Fairfax Blvd to Pickett Rd (segments 5 and 6) based on erosion findings and community prioritization. Citizen science monitoring by Diana Gibson and students at the New School, using the Salt Watch program at the Thaiss Park/Pickett Rd Underpass, found that road salt levels were already reaching unhealthy thresholds as of late 2025, with monitoring of salt and nitrate levels continuing into 2026.
Friends of Accotink Creek has been active in related civic matters, including opposing the George Snyder Trail supplemental appropriation (which failed 3-3 in January 2026) and advancing a vernal pool expansion project at Kutner Park, which was confirmed to be proceeding as of June 2026.