Evening star., 1944-12-17
Alexandria Makes Plans for Future Growth
BY Helen Rau

~~~~~~A ~Ss%~
Northern Virginia, which has served
as residential annex for wartime
Washington, absorbing the overflow of
workers unable to find housing In
Washington as well as those working
in Army and Navy stations in Virginia,
is looking to it's future as peacetime
residential suburb of the Nations Capt.
tai, planning it's development with
view to attracting new residents as we'll
as holding large portion of its present
population.
The construction of the Henry G.
Shirley Memorial Highway has created
a quick and convenient access to North
ern Virginia, and the large housing de-
velopments such as Parkfairfax in Al
exandria and darlington in Arlington
County, as well as proposed plans for
the development of high-type single
family homes, point to the future of
Northern Virginia as permanent resi-
dental area once the temporary war
housing has disappeared.
Population Doubled
Alexandria has long been popular
residential city for Government work.
ers, attracting newcomers by its historic
charm as well as its convenience of 10
cation so that it's wartime population
is well over 10000, more than double
the 1910 estimate.
With $4,000 given as a conservative
estimate of Alexandrias population in
20 years, the city government now re-
alizes that history alone cannot attract
and hold desirable residential popula-
ton unless steps are taken to insure
greater attractiveness through recrea-
tional and park development
With this thought in mind, a long
range recreation plan has been prepared
for the city by F. Elwood Allen, special
ist in recreation areas and facilities, and
Weaver Pangburn, field representative
of the National Recreation Association.
New Parks and Playgrouds
Taking into consideration the fact
that Alexandria's future population is
likely to be composed chiefly of Govern
ment employees with comparatively short
working hours and that the present
trend of adult recreation is toward more
and more organized and specialized
play, the report recommends a complete
recreational plan embodying parks and
adult playfields as well as Fairgrounds
for children.
The Alexandria of 20 years hence is
pictured as having four large parks, six
playfields to serve both adults and
young people, 20 neighborhood play
grounds located strategically through
out the city, three swimming pools and
boating facilities both on the Potomac
River and Hunting Greek. Provision for
indoor recreation also is made.
The parks, proposed for Hunting
Greek, Timber Branch, Taylors Run and
Four-Mile Run. would be developed for
family and group picnicking, nature
trails, bride and bicycle paths, day
camping and in one instance an outdoor
theater.
Large Recreation Areas
The play fields, designed to provide
recreation for large groups of all ages
and tastes, would include game courts
of all sorts baseball and softball dia-
monds with provisions for spectators,
outdoor basketball courts and bowling
alleys, miniature golf courses, paved
spaces for roller and ice skating and in
some cases outdoor terraces for dining
and dancing.
Specific locations for the proposed
play fields are at the George Washington
High School, tract bounded by Mont
gomery, First, st. Asaph and First
streets; the present stadium at Monroe
avenue with the addition of consider
able land; at Hunting Creek at North
Fayette street for the use of the colored
population and at Parkfairfax, which
although private development, offers
facilities which are being developed for
the use of its residents.
Neighborhood Fairgrounds, while de-
signed primarily for children, are also
intended to attract adults, and the pro-
posed plans for these include areas for
group recreation, low-organized games,
such as croquet, craft areas for quiet
games, a multiple use area for variety
of games in addition to an apparatus
section for older children and a wading
pool and fenced-in playground for
smaller children.
A field building is recommended at all