City Suggests More Passive Open Space, New Amenities at Simpson Park

Alexandria’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Activities is proposing more passive open space, improved pathways and entrances and several new amenities in Simpson Stadium Park as part of its draft improvement plan.

Park planners have spent several months identifying a series of recommendations for each of the city’s large parks (those 20 acres or larger). Parks staff incorporated input from community meetings and online surveys for a list of suggestions.

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After analyzing the feedback, 16 recommendations are proposed for Simpson Stadium.

Residents are encouraged to comment and state their preferences on the draft plan through a new survey. 

The public comment process continues through the end of June. Park Planner Dana Wedeles said staff will refine the plans in July and August and hopefully bring the final plans to City Council in late fall.

Wedeles said there’s a huge need for passive open space in Simpson because so much of it is programmed for a particular use like soccer, baseball and dogs.

“What’s missing is that space to throw a Frisbee or to let the kids run around,” she said.

The draft plan incorporates new passive open space in the northeast corner of the park near a new entrance plaza on Route 1—a space currently being used to stage construction of the bus rapid transitway. This area would also receive new hard trails and additional trees.

Additional passive open space would also be incorporated behind the left-field fence of the big baseball diamond near the existing playground. A portion of this particular space would incorporate natural play features like boulders for children to climb on.

The existing playground in the northwest corner of the park is funded for renovation in the next three years, Wedeles said. It would include a new rubberized surface, areas for children over the age of 5 and more shade.

According to the draft plan, the playground would also be moved slightly north and to the east to widen an adjacent pathway, giving better access to bicyclists. Pathway connections would also be constructed to E. Duncan Avenue and two additional entrances from E. Monroe Avenue, including a ramp.

Improved pathways and entrances would create “a more cohesive site,” Wedeles said. “We really focused on connectivity.”

The draft plan calls for encouraging the use of 45 on-street parking spaces on E. Monroe and portions of Main Line Boulevard for busy soccer weekends as part of a larger strategy to improve parking management at the park. An entrance to the soccer fields in Simpson’s southeastern corner has accommodated the use of spaces near the eastern terminus of Monroe Avenue, Wedeles said.

At the big baseball diamond, the draft plan calls for the construction of new bleachers—a third-base line bleacher with equipment storage underneath and a first-base line bleacher with a concession booths.

The draft plan also calls for the creation of a picnic area between the existing basketball court and the big baseball diamond and the addition of a turnaround in the small parking lot in the park’s southwestern corner.

The dog park at Simpson is also planned for improvements, including a terraced hill, new trees and play features and potentially the installation of a light in the dog area. The city’s Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to consider a citizen request for a light in the dog park this month, Wedeles said. If approved, a special use permit would be required.  

A second fenced-in dog park is scheduled to be built across E. Monroe Avenue from the current dog park as part of the Potomac Yard development.

• See: New Monroe Avenue Dog Park in the Works

Construction of much of the recommendations remains unfunded, but Wedeles said a plan should be in place when funding becomes available in the future.

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