SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
FRANKLIN PARK TRAIL PROJECT
March 18, 2004 – Round Hill, Virginia

BACKGROUND
Round Hill is actively participating in the design of portions of trails, streets and sidewalks within the Town and that will link the Town to new development at its periphery. The Town also has various plans for new trails, signs and improvements at the entrances or “gateways” to the Town. To coordinate various public and private endeavors in a comprehensive manner, the Town commissioned a master plan for the Town’s major streetscapes. The intent of this plan is to protect and enhance the visual character of the town and the safety and quality of life of its residents by keeping streets safe, attractive and functional. It will also help guide public decisions and investments and protect private investments made by business owners and residents of Round Hill.

The Streetscape Master Plan was presented to the Town Council in February, 2004, and in a public hearing in March 2004. The Streetscape Master Plan has had extensive public participation by Round Hill residents and businesses throughout the process and is led by a citizen Steering Committee appointed by the Mayor. The Town has also contracted with Paradigm Design of Reston, Virginia to facilitate the planning process and develop the final master plan documents.

The Streetscape Master Plan is also closely connected with Loudoun County’s proposed Franklin Park Trail project. The Franklin Park Trail Subcommittee, a citizens committee appointed by the Town Council has been working with the County on the details of this project as it passes through Round Hill, generally on Loudoun Street, from Evening Star Drive to Main Street. The following is a summary of the recommendations developed by the Franklin Park Trail Subcommittee on design details for improvements within the Town.

SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS

SIDEWALKS:

• The new sidewalks should extend on both sides of East Loudoun Street, all the way from the Evening Star Drive intersection on the east end of Town to the Main Street intersection, with extensions across the intersection, as noted on the recommended plans.
• Conventional concrete sidewalks should be used throughout East Loudoun Street, except for decorative pavers at special areas at the Eastern gateway and adjacent to the Main Street intersection, as shown on the recommended plans.
• The decorative pavers should be Holland stone concrete pavers, as approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation with a brownish-red color blend, as shown on the attached detail.
• Sidewalks should be 5 feet wide and adjacent to the curb line, in order to minimize intrusion into adjacent areas.
• Special attention should be paid to protecting the health of the large “boundary” Sycamore tree at the East end of town, in constructing the sidewalks and any other improvements in this area.
• Sidewalks should be continuous along the street frontage, including through existing driveways. Where sidewalks cross gravel drives, concrete aprons should be installed to extend past the sidewalk at least 5 feet.
• The existing sidewalk on the south side of East Loudoun Street, from Evening Star Drive to Falls Place, should be replaced to match the sidewalk design throughout the remainder of the street.
• At existing public rights of way, such as Bridge Street, Falls Place, Chamblin Way and Balanger Way, the sidewalks should be extended around the intersection to provide safe “returns” for pedestrian traffic.

TRAIL & UNDERPASS

• There should be a bicycle turn-around where the trail meets the existing sidewalk on East Loudoun St.
• The underpass should be lighted for security and the trail through the underpass should be raised to avoid flooding

CROSSWALKS

• New crosswalks should be installed at the locations shown on the recommended plans
• In general, the new crosswalks should be 8 ft. wide and constructed with the same decorative “Holland Stone” concrete pavers as used in the sidewalks, except that they should meet the VDOT standard for thickness for use in vehicular travelways. The crosswalks should have concrete edging between the pavers and the roadway.
• At the Town Park, a special 15 ft. wide crosswalk should be installed, as shown on the recommended plans.
• Those crosswalks shown on the recommended plans that directly cross Loudoun Street (Route 7) should be raised crosswalks, or “speed tables”, designed to be acceptable to VDOT standards, and elevated sufficiently to effectively slow traffic through Town, while providing for vehicular and pedestrian safety.
• Crosswalks that do not cross Loudoun Street, however, should not be raised above the road surface, because of resident concerns about vehicle noise from going over the crosswalks at high speeds.

ROADWAY DESIGN

• The County should consider minor realignments of East Loudoun Street, if feasible, in order to minimize the need to acquire easements across the frontage of resident’s properties for construction of the sidewalks.
• The storm drainage and storm water management improvements that are incorporated in the sidewalk and curb construction should be coordinated with the Town and the Town’s ongoing Storm Water Management Study.

STREET LIGHTING

• Street lighting should be installed, in accordance with the recommended plans, on both sides of East Loudoun Street, wherever new sidewalks are installed. The electrical conduit for the street lights should be installed at the time of construction of the sidewalks.
• The specifications for light fixture, light pole and associated shields should be as shown on the recommended plans.
• In general, street lighting should be located at the edge of the sidewalk farthest from the street and the mountings should be flush with the sidewalk surface.

OTHER ELEMENTS

• Street furniture should be as specified in the recommended plans. In general, street furniture in this phase of work will consist of two decorative benches and two trash receptacles located at the entrance to the Town Park on East Loudoun Street.

Prepared by: Vladimir Gavrilovic | March 18, 2004
PARADIGM DESIGN | Reston, VA | (703) 709-0844 | prdmdesign@aol.com