What About Concept J?

Council members briefly mentioned an 11th concept design for Kitty Pozer park in downtown Fairfax at Tuesday's council meeting. The design came as a surprise to some, as the version hadn't been widely shared with the public or posted on the city's website.

Here's a quick rundown of how concept design J differs from the council-approved H plan:

• J keeps about 20 parking spaces next to Old Town Hall along University Drive. H only offers 12.
• Kitty Pozer Garden still expands to the west, taking over the corner of University and North Street but nixes the idea of a public plaza. Instead, the corner is devoted to a fountan surrounded by seating areas and lanscaping.
• The date on J is Jan. 24 (the night of the council vote), while concept H holds a Jan. 12 stamp.

"We discussed [concept J] with council members, and actually proposed something like that as a compromise, yet the mayor brought it up and not one person on council really even acknowledged it [Tuesday night]," said owner Stan Darke.

Over a dozen business owners spoke against the proposed Kitty Pozer expansion on Tuesday. They are afraid that their shops will suffer with the disappearance of the temporary parking lot next to Old Town Hall. 

"[Concept J] was requested after talking with the downtown businesses about trying to add more parking. I am not an engineer or an architect so I wasn't sure if it could be done, but I did feel that we owed it to them to at least explore options," said Councilman Dan Drummond. "When we got concept J, I was taken aback by how much open space was taken away and that was something I certainly didn't want to see."

After the hearing, to go ahead with concept H, with . 

"While I considered other options, I wanted to fulfill my commitment to open space on the old Weight Watchers’ property," said Councilman Scott Silverthorne. "Plan J would have taken away a large portion of the town square/open space concept that I had envisioned."

Check back for more details on the approved concept H Kitty Pozer plan as well as a story on other parking and development opportunities in downtown Fairfax.

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