HOA President to Smyth: Consider Hunterbrooke

The following letter from Rose Piccigallo, president of the Hunterbrooke Home Owners Association, was submitted to Supervisor Linda Smyth's office in response to the plan for a roundabout at Mystic Meadows Way and Hunter Mill Road. Mystic Meadows Way serves as the entrance to Hunterbrooke. Oakton Patch did not edit the copy, but Piccagallo corrected the date of the neighborhood's development to 1994.

I speak and submit this statement on behalf of the fifteen (15) families who comprise the Hunterbooke Home Owners Association, and who, more than any other Fairfax County citizens, will be affected by the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Huntermill Road and Mystic Meadow Way. This one time pleasant and serene development, planned and built by John Sekas, dates to 1994. Some of the original purchasers of these properties still reside here.

We are very concerned that the proposed roundabout will have a serious adverse impact on our day to day existence. We are worried that it will create difficult and aggravated traffic situations, some potentially dangerous to pedestrians, dog walkers, and many of our residents who have small children and frequently use walking lanes. Presently that corner is a stop for the FCPS bus pick up and drop off. We assume that will be moved. We are all very much concerned  that the proposed roundabout, as presently designed, will detract from the aesthetic nature of our “living street” and, ultimately, result in further reduction of our home resale values. This is  currently  a quiet and serene street.

In an ideal world, we would ask that the proposed roundabout not be built at all. But as plans are already well advanced, we would ask, at the very least that consideration be given to building as small a roundabout as possible, so that some of the beauty of our now attractive entrance and brick wall be retained. It would be disastrous, we strongly believe, to build a roundabout that would leave just a minimal space between its outermost reaches and our entrance wall and street. We also believe such a roundabout would be potentially dangerous to pedestrians. Moreover, we ask that consideration be given to the fact that the proposed park and increased traffic  --  presumably the reason for the roundabout  --  will only be used during certain months of the year. We will be forced to live with the roundabout year round.

Please be advised that we in Hunterbrooke and surrounding neighborhoods have seen our formerly quaint community radically changed in recent past years:  immediately down the street, 56 single family  homes and a Library replaced the former sixteen (16) acres of beautiful wooded area; a church was built, which later added a school; a senior citizens retirement home was built and the landmark Oakton School House was relocated across the street from Mystic Meadow Way;  then we were informed of plans for a park with athletic fields, and parking spaces. All this has measurably increased daily traffic , particularly for Hunterbrooke residents.   We can only imagine how this will be exaggerated when soccer games or other athletic events begin or empty out, particularly during Oakton’s ever lengthening rush hours. Now comes the roundabout.

We realize that some define such development as “progress”. Nevertheless, we strongly ask you to consider the adverse impact this has and will have on our daily lives, home values, and sense of family-friendly community. We in the Hunterbrooke community will be the most affected by this development.  As noted, we have already accepted and are living with substantial changes to our once quaint neighborhood. We ask that you please give serious thought to our situation. Thank you.

Respectfully submitted,

Rose Piccigallo

Hunterbrooke HOA President

For background information on the planned roundabout at Oakton Community Park, click here.