Op-Ed By Jessica Lough, a Fairfax City resident and a global expert in sustainability and environmental risk.
In my day job, I help Fortune 100 companies look past the hype to see actual environmental risks and benefits in their projects, while protecting their bottom line. It’s about looking at the data, not the hype. I’m applying that same logic here in Fairfax City.
The City Council recently made a tough, controversial decision to stop funding the George Snyder Trail. While some people see this as a step backward for recreation, I see it as a win for common sense, fiscal responsibility, and the environment.
The Forest Already Does the Work
Trees are high-tech infrastructure we get for free. They filter highway dust and chemicals, cleaning our air by up to 30% and cutting highway noise in half for nearby families.
By stopping this project, we protect nearly 100 acres of forest, the equivalent of ~110 football fields, and one of the last big, connected natural areas we have left in the city.
Protecting the Forest is a Bargain
The City must now repay $3.5 million to VDOT as a result of cancelling the George Snyder Trail. While that sounds steep, consider the context: the city proposed spending a shared $19 million and an additional $3 million on structured parking at the Willard Sherwood Health and Community Center just to save less than one acre of Van Dyck Park.
Protecting 100 acres of our last remaining forest for $3.5 million is an incredible bargain. Spending $19 million to save less than one acre of a grassy park is not.
Breaking the “Sunk Cost” Habit
In addition to avoiding damage, the repayment also avoids further investment in a bad project. In business, we call it avoiding the “sunk cost fallacy.” It’s the mistake of continuing to invest money in a project just because you already spent some.
Consider the math: the trees in the trail’s path soak up 1.5 million gallons of rainwater – the equivalent of 6 Oakmont Rec Center pools – during big storms. If we clear them, that water will flood our streets and overwhelm our pipes. The cost to fix damage and maintain an asphalt path would eventually and quickly cost Fairfax City residents more than $3.5 million.
The data also shows the trail wasn’t the transportation fix proponents claimed. Despite years of investment, only about 1% of Fairfax residents commute by bike, and research shows trails do little to ease traffic congestion.
A Smarter Way Forward
The City Council didn’t say “no” to progress; they said “no” to a “check-the-box” project that ballooned from a $250,000 natural-surface concept into a $25 million engineering nightmare, without adequately considering other options.
The Council is now positioned to find the right fiscal and environmental solution for the community. By preserving the forest, the Council has chosen to protect the pocketbooks and physical well-being of its residents over a redundant transit project that doesn’t solve transit problems.
The data and facts are clear. By stopping now, we can pivot to smarter, cheaper options, like natural surface trails that don’t destroy the environment. We have plenty of pavement in Fairfax.
