The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities PARKnership program and Rebuilding Together Alexandria have partnered to improve the neighborhood parks in Hume Springs and Lynhaven. Rebuilding Together was awarded design and construction funding improvements for 3550 Commonwealth Avenue and the Dale Street portion of Four Mile Run Park. The projects are being planned and constructed simultaneously, as described below:

3550 Commonwealth Ave.
The 0.58 acre site had previously been a dormant substation. The City’s purchase of the property in 2009 required that Virginia Electric Power Company demolish and remove the substation and complete all necessary environmental remediation. In October 2011, neighborhood volunteers used donated plants and mulch to install two gardens, a walking path, shade trees and park benches. In 2016, the City completed the Neighborhood Parks Improvement Plan that included a concept for the park, building upon the volunteer efforts, with a plaza and game tables, a tricycle track and picnic area. In September, Rebuilding Together Alexandria hired Landscape Architecture firm Rhodeside and Harwell to develop a design for the site, based on the Neighborhood Parks Improvement Plan.

• Project updates:
  • Park construction will occur from June 12 -October 30, 2018. RPCA will hold a Pre-Construction meeting on June 7, 2018, 7:00 p.m. at the park. City staff will provide information about scope of the project, construction activities, and to respond to any questions. In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held at Leonard 'Chick' Armstrong Recreation Center, 25 West Reed Avenue.
  • Rhodeside and Harwell, RPCA, and Rebuilding Together Alexandria held a community meeting on October 11, 2017 to present a draft concept for the park, as shown in this presentation and to the right. 
  • The project team presented the final concept to the Park and Recreation Commission on January 18, 2018.

City Council adopted the renaming of 2550 Commonwealth Ave. Park to Shirley Tyler Unity Park through a community engagement process on February 20, 2021.

• City Council Action Item 6 (21-00751)

Four Mile Run Park at Dale St.
This section of Four Mile Run Park is located along Dale Street, behind Cora Kelly Elementary School and Recreation Center. The 2014 Citywide Parks Improvement Plan recommended transforming the currently vacant space into a community garden. A new community garden will help address the City’s need for gardening opportunities in the Arlandria community.

The funds from Rebuilding Together Alexandria will be used towards a design and construction of a garden while the management of the garden site would be through a partnership between the City and local organization. The concept for the site, shown right, is an illustration of what the site could look like, but will be further developed based on community feedback and management capacity.

• Project update:
  • On May 15, 16, and 18, 2018, volunteers working with Rebuilding Together Alexandria will construct the garden. A newly formed community organization comprised of residents from the Hume Springs and Lynhaven neighborhoods will manage the garden, in partnership with the City, after site  completion in mid-July.
  • RPCA and Rebuilding Together Alexandria held a community meeting on October 11, 2017 to present a draft concept for the park, as shown in this presentation and to the right. RPCA collected feedback on the site until October 31, 2017. Results of the survey can be viewed here. 
  • The Project Team presented the final draft concept to the Park and Recreation Commission on January 18, 2018 and held a community meeting to discuss the design and proposed management plan on January 22, 2018 at 7:30pm. 

Project Schedule: Construction of both sites must be complete by November 2018, per the grant funding requirements.

Rebuilding Together Alexandria
Rebuilding Together Alexandria is an award-winning, mission-driven organization that creates healthy neighborhoods for Alexandria residents by providing free repairs to maintain affordable housing for low-income homeowners, revitalizing community spaces, and creating home ownership opportunities.  Since 1986, more than 24,000 volunteers have worked on 2,000 projects, leveraging $7.5 million worth of in-kind value to Alexandria.  Rebuilding Together’s work contributes to helping the City remain economically, socially and culturally diverse. For more information about Rebuilding Together, visit www.rebuildingtogetheralex.org. This is the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities third partnership project with Rebuilding Together Alexandria.