Fields Farm proposed athletic fields need to be scaled down

By Adam Stevenson

Loudoun County has released plans for a recreation complex to be located at the Fields Farm property south of Woodgrove High School and directly west of the Mayfair development. The existing plans detail the inclusion of five soccer fields, two baseball fields and one softball field, maintenance structures, restrooms and concession facilities. 

The fields are “expected to be used between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., 7 days a week.” The County would also relocate the Purcellville Park and Ride south of the athletic fields, across the Fields Farm Park Road which would connect to Mayfair Crown Drive.

At the outset, I want to acknowledge the need for increased park amenities for Purcellville and western Loudoun residents. It seems fairly clear that the amount of park space available to the public has not kept pace with western Loudoun’s growing population. So to some extent, such a proposal is welcome, though, as they say, the devil is in the details.

My first qualm is with the quantity of athletic fields proposed. Though there is a small area of dedicated “open space” in the latest iteration of the plans, most of the recreation complex is devoted to one very specific form of recreation – the athletic variety – and not only that, but to its industrial subspecies. Let’s call it Industrial Youth Sport. 

A version of athletics that seems to be increasingly expensive and decreasingly fun. Your grandparents’ (and your parents’) baseball and soccer fields are out and have been “upgraded” to standard turf fields, professionally lit diamonds, and weekend out-of-state tournaments. 

A nation-wide phenomenon, the vortex of Industrial Youth Sport seems to be most predictably found where the ethos of endless competition collides with the persistent marketing of sporting success as a way to ‘win friends and influence people.’ 

Beyond the sociological problems of such a phenomenon, the Industrial Youth Sport Complex also degrades place. For example, industrial lighting is proposed for the eight fields that make up the Fields Farm Recreation Complex. 

The planning notes make clear that the fields will be in use from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (7 days a week), which entails that during the winter, field lighting could be switched on for nearly six hours after sunset. No matter how International Dark-Sky Association compliant such lighting may be, it is less IDA compliant than no lighting. And why must we make our children practice or play until 11 p.m.? 

Such endless industriousness may gladden the heart of a departed Carnegie or Rockefeller, but perhaps not as much a young Mike or Emily. Furthermore, though it appears that six of the eight fields will be of natural grass, the notes also suggest that all fields could be upgraded to artificial turf at some point in the near future. 

Besides the very real concerns about the runoff of synthetic materials used in turf (and habitat loss), why must we remove all vestiges of a natural order from what is ostensibly still a park?

My second major qualm is with the proposed connecting of Hillsboro Road and Purcellville Road through the Fields Farm Park Road. As others have noted, this would serve to revive the specter of the Northern Collector Road – meant to open the not-so-mystical passage between Hillsboro Road and Berlin Turnpike – the idea being to mitigate the potential for traffic congestion in Purcellville by opening up new avenues for development in the town. 

Though the logic seems far from airtight, such a tenacious vision has already claimed a portion of Crooked Run Orchard through which the Southern Collector Road – William T. Druhan Drive now runs. Such a connection to Mayfair Crown Drive would also open up the Mayfair community to through-traffic between Hillsboro and Purcellville Roads.

I would urge the Purcellville Town Council, to amend the current plans for the Fields Farm Recreation Complex in a way that makes it less of a complex (both literally and in our collective psyche) and more of a park (with open space that fits with western Loudoun). 

We need to ensure that the Purcellville-area population not only has access to soccer and baseball fields, but real and immediate experiences that aren’t nearly so prescriptive – namely, organic experience in the landscape. 

A change for the better would start with removing two or three athletic fields, eliminating field lighting (and stipulating in some sort of durable way that field lighting cannot be added in the future), guaranteeing that the proposed fields will never be converted to turf, and creating a path system through the park on land specifically conserved and set aside for wildlife habitat and passive human recreation. Such preserved areas could also provide a much-needed natural buffer between the park and nearby housing. 

A successful park is one that avoids the monotony of monopolistic use. A public park should be one for all of us – not simply those with competitive athletic inclinations – and in that vein we can actually observe current parks that brilliantly fulfill their intended community function. 

A particularly good example is Fireman’s Field in downtown Purcellville. The park includes a conserved section of century-old oak and hickory trees–known as Dillon’s Woods – devoted to passive recreation (while also doubling as a central space for community gatherings and events), an indoor skating rink, a central baseball field and stands, and a few smaller surrounding baseball fields. 

No single use dominates the entire park, and the totality provides a more comprehensive aesthetic and recreational experience than the currently detailed Fields Farm complex. If the county is so inclined, it could studiously observe vibrant local parks (such as Fireman’s Field) and apply those principles to ensure that Fields Farm serves the needs of the surrounding community–and not simply the Industrial Youth Sport Complex.

Adam Stevenson grew up in Purcellville and can be found many Saturdays walking around 21^st Street with obligatory stops at Nichols Hardware and It’s Baazar’s LP collection. He’s particularly interested in sustainable urban planning and Loudoun’s flora and fauna.