Youngkin Adds Oak Hill to final budget at Higgins’ urging

On Oct. 15, Gov. Youngkin has pledged to include the Oak Hill State Park Plan in his final budget proposal to the General Assembly ahead of the 2026 Session at the urging of Delegate Geary Higgins, following extensive discussion.

Youngkin made the following statement on video alongside Higgins, “I have been so excited about this project since we first started talking about it, and I am giving my commitment, today, that I will include in my introduced budget in December, authorization for the state to fund its portion of acquiring this historic property and establishing a new State Park in Northern Virginia.”

Higgins, who successfully secured local and state funding for Loudoun’s Sweet Run State Park in the beginning of Youngkin’s term, issued the following statement, “I have been working with Governor Youngkin for almost two years to turn President James Monroe’s home Oak Hill into a State Park, and I am grateful that today, he is reaffirming his commitment to this future park, Loudoun County, and our Commonwealth.

“I also want to again thank the DeLashmutt family for their continued generosity in making this historic
property and 1,240 acres available, as well as the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and The Conservation Fund for their work to make this financially possible.

“True to my word, I did not give up on Oak Hill, and now with Governor Youngkin’s commitment, we can be sure it will be back next session. I hope my Democrat colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly will do the right thing: support Oak Hill and preserve this piece of history for future generations.”