Arlington County is eyeing a $1.1 million real estate purchase to expand Douglas Park.
Buying and deconstructing a home for sale at 4030 16th Street S. — listed in the Public Spaces Master Plan as a priority expansion site for Douglas Park — would add a S. Randolph Street entrance to the five-acre recreation area south of Columbia Pike. The property has a total footprint of 13,346 square feet, or about 0.31 acres, according to a county report.
“In the adopted 2019 Public Spaces Master Plan (PSMP), Priority Action 1.1 calls for adding at least 30 acres of new public space over the next 10 years to help address the challenge of meeting public spaces needs for a growing community,” the report says. “This acquisition will be a step toward meeting that 10-year goal.”
Because the home in question was built in 1936, county staff recommend archiving photographs of the property and deconstructing the dwelling “for viable parts/materials as opposed to being demolished.” The parcel is not located within a local historic district nor in a National Register of Historic Places Historic District.
The county contacted the property’s real estate agent after it was listed for sale, the report says. The negotiated sale price is consistent with a June 2024 appraisal price.
The county previously purchased another property on the S. Quincy Street side of Douglas Park to expand the park in 2014.
The proposed acquisition at 4030 16th Street S. is on the consent agenda for the Arlington County Board’s Monday meeting, meaning it is expected to pass without discussion unless it is pulled for debate.
Photo (1) via Google Maps
