FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax City Board of Architectural Review approved a plan submitted by Fairfax Parks & Recreation to install a permanent restroom facility at Draper Drive Park. The board approved the plan with minor amendments at a Wednesday night public hearing.

Draper Drive Park, which is located at 9797 Beech Drive on the city's northern border, is a 16-acre property that includes wooded green space, two turf sports fields, a parking lot, and a playground.

Currently, the park does not have permanent restroom facilities, although two temporary restrooms have been installed between the parking lot and playground.

Parks & Recreation's proposal calls for the installation of a new restroom facility constructed of smooth-face, mortar joint, concrete masonry units. The facility would be prefabricated and installed in the same location as the temporary restroom facilities.

The exterior of the facility will be finished with fiber cement board and batten siding, which will be "grizzle gray" in color, according to the proposal submitted Wednesday night. In addition, flat stones will be added to the exterior walls up to approximately 3 feet from the ground.

The Fairfax City Council has already appropriated $500,000 from the City Capital Improvement Fund to pay for the restroom facility, said Parks & Recreation Director Cathy Salgado, in an email to Patch.

On Wednesday night, the board voted unanimously to issue a certificate of appropriateness for the project, provided Parks & Recreation obtained all the necessary permits and completed all the requirements set forth in the plan. These include two amendments made by the board regarding the color of the exterior and assurance that the color of the siding and roof matched.

Parks & Recreation has already submitted a minor site plan for the building that was included in the park design, which the city council approved prior to construction of the park, Salgado said.

With the approval of its certificate of appropriateness, construction on the restroom facility could begin by the end of this year, a Parks & Recreation spokesman said Wednesday night.

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