Green Valley Planning at a Glance
The Green Valley neighborhood, formerly known as, the Nauck, began to take shape just after the Civil War. Levi and Sarah Ann Jones were among the first African Americans to buy land and build a home in what is now Nauck in 1844. After the Civil War, the area attracted several families from the nearby Freedman’s Village, near the present-day Foxcroft Heights. Then in 1874, John D. Nauck, Jr., a Washington, D.C. resident, bought 46 acres of land, subdivided it and sold lots to other families. The introduction of the electric railway in 1898 spurred further development.
The County Board established the Nauck Village Center Special Revitalization District in July 2004 for the commercial area between S. Glebe Road and S. Four Mile Run Drive along S. Shirlington Rd to encourage revitalization and a balanced range of housing, recreation, employment, community services, retail and entertainment opportunities. It was called the “Nauck Village Center” as a planning reference in this County Board adopted Area Plan for the Nauck neighborhood, now known as Green Valley.
Urban Design and Guidelines For Future Development
The appeal of a street depends on how well buildings, roads, sidewalks, open space and other elements function together. These things determine whether a street will act as a unifying element or as a barrier to the surrounding neighborhoods. Urban design guidelines are established to ensure the Nauck Village Center and surrounding areas create a strong identity and positive image by developing an aesthetically pleasing, functional, comfortable and inviting space. Urban design guidelines cover the following aspects:
- Architecture
- Open space
- Parking
The Nauck Village Center Action Plan (2004) was also adopted in July 2004 to guide future development in this area. It’s the first phase of a two-part study for the larger Green Valley, Shirlington and Four Mile Run area. Through a series of planning workshops, Nauck residents developed the following 10 vision and goal statements:
- Create an entryway/gateway site at the intersection of Glebe Road and Shirlington Road North;
- Install traffic calming devices at the northern entry gateway and on Shirlington Road just north of 24th Road South;
- Create a neighborhood business center at the four corners location to include retail and service-oriented commercial uses;
- Develop the east side of Shirlington Road south from the Town Square as higher-density housing, mixed-use, retail, commercial and housing;
Planning Resources