To Stafford County and Fredericksburg Officials.
 
Petition in support of the establishment of a Regional Historic Events Park on the site of the former Cannon Ridge Golf Course and the construction of the Cannon Ridge to Ferry Farm Historic River Walk and Waterfall Trails. "America's Most Historic Trail"

The continued residential growth in Stafford County must be balanced with open space fostering community. The abandoned Cannon Ridge Golf Course in Stafford County offers an exceptional opportunity to enhance our County by establishing a Regional Park. Additionally, it preserves our history, to include Multiple Prehistoric Native American Camps, Colonial Activity, 19th century Farmsteads, Multiple Civil War Gun Emplacements, the Historic Civil War Mud March, Civil War Camps, Civil War Ballon Corp., Banks Ford Pontoon Crossing, Scott's Mill, Banks Ford Dam, Rappahannock Canal locks, A Prehistoric Native American Wier (Fish Trap)and a Natural Waterfall nearby.
 
This site includes 7 miles of paved trails, a clubhouse, parking, a lake, and a maintenance shop significantly reducing initial infrastructure investment costs. Acquiring this site could provide us an ‘instant park and recreational area’ Central to Stafford and Fredericksburg. A Real Central Park.
 
This site is contiguous to over 1,000 acres of Fredericksburg conservation land that runs for over 10 miles on the Stafford side of the Rappahannock River. This includes public land with a beautiful waterfall with many more historic sites but has no public access in Stafford County. The only practical way to gain public access to over 1,000 acres of Fredericksburg Public land is to secure the abandoned Cannon Ridge Golf Course for public use. The site also includes approximately 10 miles of 18th and 19th century Road beds that could easily be made into trails.
 
The Stafford comprehensive plan proposes the Cannon Ridge to Ferry farm Historic Waterfall and River Walk Trail, which would run for 6 miles along the Stafford side of the River. Half of the Trail is already built and most of the other half can use the old beds of 18th and 19th century Roads. VDOT has built a construction Road underneath the I-95 bridge that could be left in place for the trail.
 
The trail would go by dozens of Historic sites such as Hunter's Iron Works, Hunter's Island, Rappahannock Canal locks, Belmont, Chatham Manor, the Moncure Conway House, the Trail to Freedom (Underground Railroad), the Historic Port of Falmouth, Indian Camps, Civil War emplacements and Ferry Farm where George Washington is fabled to have Chopped down his father's Cherry Tree.
 
Stafford's River Walk Trail would connect to the Fredericksburg Trail System at multiple River Crossings. One new River Crossing is proposed at Central Park that would create a Regional Historic Heritage loop to combine over 2,000 acres of Conservation land on both sides of the river with the abounded 193-acre Golf Course property.
 
In 1999 Stafford rezoned 1,170 acres at Celebrate Virginia creating a new zoning District called the Recreational Business Campus (RBC). The RBC ordinance requires 55% or over 600 acres of Celebrate Virginia to remain as open space for recreational use. Five Golf Courses were proposed at Cannon Ridge at the Rezoning Public Hearing, today we have none with a proposal to develop the former Golf Course site for housing.
 
Stafford County Officials and developers need to honor their commitments to maintain this open space for recreational use. The best way to do that is to acquire the property formerly known as the Cannon Ridge Golf Course and establish a Regional Park and make the Cannon Ridge to Ferry Farm Historic Waterfall and River Walk Trail a reality. 
 
Signed,
We the People!!!