Leesburg planners advance Plaza Street sidewalk design while identifying >replacement trees

Leesburg Town Tree Commission members heard a design update Oct. 21 on the Plaza Street sidewalk improvements project, which would install a missing-link sidewalk between Edwards Ferry Road and the Leesburg Police Station and change lane geometry to fit the sidewalk while preserving mature street trees where feasible.

The update, presented by Melissa (town staff), outlined a concept that narrows vehicle lanes (a “road diet”), keeps bike lanes and installs concrete sidewalks on both sides of the street. The design team has surveyed trees along the corridor and found more trees in decline than in the concept plan presented about three years ago; as a result, staff proposed removing some dead or failing trees, replacing several trees and adding new street trees where space and right-of-way allow.

The plan matters to pedestrians and school-route users: Melissa said the corridor sees roughly 300–400 pedestrians per day and includes bus stops and a proposed mid-block crosswalk near the police station. The project would add a new mid-block crossing near existing bus stops and use structural soil and tree details to reduce future sidewalk conflict with roots.

Commission discussion and staff details

Melissa said the current design is in final design and that the town completed a field survey and a new arboricultural assessment; several trees that were in fair condition three years ago have progressed to decline. The design proposes removing four invasive trees, installing three replacement trees where existing trees already were removed, and planting 10 new trees in the project limits—netting six additional trees in the corridor compared with the immediate pre-project canopy in places the town controls.

For trees near curbs and roots that would lie beneath new concrete sidewalks, staff proposed air-excavation (air-spading) to expose roots, protecting root systems, placing stone/structural fill and using geotextile layers so sidewalk sections can bridge root zones.

Melissa said one large oak and other mature trees that lie entirely on private property or are situated inside paved private yards are outside the federal grant-funded project scope unless property owners agree to allow work or easements; she described the project as federally funded and noted state rules can treat right-of-way and private easement work differently.

Timing and construction staging

Staff told the commission the project is in final design and that utility relocation work could begin in 2026 with minimal traffic impact; major construction is planned for 2027 with efforts to keep the roadway open while work occurs and to plant new trees in the cooler planting season after construction. Melissa said tree plantings would likely occur in the fall after the main construction season.

Why it matters

The design attempts to balance a pedestrian safety improvement (adding a missing sidewalk and a midblock crossing) with preserving mature canopy where feasible. The use of structural soil and air-excavation methods aims to reduce future conflicts between sidewalks and tree root systems, a frequent source of future maintenance and citizen complaints.

What the commission asked for or directed

Commissioners pressed staff about: which trees are private versus in the town right-of-way, the feasibility of preserving particular large specimens, what tree species were proposed for replacement (the plan lists Green Gable black gum and other street-appropriate species), and how construction would avoid additional tree decline. Staff said they would continue outreach with adjacent property owners for trees near private property lines and would refine planting/species lists in final design.

Next steps

Staff will complete final design and coordinate utility relocations (target: 2026) and construction (target: 2027), continue property-owner outreach where private trees are implicated, and finalize a planting list and root-protection details for areas where sidewalks will pass over critical root zones.