Clemyjontri's Playground Is Getting a Full Redesign. Here's When McLean Gets a Say.

There are two price tags on the redesign of Clemyjontri Park's playground. The design firm hired by the Fairfax County Park Authority presented a base concept that would cost up to $4–5 million to build. Park Authority staff estimate that a fully expanded version could cost up to $12.4 million. That figure comes from a May 13, 2026 Park Authority board packet.

The county is counting on park bond money to pay for most of the base, with fundraising helping to finish it. Any features beyond the base would have to be paid for with private donations. That makes the next six weeks unusually important for anyone who uses the playground at 6317 Georgetown Pike. The first public look at the design is on Nov. 5, online comments close on Dec. 7, and the feedback gathered in that window is meant to shape the next phase of design.

The playground is due for replacement

Clemyjontri's playground opened to the public in 2006. The board packet calls it "one of the top playground destinations for children of all ages and abilities." It also says every piece of play equipment has now reached the end of its life, even with regular maintenance and replacement of broken parts. Staff decided to rebuild the whole playground instead of swapping out parts one at a time.

The land itself came from Adele Lebowitz, who donated it in March 2000. Her gift came with conditions, including a barrier-free playground and a carousel. The name "Clemyjontri" combines the names of her four children, according to the park's master plan. The redesign keeps the original idea at its center. The Park Authority's theme for the project is "Where Every Child Can Play," and it hired the design firm Hoerr Schaudt to lead the work.

The county's request for proposals spells out what is changing and what is not. Firms were told to design within the playground's existing footprint and keep the theme of "all abilities playing side by side."

Staying put:

• The carousel
• The picnic shelters
• The restroom building
• The parking lot

Built into today's playground, according to FFXnow's Oct. 6 report. The Park Authority has not yet announced how the new design will handle each of these:

• Ramps leading up to raised play equipment
• Lowered monkey bars
• Swings with high backs and armrests, plus a swing built for wheelchair users
• Rubber surfacing that wheelchairs can roll across easily
• Play pieces that include Braille and sign language

Today those features sit in four themed areas around the carousel, which Visit Fairfax lists as Rainbow, Schoolhouse, Movin' and Groovin', and Fitness & Fun. The RFP keeps the carousel and the other buildings outside the renovation scope but asks designers to include them in their plans. The new playground will be built around them.

FFXnow also reported that the renovation covers only the playground and does not change the park master plan, which was last updated in 2022. That plan allowed for an arts center at Clemyjontri. FFXnow says the center is not expected to move forward any time soon, if ever, because McLean Project for the Arts, the group that had pushed for it, opened its new arts and education center downtown at 6910 Fleetwood Road this spring. So the playground is the only major project planned at the park right now.

Two price tags, three sources of money

The money is what makes the design choices matter. The board packet describes Hoerr Schaudt's base concept as "a flexible, expandable design." Here is how the pieces fit together, using the packet's own figures:

County documents describe the design funding in two different ways. The board packet says sinking funds pay for design and permitting, while construction will come from the bond and fundraising. The Park Authority's Oct. 1 announcement says bond money will support the "base design." Either way, the bond is the expected source for the main construction money.

That bond is the $180 million Fairfax County park bond on the Nov. 3 ballot. It covers maintenance and capital projects across the county park system, including playground rehabilitation. The county's bond page does not list a specific amount for Clemyjontri. FFXnow asked how much would go to this project. Park Authority spokesperson Andy Grabel said, "After the public meeting on November 5th, we will have a better understanding of the total cost that is to be earmarked in the 2026 Park Bond," and added that the agency is "exploring other financial avenues to help this project."

One of those avenues is the Fairfax County Park Foundation, a nonprofit that raises private money to supplement tax dollars. The Park Authority says the foundation will soon start taking donations to "enrich and expand" the playground. The board packet lists fundraising for early 2027 and says construction approval will come to the board separately, after the referendum and fundraising are done.

In practice, that means every feature people ask for this fall ends up in one of two places. It goes into the base design, which the bond and fundraising together are expected to pay for, or it goes on the list of additions that depend entirely on donations.

The calendar from here

This post goes up on Thursday, Oct. 29. Here is what comes next:

The schedule has no construction start date yet, and none of the county documents say whether the playground will close fully or partly once work begins, or for how long. For now, it remains open as usual.

Why the first meeting is in Clifton

The Nov. 5 meeting is roughly a half-hour drive from McLean. FFXnow asked about the location, and Grabel explained:

"Because Clemyjontri Park is a destination park that attracts visitors from around the county, the Park Authority decided to host the meeting at a more centrally-located space in Fairfax County that can accommodate 200+ people. Twin Lakes provides the capacity and open environment that works well for community engagement."

That explanation also says something about the feedback itself. The Park Authority sees this playground as a countywide destination, so the comments on the base design will come from families across Fairfax County, not just from McLean. For people who live a few minutes from Georgetown Pike and can't get to Clifton on a Thursday evening, the online comment period on the Clemyjontri PublicInput page is the main way to weigh in. It opens after the meeting and closes at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7.

What the meeting will ask about

The meeting will be set up as stations, each focused on one question. According to the Park Authority's announcement, they cover:

1. How to honor Clemyjontri's legacy while shaping its future
2. What inclusive play means today and how the park can do more for children of all abilities
3. Design inspiration drawn from Fairfax County's ecology, culture, history and communities
4. Preferred types of play experiences and structures
5. Look and feel, including plantings, materials, textures and sensory elements
6. Ways to bring together visitors of all ages and abilities

The PublicInput page also lists accessibility and getting around the playground among the project's goals. Items four and five are where the cost question shows up most directly. A specific piece of play equipment, a sensory garden or a particular surface material either fits in a $4–5 million base or waits for donations. A comment that explains which features a family actually uses on a typical visit gives the designers concrete information when they decide what goes where.

The Park Authority says the design will draw on "the diversity of Northern Virginia's people and places" while keeping the spirit that made Clemyjontri a destination in the first place. A follow-up meeting in early 2027 will show how this fall's feedback shaped the plan. The best chance to influence what goes into the base design is the comment window that closes Dec. 7.

Clemyjontri is one of those places that comes up whenever we talk with families about life in McLean, and we'll keep following the redesign as it moves through design, fundraising and construction. If you'd like to talk about what changes like this mean for your street and your plans, Wydler Brothers would be glad to hear from you. Start the conversation and request a personalized consultation.