Could things in Dumfries be looking up, literally?
The Town Council this week discussed option of raising the maximum building height limits to from their current maximum of 55 feet from the ground, or 80 feet with architectural features. Most of
the tallest buildings in town average four floors. Removing the restrictions could clear the way for construction of more hotels and office buildings, a type of construction that is popping up more and more in surrounding Prince William County.
“Lots of buildings are getting new tenants because of their height,” said Dumfries Councilman Charles Brewer. “Our boundaries are very little, and our land is very little, and the only one way we can really show any type of development is by going up.”
Brewer brought up the topic of raising the height limit on buildings but offered no specifics on how high buildings should be, or in what area of the town they should be built in. He was asked to present a more formal plan to the Town Council in March.
Town centers like Potomac Town Center at Stonebridge, where Wegmans grocery store draws thousands and new minor league baseball stadium will be built to house the Potomac Nationals, are gaining in popularity. A town center proposed for Dumfries is under review by the town’s Planning Commission for it’s taller than allowed buildings heights, which have been proposed between four and seven stories tall.
“Many communities are moving to a mixed use type of development and away from strip malls, many of which have become eyesores for communities, and they’re definitely outdated,” said Councilman Derrick Wood.
One of the tallest buildings in the 1.6 square-mile town is the Elwye Center where officials recently permitted a church to open.
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Join us on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., for the dedication of the Town of Occoquan’s LOVEworks sign in River Mill Park (415 Mill Street, Occoquan), designed by artist Darby Leondra. This event is free and open to the public.
To celebrate Air Quality Awareness Week (May 6-10, 2024), Clean Air Partners is working with A Few Cool Hardware Stores to exchange DC, Maryland and Virginia residents’ gas-powered lawnmowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers at select Ace Hardware locations in the region. DMV residents who turn in their gas-powered lawn tools will receive a FREE Ego Power+ replacement including batteries and chargers, while supplies last.
Compared to gas, electric lawn equipment can reduce emissions, noise pollution, health risks and maintenance costs and time. The program aims to remove about a hundred gas-powered polluting tools from yards in the greater Baltimore-Washington region.
The exchanges will take place the weekends of May 17-19, 2024, and May 31-June 2, 2024, at A Few Cool Hardware Stores network of employee-owned Ace Hardware stores in the DC and Baltimore metro areas. To participate and get your free Ego Power+ lawn tool, sign up at https://qrco.de/CAPExchange to reserve your tool and select your trade-in date and location.
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Free Irish Music Concert
Welcoming Spring with music from the Emerald Isle, the New Dominion Choraliers offer a FREE concert on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City.
Joined by Legacy Brass and members of Old
Spring Ceili: An Irish Music Festival
The New Dominion Choraliers of Prince William County and McGrath Morgan Academy of Irish Dance invite you to join them at our Ceili, a grand celebration of Irish music and dance.
A gathering of performance groups throughout Prince William County
