According to the Prince William County Planning Director Chris Price, the economic development piece of the county’s comprehensive plan is a little out of date.
And by a little out of date – we mean that the document was created back in 1993. While little in the document has changed since then, there’s been a lot of change in the county.
“[The comprehensive plan] was substantially written in 1993 and it’s been updated minorly a couple of times. But it has such gems in it as attracting a computer museum…and maybe that made sense at one time…but I have no ability to influence that. That’s really where the economic development chapter of the comprehensive plan should be – can we do the development review process to facilitate economic development,” said Price.
According to Price, the comprehensive plan is a major tool that the Planning Commission uses when looking at permits and plans in the county – including land use in schools, transportation, housing and community design.
“When you look at a community, especially like Prince William County, with almost any discussion you have with folks about planning…economic development and transportation and schools – those are the three really big issues that folks talk about. And economic development almost always rises to the top of that list because they [become] ways to address the other two issues,” Price commented.
What’s missing from the plan
And while there’s areas of the comprehensive plan that are outdated, Price said that there are crucial pieces of the economic development puzzle that makes up Prince William County that are not there at all – including small business.
“Small business has virtually no mention in the comprehensive plan, in the economic development chapter right now – and that needs to change. We have targeted industries we want to bring in, but by and large, economies are much more successful when you’re growing your current economic base…I think a small business section in the [revised] chapter is going to be important,” Price said.
In addition to small business, one area not addressed in the economic development chapter of the comprehensive plan is agricultural related business and tourism.
“We do almost nothing in our policies and our vision to address agri-business, so the rural area has kind of become largely a residential holding place…you have a lot of counties like Loudoun that are really, really aggressive in their agri-business and agri-tourism and they treat it like an economic development sector – we are not,” said Price.
What comes next for the county
According to Price, the county has several opportunities to grow economic development and modify the Planning Commission’s plan, to better reflect the needs of the community.
One thing that Price mentioned was a joint land-use study conducted by the county, in partnership with the Quantico Marine Corps. Base.
“The base is a very significant economic driver in the county, but we’re not taking advantage of it…knowing know what we know about the bases’ existing and future plans on land use…we should be redesigning a land use and infrastructure plan around the Marine Corps. Base – taking strategic advantage of what we know they’re going to be doing,” said Price.
Mixed use land development is one area that Price felt needs to be addressed, given it’s inability to really take off in the county up to this point.
“We could bring mixed use districts all day long, every day, 365 days of the year, if we’re willing to allow residential to be the driver and hope for offices and commercial to come in the future. And that’s a challenge for us. Because we always hear from our advocates that, ‘Let me build the residential. And then at some point in the future, the market will pick up’…people buy into these communities that never come,” said Price.
The Planning Commission will be holding public hearings, so that residents can weigh in on what they feel the future holds and what they want to see in terms of economic development in Prince William County.
Price said that the plan is meant to serve as a 20-year vision for the county.
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