Potomac District is Born

Prince William County, Va. –– The political redistricting process in Prince William is a done deal for locally elected officials.

The county supervisors unanimously adopted a modified plan Tuesday night at will mandate magisterial districts for the next 10 years.

A major portion of the plan affected the Potomac Communities:

-The Dumfries Magisterial District was renamed to the Potomac Magisterial District.

-The River Oaks neighborhood remains in the Woodbridge District.

-Boundary lines were redrawn to include Freedom High School back in the Woodbridge District, after it was moved into to the Neabsco District.

-Occoquan was moved back into the Occoquan Magisterial District, after a previous plan had moved the small town into the Woodbridge District.

-The County Center development across from the Prince William County Government Center was moved back into the Neabsco District.

-The Saunders precinct was moved back into the Coles District.

Prior to adopting this redistricting plan that has seven magisterial districts and a target population of 57,429 residents in each district, county officials considered a map with eight districts. Popularity for the plan waned as residents learned it would cost at least $ 1 million to establish a new district.

And when it came to renaming the Dumfries Magisterial District to Potomac, which is located near the river itself, the elected of the leaders of the Town of Dumfries (which is independent from the magisterial district) all balked at the idea.

But supervisors and residents who live in the district liked the idea, and were urged in 2002 to change the name of the district.

“This was not some willy-nilly thing that was dreamt of by any member of this board, the urban development institute suggested that we start to connect as we start to develop the route 1 corridor, that we start to make the connection between the river front and other beautiful features that we have in the county and try to highlight those,” said Board Chairman Corey Stewart.

Stewart’s office also reached a consensus with the NAACP and the Human Rights Commission who last week protested a proposed movement of the River Oaks neighborhood into what is now the Potomac District.

Because the county is forbidden to ratify its own redistricting plan by the 1964 Voters Rights Act, the plan must now go to the U.S. Department for final approval.

By law, supervisors every 10 years must evaluate the magisterial districts to account for population change.

In the past 10 years, Prince William County’s population has grown by 43 percent, from 280,813 to 402,002, according to census data.