By Uriah Kiser
Dumfries, Va. — Officials said a name change could transform the image of one of the area’s rapidly aging communities.
Dumfries officials met with Prince William Potomac District Supervisor Maureen Caddigan — whose magisterial district borders includes the town — on Wednesday and discussed changing the name of the Williamstown subdivision.
It’s a neighborhood of townhomes east of U.S. 1 that over the years has seen a wave of investors scoop up properties and turn them into rental homes.. Officials said renters aren’t known for improving the value of their homes the same way home owners do and property values in Williamstown have fallen in recent years.
The area is also known for its crime.
“I’m just wondering…has anybody ever thought of changing the name of Williamstown? Because it has a stigma and sometimes when that happens and the name of a neighborhood is changed the stigma goes away,” said Caddigan.
Dumfries Town Manager Daniel Tabor said a name change would have to be voted on by Williamstown’s Home Owner’s Association. Because a certain percentage of homeowners would have to present at a meeting, and because many who own homes here would rather rent them out than live in the neighborhood, getting them all in the same room for a vote could be challenging.
“I think it’s an excellent idea. It’s not something I’ve really thought about, but the town council’s meeting with the HOA is coming up and that’s something we can talk about,” said Tabor.
Dumfries officials point to a renovation at the old Melrose Gardens Apartment Complex at Purvis Drive and Graham Park Road, just blocks from an entrance to Williamstown. Now simply known as The Melrose, officials said the name change attracted a new, more amiable kind of tenant.
Williamstown was built the mid-1970s when much of Prince William County was experiencing an initial growth of commuters who were moving to the area to live and work.
“When Williamstown was built, it was all young professionals,” remarked Dumfries Interim Mayor Nancy West.
Caddigan said the name change could attract a new wave of homeowners that could choose to live in and share a vested interest in the neighborhood, subsequently reducing crime.
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