‘Ray’s Regarde’ and its 325 new homes in Woodbridge is highly regarded by the Prince William County Planning Commission

WOODBRIDGE — The effort to build 325 new homes at the dead end of Horner Road won approval from the Prince William County Planning Commission.

The development called Ray’s Regarde now needs approval from the county’s Board of Supervisors, which would vote to rezone 55 acres of land from agricultural and suburban land to mixed use. That would clear the way for 300 235 new homes — 175 townhomes and 125 stacked condos, called two-over-two units.

All of the homes will be sold to new owners.

The Planning Commission voted 7-1 to approve the new neighborhood, finding that it fell in line with the county’s comprehensive plan for the Woodbridge development area. Neabsco District Planning Commissioner Edgar Bruce Holley was the dissenting vote and said the development was not a good use of land so close to Interstate 95 and Prince William Parkway.

“I’ll bet you a dollar to doughnuts some idiot is going  to come out of this development and walk across I-95 and get killed,” said Holley.

Other commissioners, like Potomac District’s Rene Fry, said he was opposed to the development due to the additional students it would put in county schools, and to the additional cars it would add to county roads and at the nearby Horner Road Commuter lot — the largest and most utilized lot of its kind in the state. Despite that, he voted to approve.

“This is an infill project. It’s in the development area. I think it’s very nice,” added Gainesville commissioner Richard Berry. “I’m pleased we are planning for school relief before the first occupancy permit is issued.”

The school relief and traffic fixes Berry referred to are part of $11 million in proffers the developer’s lawyer Pete Dolan laid out for commissioners. $4.7 million will be given to the school division to add a new entrance to nearby Kilby Elementary School, and for other projects deemed necessary by the school division.

There’s also $4.4 million in transportation improvements for new sidewalks to connect the new homes to the elementary school, as well as to Prince William Parkway. There’s a roundabout planned to be built at the intersection of Summerland Drive and Horner Road, at the cost of the developer. Also, a second left turn lane will be added form Prince William Parkway onto Summerland Drive.

The improvements to Kilby Elementary School and new roundabout outside the school will be added before the first house is built. The second turn lane will be added after the county issues the 100th occupancy permit for the neighborhood.

Dolan reminded commissioners that this project, first proposed nearly 10 years ago, falls under the state’s old proffer laws that allow the developer to offer cash incentives to the local government for infrastructure improvements.

“Having the school improvements done before the housing is built is pretty significant and unique,” said Dolan.

The developer is also giving 33 acres, about 31% of the land, to the county to preserve as open space or for use as new trails.

There were more people who spoke against the project than for it, and all cited traffic and school overcrowding concerns

“We need more development in Woodbridge, but we don’t need more homes,” said a nearby Richmond Avenue resident.

If the Board of Supervisors approves the project, developers will have to submit a site plan and move ahead with constructing the improvements to Kilby Elementary and the new roundabout by 2019 with the first homeowners moving into the new neighborhood the following year. Dolan said these improvements would make it safer for children to walk and ride the bus to school.

He also addressed complaints about school overcrowding by noting the county has plans to open new middle and high schools in 2020 and 2024, respectively.

Roaches

The 55 acres on which the new neighborhood would be built is the site of an old construction debris landfill.

Those who spoke out against the new development recalled a time back when drilling on the site spurred the invasion of roaches that seemed to rise up from the ground. They invested nearby homes and were a nuisance.

“I’ve been on the commission for so long these cockroaches turned have seemed to turn into nuclear cockroaches. The stories get larger and larger  I’m convinced that these are now bionic cockroaches,” joked Fry.

Mike McLaughlin of SCS Engineers, of Reston, works for the developer and said he knows the site well. About 10 years ago, he did well testing and drilled borings on the site to test for contamination.

He assured commissioners that the cockroach problem that once existed on the site is no more.

“I spoke with the entomologist who was involved in studying the outbreak, and the landfill did not provide enough food for the cockroaches,” said McLaughlin

It’s possible the cockroaches were feeding on a sanity sewer at the site, he added.