Study suggests eastern Prince William needs more IT, government contractors. In the west, it’s healthcare.

WOODBRIDGE — A top economic development department official continues to push Prince William County leaders to buy up private land in along busy Route 1.

Jeff Kaczmarek, the outgoing county Economic Development Director, to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to do a similar deal it nearly 20 years ago, when the county spent $8.5 million on 500 acres of land on which sits Innovation Park, now home to George Mason University Science and Technology Campus, the FBI, and 2 Silos Brewing.

To date, that investment has yielded $990 million as the county sold portions of the land to private firms looking to house corporate offices. That kind of public-private investment could pay off dividends for the county if done in the east, he said.

There are multiple opportunities along the Route 1 corridor to purchase “brown spots” such as old suburban shopping centers and redeveloping the land ahead of the growth boom Amazon is expected to bring to the region in the next 10 years when it opens its second headquarters in Arlington.

“The biggest opportunity is buying land,” said Kaczmarek. “It has to be a public-private partnership to pull this off.”

Once the county owns the land, the Board of Supervisors could set incentives for companies to move in and redevelop it. His suggestion comes as Supervisors Maureen Caddigan and Frank Principi, of the Potomac and Woodbridge Magisterial Districts, respectively, have spent years pushed Kaczmarek for economic development projects in their neighborhoods along Route 1.

Citing the Innovation Park investment, Kaczmarek said “That’s an example of patient and strategic investment that has paid off. We can do the same thing in eastern Prince William, as well.”

While no one is talking about specific parcels to buy in the east, or how much any of this would cost, the Board on November 20 was made privy to the results of a targeted industries study it approved more than a year ago. The study, first conducted in the early 1990s, identified which industry sectors county leaders should pursue and to offer tax breaks.

Making the updated list:

• Information Communication Technologies
• Life Science
• Federal Government contracting
• Logistics and supply chain

The updated study recommends only focusing on advanced manufacturing, another targeted sector, only when it overlaps the life science or government contracting areas.

Breaking it down by neighborhood 

The study suggests adding a healthcare category to couple with the life sciences and information technology areas, said Kaczmarek. The Route 29 corridor in Gainesville is a good place for healthcare firms, which would join other county healthcare providers at Sentara Northern Virginia and Novant/UVA medical centers,  and a soon-to-open Kaiser Permanente office in Haymarket.

The area around the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express station, often referred to as North Woodbridge, is ripe for Federal Government Contractors, the study notes. It suggests increasing the amount of commercial zoning in the area for information technology (non-data centers) and healthcare firms.

Today, two large suburban shopping centers sit in that area:

• Station Plaza — home to HiMart and Astoria Pizza
• Gordon Plaza — a largely empty plaza that blocks the view and access to the Occoquan River

Further south in Triangle, where county officials spent $68 million to widen Route 1 from four to six lanes at the entrance of Quantico Marine Corps Base, the study suggests the area needs more Class A commercial office space but would be ideal for government contracting.

Throughout the rest of the county, the study suggests for the following areas:

• Dale City — more commercially zoned land for information technology (non-data centers) and life sciences
• Independent Hill — Increase commercial zoning for logistics and supply chain, information technology, logistics, and advanced manufacturing
• Innovation Park — recommends continued development of the area for all sectors except for logistics and Federal Government Contracting, as the lack of a plan to extend Metro to Manassas, and its location away from Quantico and Fort Belvoir make it a tough sell

The study also examined what to with the Prince William County Fairgrounds. Information technology companies and advanced manufacturing would be a good fit for the site, which sits on the doorstep of Manassas City.

Potomac Local broke the news that 2019 could be the final year for the 70-year-old county fair because the fairgrounds shareholders have voted to sell the property, most likely to a private developer.

While there’s been no word yet on who is interested in the property, officials say its never too early to begin the discussion.

“Isn’t a smart thing to recognize what might happen and start talking about it now?” Kaczmarek told Potomac Local.

The study listed these positives about Prince William County:

• Favorable tax climate
• Rich population (nearly a half-million people)
• Low crime and good quality of life

The county scored negatively when it comes to attracting and retaining a workforce. The study compared Prince William to the following counties:

• Fairfax County, Va.
• Loudoun County, Va.
• Chester County, Pa. (near Philadelphia)
• Forsyth County, Ga. (near Atlanta)
• Warren County, Ohio (near Cincinnati)

Kaczmarek retires

Kaczmarek will retire after six years at the chief of the county’s economic development office. He’s spent a total of 48 years working in economic development.

He told Supervisors that, after he’s retired, he’d be watching how the county develops the study’s recommended changes from his home in Arizona.

Deputy County Executive Chris Price will serve as interim economic development director while a search for a permanent replacement is found.