Supervisors: Halting action on Rural Crescent a ‘line in the sand’ to developers

Three Prince William County Supervisors today introduced a plan that will be addressed at its regular 7:30 p.m. on October 15.

• It’s something they hinted at on Sept. 16.

Per the plan announced at a rare press conference, any action on developing in the Rural Crescent — 117,000 acres of land between Quantico Marine Corps Base and Manassas National Battlefield Park — would be suspended.

• Supervisors Jeanine Lawson, Peter Candland, and Frank Principi introduced the plan.
• It’s a bi-partisan effort of two Republicans and a Democrat, respectively.

It comes after the county’s Planning Office released its recommendations for how to proceed in the Rural Crescent.

• They include introducing water and sewer lines into the area for the future development of new higher-density, residential “cluster” developments.
• And a transfer of development rights (TDR) program that would allow landowners in the Rural Crescent the option to sell their right to a build on their land to another housing developer.
• That developer then could take those development rights and build on any one of three locations inside the Rural Crescent.
• It’s a far cry from an older proposal that would have sent TDR rights for development on Route 1, in the county’s more urbanized Woodbridge District.
• Many of the recommendations stem from a study of the Rural Crescent, ordered by the Board of County Supervisors in 2012, that’s been collecting dust since 2014.

The only recommendation from the study the three leaders’ support — a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program.

• Here, taxpayer monies would be used to purchase property inside the rural area.
• The land would be placed in a conversation easement and could not be developed.
• The property owner would still keep the land for farming use only.

“It’s absurd to me, the notion that in order to preserve the Rural Crescent, we must develop it,” said Lawson, about the county’s recommendation for adding water and sewer for cluster developments.

Supervisors accused home builders of working to lessen or remove building restrictions in the Rural Crescent since it was created in 1998.

• Under the current rules, landowners can sell to developers who will build new homes — one per 10-acre lot.
• Those who call for preserving the rural area say that it will be an undue burden on taxpayers to fund the construction of new roads, schools, fire stations etc. to accommodate the new growth.

“It’s time to draw a line in the sand and stop all of this out-of-control development,” said Candland.

Principi lost a June Primary Election to fellow Democrat Margaret Franklin, who is now the Democratic nominee for Woodbridge Supervisor’s seat.

• He told Potomac Local today he plans to become a “citizen activist” to promote the urbanization of Woodbridge, especially near its the Virginia Railway Express station at the intersection of Routes 1 and 123.
• He would not confirm what multiple sources told us in August — that he would mount a write-in campaign against Franklin.
• Principi on Sept. 16 cast doubt on Franklin’s desire to preserve the Rural Crescent, calling her political positions “to the extreme left of me.”
• Franklin maintains she’s working to build consensus on how to best preserve the Rural Cresent.

Lawson and Candland are running contested races on November 5 to keep their respective seats in Brentsville and Gainesville.