Residents Rally to Support Recreation and New Traffic Plans

Stafford residents, led by former Hartwood District Supervisor Joe Brito, are rallying ahead of tonight’s Board of Supervisors meeting to advocate for transforming the closed Cannon Ridge Golf Course into a regional historical riverfront park and for transportation impact fees on developers. Brito served as the Hartwood District’s Supervisor from 2006 to 2009.

Tonight’s Board of Supervisors meeting will discuss the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), and proposed Transportation Impact Fees for developers. The board will discuss amending the Capital Improvement Plan to add the TMP as an appendix. The TMP includes projects already in process, like road repairs and safety fixes; short-term projects designed to improve safety and flow, like bike paths and pedestrian walkways; and long-term plans like a new river crossing route. The plan includes just over $1 billion in road projects.

The transportation impact fees were last updated in 2014. The supervisors will discuss amending the fees to include new service areas, update regulations, and adopt new fees. Brito encouraged public comments in favor of transportation impact fees to slow development and offset the burdens created by adding more housing. 

Brito has proposed plans for a regional park and an alternative river crossing for traffic. His  online petition for the park plans has collected over 5,000 signatures supporting the idea of turning the closed Cannon Ridge Golf Course on Route 17 into a regional park that will allow visitors to access the area’s only waterfall, which currently has no public access. Brito noted some local elected  representatives, like Delegate Joshua Cole and Stafford Supervisors Monica Gary, and Deuntay Diggs, have also signed the petition.

Brito’s proposed park plans show the existing paved golf cart trails creating a path that will pass by the waterfall, Hunter’s Iron Works, Hunter’s Island, the Rappahnnock Canal locks, and other historic sites where Civil War soldiers camped, Native Americans resided, and paths along the Underground Railroad. 

He has also drafted a new river crossing proposal, as a means to alleviate traffic congestion and reshape the entrance to Stafford County. The petition for this route has over 4,000 signatures. Brito suggests that having a strategically placed route over the Rappahannock will provide residents alternative routes to avoid heavy traffic on I-95 and Route 1, and will also improve emergency response times by providing a more direct route to Mary Washington Hospital. 

The Cannon Ridge Golf Course property is 193 acres owned by Silver Companies, which was founded in 1941 by Carl D. Silver. Although the company is now headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, it began in the Fredericksburg area developed many of the region’s largest shopping and residential centers: Central Park, Cosner’s Corner, Harrison Crossing, Quantico Corporate Center, and Celebrate Virginia North and South. 

Silver Companies owns the Celebrate Virginia subdivision, which includes the Golf Course, which has been closed since 2018. According to the Stafford’s Active Residential Projects list, another 113 homes are approved but not yet built in the development. The golf course property, 193 acres, is currently assessed at $1.4 million; in 2012, the property was assessed at $2.7 million. Stafford County assessor Bart Stevenson said the golf course is not valued as buildable land, just as open space. Stevenson said if the company submits an application to develop the land, the property can be reassessed.

Brito explained his motivation for preserving more of the area’s history and historical sites comes from watching a nearby property be demolished after a fire. The ruined home was made with stones, and had hidden passageways, a spiral staircase, and even a small moat. Brito said “the demolition of this historic home motivated me to be an advocate for historic preservation and conservation.”

Brito’s proposed park will not only help preserve historical sites, and give the public access to visit them, but will also allow space for events and festivals. He noted the Renaissance Festival has indicated they would like to host their event in the area, but currently there are no grounds large enough. The potential park would preserve Stafford’s rich historical and natural heritage while creating a recreational space for the community.

As the Board of Supervisors considers its priorities, Brito and his supporters hope to show their strong public support for less development, less traffic, and more parks.