As Prince William approaches half a million people, it starts planning for the next 20 years

WOODBRIDGE — Residents on Tuesday night attended the first of three open house events focused on drafting the next Prince William County Comprehensive Plan.

Officials are seeking input from residents about its 2040 comprehensive plan which is the “long-term” vision for the county that lays out the levels of services.

Rebecca Horner, Prince William’s Planning Director, said the comprehensive plan is a 20-year document updated every 10 years. When the plan is updated, it is a way for the county to “make sure we’re staying in line” with what Prince William residents want.

Multifaceted plan 

The sparsely-attended event that was advertised on the county’s website was held in the Development Services Building at 5 County Complex off Prince William Woodbridge from 6 to 8 p.m. Stations were set up around the Development Services building that housed booths which were manned by staff from sections of facilities that are part of the comprehensive plan, such as mobility, libraries, technology and connectivity, and parks, recreation, and tourism, among others.

Horner explained that the comprehensive plan looks at facilities needed for the county – things like how many police officers, fire and rescue staff, response time, and parks per person. The plan will deal with how many police officers Prince William County will need, and then how to house them.

“It’s very map based,” Horner said.

She said that the plan is formulated by using “smart growth” principles, land use knowledge, and engaging the public.

The comprehensive plan is different from the strategic plan- which is updated by the Board of County Supervisors every five years. The strategic plan is more “short-term,” Horner explained, and the comprehensive plan is long-term.

The county’s population is nearing half a million people, and last year surpassed Virginia Beach to become the second-most populated locality in Virginia behind Fairfax County.

For those not able to attend the events, or who wish to add more comments or get updates about the plan, the County developed an app which it hopes residents will use to get real updates about the plan and to submit feedback during the process. Instructions on how to download the app are on the county’s website.

Horner says the app can help implement the idea of a “smart community” where the county can deliver services through technology. She says the app can be a “model for the county” – such as providing a way to give residents real-live data from commuter parking lots.

This is linked to the “Technology and Connectivity” section of the comprehensive plan, which used to be called Telecommunications, but has been renamed due to the current technological climate.

“This is more aspirational,” Horner said.

Horner said that she would like to see open data for the county one day, where the landing page would be the county website – primarily in under-served areas. This way, people can get information from the county about the services they need.

At the Technology and Connectivity booth, Rob Mancini, the county’s chief information officer, said about open data for the county, that “it’s not a question of if, [it’s] a question of when” it will happen. The county is working on capabilities now and is working on moving the county to the cloud.

Scott Meyer, from the planning office, said the night was “successful.” He said a lot of people have been stopping by and understanding the “value and importance” of their contributions to the comprehensive plan.

Tom Garrity, Deputy District Commander for the Prince William County police, was at the Safe, Secure Communities booth along with Tom Pulaski, Division Commander for Financial and Technical Services for the police.

Garrity said that “it’s always great to have someone involved in the community.”

He mentioned that citizen feedback is appreciated for things such as the expanding police training facility and the animal shelter.

“We’ve always worked with the community,” Garrity said. “It’s a partnership.”

Prince William resident Kim Hosen, Executive Director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance, was one of the citizens who attended the event.

“This provided a good opportunity to learn about the current comprehensive plan, and to interact with the planners,” Hosen said.

Horner adds the comprehensive plan is the “primary policy document” that the planning commission uses when deciding zoning cases for new construction and development.

She emphasized the importance of community participation.

“I would hope that more people would come out and participate,” said Horner.

The Board of County Supervisors has the final say 

The plan is in the early public feedback stage. Afterward, a draft of the new plan will go to a work session in the planning department, then a planning session, where they will put the draft on the county website and the app so the public can continue to comment.

Ultimately, the Board of County supervisors has the final say on the comprehensive plan.

As for costs, Horner explained the comprehensive plan has all been done in-house so far. The one exception is that they have been hiring consultants to work on the small area plans, which Horner explained are “specific ideas for how an area will develop” in which they want a “higher level of planning” because those are “areas where the board wants to direct” growth. Those cost figures were not immediately provided.

The last comprehensive plan was made in 2008, which Horner said is this year’s “baseline” they are working from. Most of the 2008 plan will carry over to this next one.

“It’s a good plan,” Horner said.

She added many points of the 2008 plan might carry over to the new one.

“I’m hoping by end of next year we will have completed all the chapters,” Horner said.

If you are interested in attending one of the open houses, there are two more events.

These are:
• Tuesday, November 13, George Mason University: Science and Technology Campus – Beacon Hall, 10945 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Virginia 20109

• Wednesday, November 14, NVCC Regional Center for Workforce Education and Training, 2675 College Drive, Woodbridge, Virginia 22191

For those who cannot attend, the app is free and easy to use.

In 2028, the county will develop its 2050 plan.