The Rural Crescent discussion is back, and time is running out for the current Board of County Supervisors to act

WOODBRIDGE — A study of the rural area of Prince William County, and how to preserve it, has been collecting dust for five years.

The “Rural Preservation Study” in 2014 attracted residents who live in the western rural area of the county, dubbed the “rural crescent.” Many want to cash out and sell their land to housing developers. The meetings also drew conservationists who, on the opposite end of the spectrum, want to preserve the rural character of the county and leave it as is.

After hearing from both sides, some of the recommendations from the study include building new homes on the land in “cluster” developments, where homes are concentrated on a small percentage of the land while the larger portion of the land is preserved.

The study also suggested Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs which allow the owner of a property in the rural area to transfer or sell their development rights to a housing developer or local government, subsequently.

Much of the county’s rural area is located in the Brentsville Magisterial District, and District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson supports a PDR program that would use public funds to buy development rights from landowners. If purchased, the landowner can keep the property, and farm it, but the land can never be developed.

The PDR program could be paid for by a mixture of state funds and monies from the county’s general fund, she said.

“The landowner gets to keep their property and the land is preserved. I can’t think of a better compromise. If they really are for preserving the rural area, then members of this [Board of County Supervisors] need to put their money where their mouth is,” said Lawson.

Board of County Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey Stewart has not supported using public funds to pay for land that will never be developed. He says developers should be able to develop in the Rural Crescent with higher densities, on one or one and half-acre lots, while leaving the majority of the land preserved.

Today, homes may be built by-right (without any local government involvement) on 10-acre lots. That, in many cases, creates narrow property lines, and, if left unchecked, could lead to single-family homes dotting the landscape in the rural area.

But now, Prince William County staff members are ready to reignite the conversation about the Rural Preservation study and are planning a public meeting to solicit feedback.

The purpose of the meeting is to create a vision and plans for implementing recommendations from the Rural Preservation Study that will help the county accomplish that vision. The vision and recommendations will ultimately be presented to the Board of County Supervisors for consideration as part of the recommended updates to the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

The meeting will be held on Monday, June 24, 2019, from 5-8 p.m. at the Development Services Building, which is located at 5 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192.

The meeting comes as the current Board of County Supervisors, with its members who have been a part of the policy discussion for so many years, is set to change next year. Four of the eight members of the Board won’t return, and those who will fill the seats won’t have the institutional knowledge of the issue.

Lawson said it could be next year before the Board decides what to do about the county’s rural area.

“I would be for pushing a vote on the matter this year, under the current Board, but I’m not sure there’s enough time left in the year,” said Lawson.