Stafford County Administrator Randal Vosburg used a new online tool for polling county supervisors about what type of development they would like to see around the county courthouse.
During a meeting on Thursday, June 8, Vosburg asked supervisors to pick up their smartphones and vote in an electronic poll, asking them to rank in importance the types of businesses they would like to see open on some 2,500 acres of county-owned land, known as the "Downtown Stafford" project.
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During a meeting with members of the Stafford County GOP, Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary said the owners of Aquia Town Center asked her about the prospect of the county purchasing the failed shopping center.
Gary said the county should buy the 27-acre property.
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Stafford County leaders will crack at reversing course on its downtown development project.
During the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 6, three elected leaders -- Crystal Vanuch of Rockhill, Meg Bohmke of Falmouth, and Darrell English of Hartwood -- aim to repeal a zoning decision Supervisors made during a 4-3 vote in June 2021 to allow more than 5,400 homes in Downtown Stafford, an area stretching between the county courthouse and Stafford Hospital.
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The ball is in motion to transform the heart of Stafford County into a livable, walkable downtown.
The Board of Supervisors approved its own request to rezone six acres of land next to the county’s iconic courthouse, clearing the way for 306 new apartments, as well as commercial space for retail stores and restaurants. In a rare move, the Board of Supervisors initiated the rezoning request, which, now that it is approved, allows developers to construct a more densely packed urban development than the original plan of building multiple one-level office buildings.
County leaders hope the development, to be called Fountain Park, will be the catalyst for the much talked about Downtown Stafford project, which aims to create a town center similar to ones found in Loudoun and Prince William counties. Last month, the Board voted to approve a concept for development on an adjacent 23 acres of property the county owns, creating the downtown center.
Nestled between the county government center and courthouse complex and Stafford Hosptial, county leaders envision a new street grid, urban parks, offices, shops, a parking garage, and a new county courthouse to replace the existing 100-year old structure.
“I want my children to have someplace to go,” said Aquia District Supervisor Cindy Shelton, who voted to approve the rezoning.
Hover, the vote divided the Board of Supervisors, which voted 4-3 to approve the measure. Hartwood District Supervisor Gary Snellings, representing the district where the new buildings will be constructed, motioned to deny the rezoning. Garrisonville Distinct Supervisor Mark Dudenehfer offered a substitute motion, overriding Snellings.
“We have had so many hours of discussion on this. I have nothing to add,” said Dudenehfer.
Tom Coen, who represents the rural George Washington District, also voted to approve. He argued for the apartments, saying they’re much needed for those who can’t already afford to live and work in the county and put development inside the county’s urban services area, located along major streets with access to see and water.
“I’m sorry. It’s basic logic. If you don’t want [development in the rural area], you have to put it here,” he said.
Those who opposed the project point to stalled developments in North Stafford, like Aquia Town Center in the Aquia District and The Garrison in the Garrisonville District. The county’s only movie theater, which was located in the former, was demolished and was supposed to have been rebuilt in the latter.
More than five years later, there’s no new movie theater, and promises of constructing new stores and restaurants at the town center have gone unfulfilled.
Without a traffic study, Fountain Park was also approved to determine the effect new residents will have on the county’s already clogged roadways. The county requires similar studies of private developers who seek the Board’s approval for costly rezoning applications.
“Stafford County is a parking lot almost every day,” said Meg Bohmke, representing the Falmouth District.
Before approving the rezoning, the county had already agreed with the owner of the six acres of land, JPI, leaving taxpayers on the hook for about $800,000, whether or not the project was approved. JPI agreed to work with the county to develop its downtown vision, putting its plans to develop the low-level office park on hold.
JPI will provide space for a temporary parking lot. At the same time, a new courthouse is constructed next to the county government center and agreed to make 15 of the more than 300 apartments government-subsidized housing. Meanwhile, the county paid more than $500,000 in land acquisition costs, some of which went to compensate JPI for rents not received after several tenants vacated their properties in anticipation of the county road-widening project at the intersection of Route 1 Courthouse Road.
The Board of Supervisors made its decision on the same day it was sued in court by former Rock Hill District Supervisor Cord Sterling over a records order he said was not fulfilled within the law of the Freedom of Information Act.
Sterling — who argued residents should have an additional 180 days to review the plans for Fountain Park, and the effect the development would have on taxpayers (an estimated $6 million to pay for new government services such and a new fire and rescue station — had his case tossed out for lack of standing, Stafford Circuit Court Judge Victoria B. Willis.
Stafford County officials began talking about the downtown project in earnest in 2018 and have held several public hearings about the complex project in recent months.
Three of the four supervisors who voted in favor of the project will not be returning to the Board next year. Two — Snellings and Dudenhefer — choose not to seek re-election, and Shelton lost a Primary Election bid to former county supervisor Paul Milde, who is the Republican nominee for the seat.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors moved closer to making Downtown Stafford a reality.
Supervisors held a public hearing on Tuesday and then voted four to three to adopt a plan that would conceptualize what the downtown project would look like as well as changes in the plan that would support the development. Also included were revisions to the zoning that would support the project's development.
The project site is located near the county's iconic courthouse, and across from Stafford Hospital.
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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors pumped the breaks on the development of Downtown Stafford, next to the county's iconic courthouse.
It deferred voted on an amendment to the county's comprehensive plan would have given the green light to Downtown Stafford, a development that's been in the works since 2016.
Stafford County Administrator Fred Pressley has asked the Board to rezone the 29 acres of land next to the courthouse, owned by the county and six acres owned by JPI-Fountain Park, Inc. that would be used for the development.
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Stafford County officials have a tall task ahead of them Tuesday.
Supervisors must decide if they're going to amend the county's zoning ordinance to allow more than 1,000 new apartment homes to be built up to five stories tall, next to the county's iconic courthouse.
The project, dubbed Fountain Park, would be the first in the larger, long-talked-about Downtown Stafford development that would extend from the courthouse south to Hospital Center Boulevard and west to Interstate 95.
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The project to connect Stafford County like never before is well underway.
Dubbed "Smart City Test Bed," the project to remake the county into the state's first-ever 5G-connected community is focused on how to reduce traffic, how to predict and detect flooding, and, maybe someday, guide a tourist to get a juicy hamburger at a locally-owned restaurant.
"Smart is bigger than technology," said Stafford County Economic Development Director John Holden.
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STAFFORD — The Board of Supervisors met Tuesday, August 14 to discuss the idea of a “Downtown Stafford.”
Such a development centered around the county’s iconic courthouse could provide an identity for the Stafford community. It’s location would be across the street from the courthouse and across from the County Government Center.
Stafford currently has limited locations for restaurants and retail stores. Downtown Stafford has the potential to create a vibrant downtown.
“I’ve talked to people in Loudoun County and other areas in Northern Virginia and they have told me that the reason they live up there is because there’s nothing like what they have in Stafford,” Supervisor Cindy Shelton said.
The county has yet to see a true mixed-use center with both residential and retail space. Aquia Town Center in North Stafford has more than 400 apartment but no new businesses or restaurants.
The Garrison at Stafford on Garrisonville Road, which more than two years ago was billed as the county’s first would-be true mixed-use center with residential and commercial space, anchored by a new movie theater and grocery store has yet to launch.
“We fear more apartments here in Stafford,” Garrisonville Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer said, noting they are a financial drain on county resources. “There were 350 emergency calls to 400 apartments at the Aquia Town Center.”
At the envisioned Downtown Stafford, the plan is to put retail stores and restaurants on the first floor and build three or four stories of apartments above each building.
There is no exact number of how many buildings will be constructed but the county does own 25 acres of property to build the buildings.
The Board’s wishlist for Downtown Stafford includes
• Walkability
• Open public space
• A small “green” area
• A main-street layout for a shopping center
• Close housing
• A moderately-sized parking lot
“We need a hook,” Supervisor Gary Snellings said. “I live in south Stafford, if I want to go out to eat I’m not gonna drive all the way up to Downtown Stafford, I’m going to go down to Fredericksburg where there are 200 restaurants. If I want a t-shirt, I’m going to go to Macy’s or Belk at the [Spotsylvania Towne Center]. We need that hook like an ice skating rink or a cultural center.”
During the initial phase of construction, there will be 330 housing units, 92,000 ground square feet for retail, 38,000 ground square feet of office space, and 35,000 ground square feet for entertainment. There will also be 1,210 parking spaces.
During the second phase of construction, the county plans to approve 25-80 housing units, up to 25,000 ground square feet of office and retail space. 50,000 ground square feet will be added for civic purposes.
County officials say this project needs to be different from the rest.
“If this is just a development, there’s no point to this,” County Administrator Tom Foley said. “This has to be different than a development.”
There are also plans to add a movie theater and bowling alley in the envisioned downtown plan.
