Prince William County residents are invited to attend a Multi-District Town Hall on Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. Supervisors Yesli Vega, Tom Gordy, and Bob Weir of the Coles, Brentsville, and Gainesville districts will lead a discussion on community safety and the proposed Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance.
The event, which will occur at Unity Reed High School near Manassas, is designed to allow residents to voice their concerns, ask questions, and gain a deeper understanding of the proposed ordinance.
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Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin led the groundbreaking ceremony today for the new segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail at Featherstone Wildlife Refuge. Addressing community members and representatives from various agencies, Franklin emphasized the significance of this project in enhancing local recreation and connectivity.
Franklin highlighted the collaborative efforts that made this new trail segment possible, involving Virginia Railway Express, the Virignia Department of Transportation, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “This project represents the strong collaboration efforts for which our community is known,” Franklin said. She outlined the trail’s features, including approximately one mile of natural surface trails, 1,100 linear feet of wetland boardwalk, and two pedestrian bridges that navigate delicate ecosystems.
The construction, with a budget of $3.5 million, includes funds from ARPA, development proffers, and the NVTA. Franklin expressed pride in the county’s commitment to expanding the trail network and meeting the high demand for recreational trails among residents. “I look forward to returning to its grand opening,” she added, underscoring the community’s anticipation for the completed trail.
The Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail within Prince William County aims to link several parks and historic sites across 20 miles, enhancing the county’s identity as a destination for outdoor activities. This segment will connect Leesylvania State Park to Belmont Bay, further integrating the county’s scenic and wildlife areas into the broader trail network.
The trail stretches from the mouth of the Potomac River at the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia to the Allegheny Highlands in Pennsylvania and became part of the National Scenic Trail system of the National Park Service in 1983.
A town hall meeting is scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, August 6, 2024, to discuss the proposed development of 300 new homes at Belmont Bay in Woodbridge. The conference, hosted by developer Miller & Smith, will occur at 7 p.m. at The Osprey Community Building, 401 Belmont Bay Drive, Woodbridge.
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair At-large Deshundra Jefferson and Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin will attend the event to inform residents about the development project and offer a platform for community feedback.
Dr. Jack Kooyoomjian, President of the Lake Ridge-Occoquan-Coles Civic Association (LOCCA), emphasized the importance of resident participation in this Open House to ensure the developers hear community concerns and suggestions.
Residents of Belmont Bay are encouraged to attend to learn more about the project and to have their questions addressed by representatives from Miller & Smith. The developers will present details about the new homes and gather input from the community regarding the proposal.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors has granted Mystikos Armament, LLC a Special Use Permit (SUP).
The permit allows the company to produce firearms within a home-based business in Nokesville. The permit applies to a home on Boley Place within the A-1 Agricultural Zoning District.
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Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part story focused on Prince William Board of County Supervisor At-large Deshundra Jefferson's first 100 days in office. Read part one here.
In the wake of the contentious PW Digital Gateway project and ongoing debates surrounding the Meals Tax, Chair At-large Deshundra Jefferson of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors faces a series of complex decisions as county leaders leave their honeymoon phase and begin on the next three and a half years of their term.
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Prince William County’s Board of Supervisors easily approved the fiscal year 2025 budget with a few changes on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to take effect on July 1.
Following the April 16 budget markup meeting, the supervisors unanimously approved almost everything on the docket. Notably, the board set the real estate tax rate at 92 cents per $100 assessed value. Multiple supervisors stated that this decision was made to balance the tax burden on residents with data centers.
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Company and county government leaders gathered today for a groundbreaking ceremony at 13710 Dabney Road in Woodbridge for Belmont Logistics, a planned Class A industrial complex with three buildings totaling 416,000 square feet on 37 acres. The construction represents a $110 million capital investment in e-commerce logistics infrastructure and is the only new industrial space delivering in 2024 along Northern Virginia’s I-95 corridor, a press release states.
The development will reshape an area next to Belmont Bay, an enclave at the confluence of the Potomac and Occoquan rivers, and a wildlife refuge. The industrial land includes several auto shops, an ironworks, and a towing firm.
Developer IDI is the same firm behind nearby Rivergate, the housing development on the Occoquan River, just off Route 1.
“I’m very proud to say that we have been a leader in the economic revitalization of North Woodbridge over those 20 years, said IDI Managing Director Enrique Cecchi.
The flexible warehouse facilities will be contained within three tilt-up concrete buildings to be built in two phases over five years. The first phase, a 110,000-square-foot warehouse on nine acres, is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with the remainder of the project to be completed in 2028.
The re-development of the current site will expand setbacks from Dawson Beach Road, creating a landscape buffer. The location will offer 540 parking spaces and approximately 40 trailer parking spaces, with Phase 2 including an additional 55,000 square feet of outdoor storage space.
“I started on the [Prince William Board of County Supervisors] in 2019; we had a lot of hope for what this district could be. When I was running for office in 2019, I talked about revitalizing Route 1,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin. “I’ll be honest in saying I didn’t realize how easy it would be. Honestly, a lot of you all were invested into starting your project on this corridor, and I really appreciate it.”
Belmont Logistics is the latest Woodbridge project by The IDI Group Companies, the firm behind the successful development of multifamily residential communities Rivergate North and Viridium, as well as the future Riverside Crossing town center, all in North Woodbridge.
“This type of development is vital to support economic growth in the region,” said IDI Managing Director Enrico Cecchi. “We anticipate that its scope and connectivity to the region will make it an ideal choice for companies needing a pivotal location for e-commerce, with its easy access to transportation and other services they
require,” he added.
“I will just reiterate that, and I look around and I see room for lots of data centers. And I want to thank you for not building a data center here,” Prince William Chamber of Commerce Director Robert Sweeney said to Cecchi. “I talked to the county demographer two weeks ago, and he said that this county is going to grow by 200,000 people over the next 15 years, and 90% of them are going to be here in eastern Prince William County. So I think now is the time to build.”
Prince William County Economic Development Director Christina Winn says it’s a greater challenge to redevelop an existing industrial property over an open space.
“It’s more risky. It costs more versus going to a greenfield site because you definitely have a lot more that you’ve got to deal with because there’s already things in place, meaning and infrastructure,” said Winn.
Alan Gloss documented this event for Potomac Local.
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The Prince William County Board of County Supervisors voted to reallocate nearly $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) coronavirus relief funds from CASA — a local organization that helps immigrants new to the U.S. following an audit of the county revealing improper expenditure (not affiliated with the local non-profit Court Appointed Special Advocates).
Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin sought a 90-day deferral, but the motion failed. Franklin pushed to give $2 million to CASA in 2022 to build an immigrant welcome center in Woodbridge.
According to information obtained by FOIA, the county hired RSM to audit CASA and found $306,000 in expenditures submitted by CASA for reimbursement; $ 197,000, or 64% of the expenditures, was deemed unallowable by RSM. The specific details of the testing, findings, and observations were communicated to CASA leadership by the County in August 2023 and February 2024.
Due to challenges in adhering to required procurement guidelines and a slow rate of providing eligible expenditures, with only approximately $109,000 expended out of nearly 20 months since July 2022, the recommendation is to reallocate $1.5 million of the CASA allocation to other pressing, ARPA-eligible programs, projects, and services.
Franklin motioned to defer the reallocation to allow CASA and county staff time to address concerns. However, Gainesville District Supervisor Bob Weir opposed the motion, highlighting the urgent need to comply with federal guidelines and deadlines for fund allocation. Ultimately, the motion failed with a vote of 2-5, leading to further discussions on fund reallocation.
Subsequently, Franklin proposed an amendment to allow CASA to retain $800,000 of the funds, citing an updated plan submitted by the organization. However, concerns were raised regarding the eligibility of specific organizations to receive funds directly. County Executive Christopher Shorter clarified the process, indicating that funds were distributed through the Northern Virginia Food Rescue to maximize impact and adherence to federal guidelines.
Amid deliberations, Gainesville District Supervisor Weir proposed a revised motion that won the day: Reallocate about $2 million, providing $190,000 to the Northern Virginia Food Rescue for food distribution and related administrative costs, allocating $100,000 for the community to purchase additional food inventory for community feeding, and supporting the Community Safety Initiative with $270,400 for the development of community-centric safety strategies.
Additionally, $100,000 is allocated to the Human Services Alliance of Prince William County, emphasizing community violence prevention and intervention. The motion also involves transferring and budgeting an additional $1.4 million to the Capital Projects Fund for additional costs associated with the courthouse renovation project in Manassas.
Franklin, and Neabsco Distirct Supervisor Victor Angry voted no.
Several CASA members sat in the Board Chambers as the elected officials deliberated. “I would simply say, reach out to our offices and please come by and have conversations of where we go from here,” said Franklin before they exited the room.
Margaret Franklin received $5,125 from CASA and seeks the Democratic Party nomination for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District. Virginia’s 7th District, including eastern Prince William County, Stafford County, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg City, King George, Caroline, Culpeper, Madison, Greene, and Orange counties. The seat is held by Abigail Spanberger (D), who is instead running to replace Glenn Youngkin as Virginia Governor in 2025.
Newly-seated At-large Chair DeShundra Jefferson said her vote to reallocate the funding was not a political decision. “This is a policy vote, it is not a political vote. And I have tried very hard to keep politics out of the board chambers. I respect the work that Casa is doing, and I respect your mission,” said Jefferson. “However, I will be voting to reallocate the money simply because I have concerns about the timeframe. Again, this is not how I want to start a relationship, but we will continue to work together.”
“I support CASA. I’m proud to have the welcome center in my district, and I’m proud of the work that CASA does for our community. Again, as was said before, these are federal dollars that have very specific uses for them,” said Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye, who collected $55,794 in campaign donations from the organization.
CASA has provided campaign donations to only progressive Democrats in state and local politics in Virginia. Tuesday’s vote comes amid a history of tension between CASA and certain board members, stemming from contentious issues such as immigration policies.
On June 16, 2020, a Board of County Supervisors meeting was notably disrupted by CASA members, marking a significant moment of tension between the organization and Republican board members, including Supervisor Yesli Vega and former Supervisor Jeanine Lawson. CASA members said Vega — the first elected Hispanic member of the county board —  “is the devil,” and told her “zip your mouth,” following Vega’s support for the federal 287(g) program at the county jail that had been used to identify illegal aliens charged with a crime.
Rick Canizales, the county’s Director of Transportation, outlined the scope of the improvements during a recent briefing. “We are focused on transforming Route 1 into a more efficient and safer corridor for all users, including motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. This includes widening portions of the road, upgrading traffic signals, and adding pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks,” Canizales explained.
Among the notable projects is the widening of Route 1 from Featherstone Road to Mary’s Way, which has been underway for several years and aims to alleviate congestion along this busy section. New pedestrian crosswalks and upgraded traffic signals are also being introduced to enhance safety and accessibility for non-motorized road users.
Supervisor Margaret Franklin, representing the Woodbridge District, emphasized the community benefits of these projects. “Improvements along Route 1 are critical for our community’s growth and wellbeing. These projects not only address current traffic and safety concerns but also lay the groundwork for future development and connectivity in the area,” Franklin said.
The Route 1 Corridor improvements are part of a broader strategy by Prince William County to modernize its transportation infrastructure and support sustainable growth. With these projects, the county aims to improve its residents’ quality of life and ensure its transportation network’s long-term viability.
“Each project within the Route 1 Corridor is designed with the community in mind. From reducing traffic congestion to enhancing pedestrian safety, our goal is to create a more livable, accessible, and environmentally friendly corridor,” Canizales added.
As these projects progress, county officials engage with the community to gather input and address concerns. The improvements along Route 1 reflect Prince William County’s commitment to creating a more connected and sustainable transportation system that meets the needs of its diverse population.
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