An Alexandria-restaurant chain may be given the opportunity to have a presence on one of the busiest main streets in Prince William County.
Tuesday night, The Occoquan Town Council will hold a public hearing on its plan to extend a lease to a business that will occupy the space at a former visitor center located at 200 Mill Street.
According to town Mayor Earnie Porta, an Alexandria-based restaurant chain that operates two eateries, Live Oak and The Garden, is in talks with the town to open a new location in the government-owned building.
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Town-sponsored events will return to Occoquan for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.
The town, known for its signature spring and fall craft fairs, is planning a series of artisan markets that will take place over three weekends, May 8 and 9, June 5 and 6, July 10 and 11.
The event will be held within River Mill Park's confines, located at the end of Mill Street on the Occoquan River, and will feature a series of vendors set up in the park to display their wares.
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Occoquan aims to postpone a public hearing on a project to bring a seven-story housing development to the riverside.
The hearing at been planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, at Town Hall, 314 Mill Street. The town did not say when the public hearing would be rescheduled.
It did note that the developer, Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Investments would like the public hearing delayed as it works to respond to multiple questions about the project it received from the town and its residents earlier this month.
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The developer behind the Mill at Occoquan, a seven-story mixed-use project that would bring 80 condominiums, retail and restaurant space along the Occoquan River, is sweetening the deal with an offer to purchase and preserve the historic Rockledge Mansion and build the town’s first paid parking garage.
Due to continued restrictions, and for the safety of our volunteers, we are dividing attending groups into time slots.
Pre-registration will be mandatory and time slots will be on a first come first serve basis.
These 30 minute time slots are limited to 10 registrants at a time. By doing so, we avoid standing in line at the signup stations, where gloves, bags, and grabbers will be handed out. Masks will also be mandatory and the 6 feet apart rule applies. Please note the time slots are only for sign in. You can pick up trash until noon.
How do I sign up?
A. Visit our website’s main page to see what time slots are available. friendsoftheoccoquan.org
B. Choose a location and time no later than April 2, 2021 .
C. Email us at [email protected] with the following information:
1. Location/Time Slot
2. First and last names of the volunteers in your group
3. Contact number and email address
4. Do you need a community service letter? Please include your name and mailing address.
Refreshments will be in a grab-and-go style and will include packaged snacks and bottled drinks.
Please wear sturdy shoes and your masks.
There is no rain date for this event. In case of inclement weather please check the FOTO website or Facebook page for updates.
Saturday, April 10, 9 am to noon
Lake Ridge Marina
Contact: Renate Vanegas 703-674-6659
Town of Occoquan
Contact: Julie Little 703-491-2168
Occoquan Regional Park
Contact: Alex Vanegas 703-674-7847
Saturday, April 17, 9 am to noon
Fountainhead Regional Park
Bull Run Marina
Contact: Sonia Monson 703-581-5487
Get out with your family or friends and do your part in keeping the source of our drinking water pristine.
A major development proposed along the Occoquan River took a step closer to reality Tuesday, with the Occoquan Planning Commission voting unanimously to allow zoning exceptions for building height, residential use in a commercial zone, and a setback from the property boundary.
If you park in Occoquan, you're going to need to start minding the time.
On Tuesday, January 5, the Town Council voted to implement a new timed parking program that will be in effect during peak shopping hours, affecting those who shop, dine, live, and work in the tiny riverside town's historic business district. Drivers will be able to park for free but will be limited regarding how long their car may be parked in a space.
The parking restrictions be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, within three parking zones.
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Occoquan is looking for a new tenant to operate a business in what used to be a visitors center.
One of the most important requirements of the deal: The future tenant must keep its bathroom open to the public.
The town aims to lease its building at 314 Mill Street, in the heart of the tiny town's historic district, to a business of its choosing. The town will accept applications from entrepreneurs who want to open up shop in the available 325 square-foot space.
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Occoquan officials aim to put a cap on the amount of time you can park your car in one spot.
The Town Council is looking into a new timed parking program that would allow police to use an electronic handheld scanner to mark your tires’ position and then use the information to see whether the car had been moved in the past three hours.
When the three-hour time limit is up, the driver must move the car to a new space. If the car hasn’t been moved, police could ticket the driver.
The town is considering a three-hour time limit on the most sought-after parking spaces, including the ones on busyMill Street in front of the many shops and restaurants, and an eight-hour time limit on spaces outside the bustling shopping area. Police would enforce the timed parking rules between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and newly installed signage would inform drivers of the imposed time limit.
The system could be in place by February.
In Loudoun County, Middleburg Town already uses a similar timed parking system, which is credited with “creating an atmosphere of movement” in the town that makes it a more inviting place for those who need to park and visit a shop.
“In my 32 years of law enforcement, I’ve never thought about parking as much as I do now,” Middleburg Police Chief A.J. Panebianco. “The system we have here works well.”
Middleburg has 150 timed parking spaces, and Panebianco’s officers wrote 33 tickets for parking violations last year. People usually start parking in town at about 7 a.m. but timed police enforcement doesn’t start until 10 a.m.
Panebianco says the timed parking system was not put in place to generate more parking ticket revenue for the town but, rather, was instituted to create a continuous movement of cars.
“I told the town council I would never try to make them money. That’s not what this is about,” Pinebiaco.
Before Middleburg adopted the timed parking system in 2017, the town instituted a parking study that identified the most in-demand parking spaces and the busiest times of the day when people try and park.
The timed system also prevents commuters from parking their car in the town, located on busy Route 50, and hoping to ride to their work in Northern Virginia or Washington, D.C., said Panebianco.
Middleburg spent about $11,000 on its timed parking system. The handheld scanner used to mark or electronically “chalk” someone’s tires fits onto an officer’s belt and includes a printer to produce a paper ticket on the spot.
Middleburg police have also issued tickets for double-parked cars, safety equipment violations, dead license plates, and issued warnings to drivers that don’t result in a fine.
