The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has approved the use of condemnation and quick-take powers to acquire properties needed for the Route 1 road widening project between Brady’s Hill Road in Dumfries and Route 234.
The project will expand Route 1 northbound into a six-lane divided roadway while converting the southbound portion (Main Street) into a two-lane road. The total budget for the project is $19.4 million, funded through federal, state, and regional Northern Virginia transportation sources.
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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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Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed Hoadly Square development.
The meeting will address the request to rezone approximately 56 acres of land between Hoadly Road and Prince William Parkway near Woodbridge. The developer, JR Real Estate Group, submitted the rezoning request to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in January 2024.
The town hall will follow an open house format, beginning Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Prince William County Government Center, 5 County Complex (the green-tinted building), with the opportunity for attendees to visit information stations. These stations allow residents to interact with county staff and the developer’s representatives. A community discussion led by Boddye will follow from 7:10 to 8 p.m.
JR Real Estate Group seeks to rezone the land from its current agricultural designation to a Planned Mixed Residential District (PMR). The proposed development includes 432 residential units, including 64 multifamily units, 216 stacked multifamily units, and 152 single-family attached units. The project also includes several development waivers and modifications, including a height modification.
The subject property is located north of Hoadly Road and west of the Prince William Parkway. It is 645 feet west of the intersection of Hoadly Road, Galveston Court, Ridgefield Village Drive, and a Harris Teeter grocery store.
JR Real Estate Group is represented by the law firm Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley, and Walsh, with Jonelle Cameron as the lead representative. Land Design Consultant’s Inc. serves as the project’s engineer. The firm has several development projects in Prince William and Spotsylvania counties.
Supervisor Boddye has invited constituents to RSVP for the meeting to ensure adequate seating and to submit questions or comments for discussion during the event.
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Opened in the Coles District, the $54.9 million project was fully funded by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The project was first considered in 2019 and under contract in 2020, according to Department of Transportation Director Rick Canizales.
Coles District County Supervisor Yesli Vega attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 25 and was excited about the new bridge.
“I always refer to my district as the heart of Prince William County. You cannot connect the east and the west without the Coles District. This is a project that has been long overdue and in the making,” Vega said.
Prince William County Trails and Blueways Council Coles District Representative Joe Marshall said he was excited about the new bridge because it now presents a safer option for pedestrians.
“Biking over this pedestrian bridge is so much better than dodging traffic coming off of a high-speed roadway,” Marshall said. “This is an awesome bridge and hopefully the first of several needed throughout the county to realize the mobility trail network in the county’s comprehensive plan. I believe my neighbors and I, and many in the county, will feel the benefits of this intersection for years to come.”
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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The Board of County Supervisors awarded a contract to Verizon to expand high-speed internet access throughout the county in an effort to reduce the percentage of county residents without it. According to a county press release, the goal is to reduce the number of residents without access to less than 1.5%.
A National Institute of Health study shows that between 2018 and 2022, 96% of Prince William County residents had high-speed access; in comparison to counties in the Northern Virginia region, Prince William ranks among Fairfax City and Fairfax County (96%), Falls Church City (97%), Loudon County (96%) and Manassas City (96%).
“This project brings us one step closer to ensuring that every county resident and business has access to high-speed internet and represents a real commitment to resolve chronic issues of technology access, a?ordability and literacy across the county,” Board of County Supervisors Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson said.
The county released an interactive map to show the status of the project. There are dozens of active construction sites in Manassas, Catharpin and Haymarket, along with various sites in Triangle in the planning phase.
The Board allocated $1.35 million in funding from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding from the federal government, which was an effort to revitalize communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project also comes out of the Department of Information Technology’s (DoIT) 2020 initiative, the Technology Inclusion Initiative, to increase access to high-speed internet to reduce threats to residents and local businesses.
Residents and businesses can submit a request form to demonstrate interest in gaining internet access through this program.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved a Special Use Permit for a new Starbucks near Dumfries.
The coffee shop will replace an old Ruby Tuesday restaurant. The permit allows a drive-through facility in connection with a by-right restaurant and associated sign modifications in the B-1 General Business zoning district. The project was praised for being a veteran-owned business.
The site is located at 17050 Richmond Highway, about 150 feet south of the intersection of Richmond Highway and Pine Bluff Road. It is designated MU-4, a Mixed-Use Community in the Comprehensive Plan, and is within the Southbridge Activity Center Special Planning Area. The site is zoned B-1, General Business, Highway Corridor Overlay, Agritourism, and Arts Overlay District.
The Prince William County Planning Commission recommended approval of the project on May 8, 2024. County staff also recommended approval.
Potomac Distirct Supervisor Bailey expressed strong support for the project. “Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this item’s behalf, as it will be one of the largest veteran-owned Starbucks in the mid-Atlantic. So I’m very proud to say that,” said Bailey.
Brentsivlle Supervisor Tom Gordy also voiced support, appreciating the applicant’s commitment to the veteran community. “I just wanted to thank the applicant for their support for our Marines and our veterans. This is going to be a veterans-focused store, and I just wanted to offer my appreciation for making that commitment and extending that appreciation to our vast 40,000-strong veteran community in Prince William County, as well as the thousands of Marines that are stationed at Quantico,” said Gordy.
Happy Monday, Prince William County!
Welcome to my series of Board of County Supervisors previews, where I preview each Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting so you know what’s going on, what to listen for, and how to talk about it later.
This is the last meeting of the summer before the Board goes on recess for the summer. The next meeting will be Sept. 3 at 2 p.m.
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Important links
Key agenda items
Public safety funds for the Solheim Cup
The 19th Solheim Cup, a women’s professional golf team competition that’s expected to bring in $60 million for the region, will be held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville in September, and staff is recommending the Board appropriate $2 million for public safety operations during the tournament.
Staff estimated $2 million of safety support costs across the police and Fire & Rescue departments, Public Safety Communications and the Office of Emergency Management for personnel, equipment and contracted services, in the case of OEM.
$5 million was appropriated earlier this year by the Virginia General Assembly in the state budget to sponsor the event.
“The Virginia Tourism Authority shall use these funds to 1) promote Prince William County and other Virginia Tourism assets during this event and 2) provide grants to Prince William County to address public safety and transportation services required for the domestic and international travelers attending the event,” meeting document states.
Prince William County, if the Board approves, will submit a grant application to the Tourism Authority for $2 million from the $5 million already appropriated. But, the county needs to appropriate and budget $2 million upfront and recoup the money afterward if the application is approved.
Van Buren Road North/Route 234/Cardinal Drive project
Staff is recommending the Board approve the location of the Van Buren Road North extension between Route 234 and Cardinal Drive, which will bring a four-lane divided road with a shared-use path, sidewalk and bridge over Powell’s Creek.
Detention center public lobby renovations
The Adult Detention Center in Manassas — which also serves Prince William County and Manassas Park — is seeking $1.75 million to renovate the public access lobby in its 2000s-era building.
The Central Building Phase I lobby became fully operational in late 2008 and, according to county documents, needs improvements to “enhance overall security measures for the facility, allow for improved security screenings and streamline operational requirements for reception and exit processes.”
This lobby is the only public access point and manages all visitors to the jail, including but not limited to family, friends, attorneys, volunteers, vendor contractors and staff. Inmates who are being released also exit through this lobby.
“The agency must make access available to the public 24/7 for magisterial services performed in the lower level of the building. Therefore, entries and exits must be managed around the clock,” county documents state.
Lobby renovations were initially slated to be part of the 2021 expansion project, but were cut due to funding constraints.
New businesses slated for the county
Several businesses are requesting special use permits across the county. Here are some of the highlights:
- Tommy’s Car Wash (Minnieville Shopping Center, Woodbridge)
- Gas station with 20 pumps (6371 John James Way, Haymarket)
- Wendy’s (6366 John James Way, Haymarket)
- Braemar Flagship Car Wash (9420 Linton Hall Road, Bristow)
- A “financial institution” with a drive-through (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
- Vehicle service facility (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
- Self-service car wash with vacuums (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
- Mystikos Armament (9356 Boley Place, Nokesville)
- Popeye’s (9885 Liberia Ave., Manassas)
- Starbucks (17050 Richmond Highway, Dumfries)
- Cozy Nest Family Child Childcare (16052 Barn Swallow Place, Woodbridge)
Currently, only businesses with gross receipts over $500,000 pay a BPOL tax, a tax enacted to fund the second war between the U.S. and the British in 1812. The threshold has been in place since 2022 after the Prince William Chamber of Commerce pushed county supervisors in 2015 to increase the taxation threshold from $250,000.
Today, the county levies a BPOL tax on a business’s gross receipts and uses the funds to help fund the local government. However, its implementation can vary widely among jurisdictions, leading to disparities in business tax burdens.
