Church could ease parking woes

Woodbridge, Va. –– Commuters that will be forced from the commuter lot at Potomac Mills mall could soon park at the First Baptist Church of Woodbridge.

The church is considering leasing to Prince William County up to 500 parking spaces in their 700-space lot for commuters to use on weekdays.

The church, with a 1,250-member congregation, sits at Minnieville and Elm Farm roads just off Prince William Parkway and stands to benefit financially from the deal.

“This is a deliberative process for us when we are considering annexing a large amount of spaces for commuter parking, and we also have to think about the impacts of our ministry,” said First Baptist Church of Woodbridge Executive Pastor Frank Johnson.

Neabsco District Supervisor John D. Jenkins (Dale City) initiated talks between county officials and the church Monday. While First Baptist has not said what it would charge Prince William  taxpayers to lease the spaces, Johnson said it could be a lucrative deal that could benefit area commuters and his church.

Leasing commuter parking spaces would be a first for the county, and lease prices could range anywhere between $3 and $20 per space, said Prince William County Transportation Director Thomas Blaser.

“First Baptist Church in Woodbridge is one of our leading candidates right now. It’s in the same vicinity as the Potomac Mills commuter lot and is served by the bus system, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission,” said Blaser.

Being near Potomac Mills mall and Interstate 95 is one of the most important characteristics in choosing a new commuter lot because most commuter lots are situated near the highway.

Management staff at the mall announced last month that starting on Feb. 14 they would reduce the number of commuter parking spaces there by 75 percent, from 1,000 to 275.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the Slugging community, those who ride in vehicles of three or more to use I-95 and 395’s High Occupancy Vehicle lanes.

Commuters who currently use the Potomac Mills lot will have to find other parking at nearby lots, however, many of those are filled to capacity by 7 a.m. or earlier.

A decision from the church may not come this month.

“I don’t think we can turn this around for February, because we want to make this a diligent process and we are not an organization built for speed, but there could be a decision in March,” said Johnson.