Coraggio Consulting
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Meeting, Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Place: Prince William County Board of County Supervisors, Virginia
Length: 7h 44m (video)
Official meeting video (Prince William County, Granicus): https://pwcgov.granicus.com/player/clip/3873
Official Board of County Supervisors page (Prince William County): https://www.pwcva.gov/department/board-county-supervisors

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-27. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:15:58] one if we can take our seats all right everyone it is two o'clock on tuesday july 21st we are

[00:16:21] going to begin with a moment of silence if you're able for the pledge of allegiance all right we

[00:17:01] are going to begin with item 3a and that's procedural matters supervisor angry is not able to join us in person but he would like to participate remotely so can i get a motion to move 3a forward so moved second it's been properly moved and seconded let's take our votes he's running late unanimous supervisor angry and bodie absent from vote all right thank you very much

[00:17:40] with that if we can let supervisor angry into the meeting thank you madam chair i don't know if you can hear me we can hear you yes okay thank you oh my camera's off because i'm not in a suit because my flight got canceled and so i'm kind of like just not geared up for the show so all right thank you so very much we are now going to move on to agenda item number four and that is approval of the minutes can i get a motion move for approval second does anyone have any changes

[00:18:10] all right i'd like to go ahead and call for the vote supervisor angry aye all right next we're going to sorry vote unanimous we're going to move into accommodations and proclamations can i get a motion for 5a through 5c so move second properly moved and seconded any discussion if not let's go ahead and take our votes supervisor angry aye vote unanimous all right i just want to let everyone

[00:18:46] know for 5c we are actually going to do that one during the seven o'clock meeting so if rick and your team if you can meet me at the front for 5a i would appreciate it all right and 5a is to

[00:19:20] proclaim august 2026 as traffic awareness month national traffic awareness month takes place every august to highlight road safety reduce crashes and promote safe driving habits for drivers pedestrians and cyclists because we all have to share the road prince william county residents are encouraged to drive responsibly by sharing the road, avoiding distracted driving, buckling up, and moving over or slowing down. Now, let me break that down for some of you. That means avoiding using cell phones or texting while behind the wheel, and watching out for pedestrians and crosswalk and sharing the road safely with cyclists. The same is also

[00:19:58] true in the reverse. Pedestrians, please use your crosswalks, and cyclists, make sure that you aren't darting between cars. We encourage residents to visit the Prince William County Fair, where we'll have traffic safety exhibits, including the Virginia DMV's 54-foot speed ladder to highlight Traffic Awareness Month.

[00:20:21] So in pursuit of a safer community, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors hereby proclaims the month of August 2026 as Traffic Awareness Month. Mr. Gonzalez, would you like to offer us some remarks? Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for celebrating Traffic Safety Month with us.

[00:20:40] We have a couple guests that have been helping us celebrate. We'll be hearing from Ms. Janie Noem from MWCOG, who's here with us today, who helped us set up this event, as well as Mr. Seppo Karkannon, who is from Virginia DMV, who's also here with us.

[00:20:57] But I'll turn the mic to Ms. Noem. Good afternoon. My name is Janie Noem, and I'm a transportation planner with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, or COG. and I'm really pleased to be here on COG's behalf alongside Mr. Clark Canem from Virginia DMV and also Prince William County leaders and staff to help proclaim August Traffic Awareness Month.

[00:21:23] This shows our shared commitment to preventing traffic fatalities and building a culture of roadway safety. Roadway fatalities have roots in the everyday routine of traveling. Many of us use our roadways daily, some of us multiple times a day, and because we have arrived at our final destination countless times without an incident, we don't expect one to occur.

[00:21:41] but traffic awareness month is an important reminder that this is a risk that we all share across the region roadway crashes claimed about 300 lives in 2025 with pedestrian and bicyclists accounting for roughly 30 percent of those deaths changing this reality involves a shared responsibility for safer mobility and thinking holistically about how we design roads as well as involving traffic enforcement and education as part of cogs approach to supporting regional roadway safety cog offers a family of technical assistance programs which fund consultants support for local safety and pedestrian planning and engineering projects and Prince William County has been an enthusiastic participant in those programs. We've been privileged to support the

[00:22:20] county on 19 such projects since 2007. We've also had the opportunity to collaborate with the local police department on initiatives like our street smart safety education campaign. We remain committed to part to our partnership with Prince William County and other regional jurisdictions but we cannot accomplish it through infrastructure changes and enforcement alone. As travelers we can each do our part by putting first the other lives we share the roads with. And as we travel through the region, doing so with collective awareness and empathy might save a life, including your own. And now I'm going to read a few remarks from Mr. Karkanen on behalf of the Virginia DMV.

[00:22:58] As a longtime partner to Prince William County, DMV understands the importance of Traffic Awareness Month. August is one of the deadliest months on our roadways. Every year, speeding changes thousands of lives across Virginia. In 2025 alone, 342 people never made it home and more than 2,000 people were seriously injured. 16 of those deaths occurred right here in Prince William County.

[00:23:20] All traffic deaths could be prevented with safe roadways and road user behavior. This requires collaboration across engineering, enforcement, first responders, education, and our health care system. As a joint effort to locate road users on speed and pedestrian safety, we're proud to bring the 54-foot ladder project to Prince William County Fair on July 31st through August 2nd, 2026. We invite everyone to come and talk with us at the fair to learn more about how you can help us change behaviors and make Virginia roadways safer for everyone. We thank Prince William County, Board of County Supervisors, Department of Transportation, and Capital

[00:23:57] Construction, and all our partners involved in continuous efforts to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities across the community. We're all going to take a photo.

[00:24:16] Oh, quickly. Sorry. Yeah, close too. All the people in the back.

[00:24:25] All right, Supervisor Bailey, if you would like to come down for the next one,

[00:25:04] and everyone associate with Parks and Recreation Month in Prince William County. Good afternoon, everyone.

[00:25:41] Time spent in nature, just like exercise, positively impacts mental health and well-being, including elevating depression with ADHD symptoms and reducing the risk of multiple illnesses like cardiovascular disease. We invest in our parks.

[00:25:57] We encourage physical activities that promote healthy lifestyles and they increase a community's economic prosperity. Parks are, definitely are, fundamental to the environmental well-being of our community as essential, adaptable infrastructure that brings people together and improves our resiliency in the face of natural disasters and other hardships.

[00:26:20] We appreciate our partnerships with organizations like the Prince William Conservation Alliance, helping us strengthen local conservation efforts through collaborative stewardship, community engagement, and programs that protect natural areas for current and future generations.

[00:26:38] Therefore, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors hereby proclaims July as Park and Recreation Month, and we encourage residents of all ages to get out and just play. congratulations is their speaker chair members of the board thank you for this proclamation recognizing national parks and recreation month thanks for the opportunity to accept it on behalf

[00:27:13] of the prince William conservation alliance at pwca we see parks as critical infrastructure not just for recreation they support clean water healthy ecosystems and the physical and mental health of our community. We're proud partners with the Parks Department and the Watershed Branch on stewardship products throughout the county. At Vets Park in Woodbridge, a couple of supervisors, including Supervisor Angry, saw firsthand with us invasive species overtaking our natural areas. Invasives, along with climate change and the loss of habitat, are the three

[00:27:48] biggest threats to our natural world today. It's an issue worsened by forest fragmentation. Prince William Forest Park remains resilient largely because the Rural Crescent and Quantico protected contiguous forests. Without that, we've seen increased pressure from housing and data centers around its borders.

[00:28:06] At PWCA's Smart Growth Vision, we'd like to see every resident on the eastern end of the county have a nearby park to walk to and reap the benefits of being in nature. One opportunity, open Davis Ford Park as a simple passive recreation area.

[00:28:21] It can become a treasured community even without a master plan. We have the natural resources to become a premier outdoor destination in our region, with the county stretching from our piece of Blue Ridge geology, the Bull Run Mountains, to the tidal wetlands of Muromsko, Niebsko, Quantico, and Powell's, formerly Yosokomoko.

[00:28:44] The county has ambitious goals for expanding parkland. We've made limited progress. Rather than relying on suburban sprawl to secure acreage, we can pursue a more proactive strategy to acquire parkland that aligns with the long-term sustainable vision of the county. Thank you again. We look forward to continuing our partnership to protect and expand the parks and natural spaces that make this county great.

[00:29:16] Good afternoon, everyone. My name is John Blevins. I'm the Assistant Director for Recreation with Prince William County. And first off, appreciate the proclamation for Parks and Recreation Month, and Parks and Recreation has always held a special place in my life. As a professional, I've been in this field for a lot of years, but as a child, I spent countless hours in Parks and Recreation programs, going to the summer camps, and I still remember the typical 19, I'll show my age here, 70s lunch, bologna sandwich with mustard, Fritos,

[00:29:51] and a sunny d and you know what i learned back at those opportunities still stands true today that parks and recreation is one of the most powerful investments a community can make and thanks to the ongoing commitment of our county leadership parks and recreation remains a key priority that strengthens the quality of life for everyone in the county our one of the supervisors said this earlier our parks and our parks and programs support health and wellness create spaces where neighbors connect give every child and family a chance to belong they build confidence resilience

[00:30:29] and community pride and lastly i'm just going to say i'm grateful for the road parks and recreation plays in my life and for everybody in the county and thanks again because we have such a large group we're going to step outside if anyone else wants to come out for us with the photo i also want to say in the 1980s we also ate bologna okay we still eat it it's great all right let's go door out if anyone wants to come in please feel free to come in take a seat we are

[00:31:08] moving on to agenda item number six and that's the consent agenda before i begin does anyone have anything they would like to pull off yes madam chair i'd like to pull off 6f all right 6f does anyone have anything else that they would like to pull off all right so i'd like to get a motion for 6A through 6E. So moved.

[00:31:33] No, hold on. I'm not done. 6A through 6E. 6G through 6L. So moved. Second. Alright, so we're probably moved to second it. Any discussion? I see Supervisor Bode. Yeah, thank you Madam Chair. Just very briefly going through these a little quickly.

[00:31:51] For 6B creating the Route 234 operational improvement project, I wanted to thank Rick and his staff for working through the process and securing $10 million in NVTA funds is something that should be highlighted and celebrated. As a reminder, when we continue to discuss these future projects, Rick and his team are excellent at getting other people's money to spend down our projects, so really wanted to highlight that.

[00:32:12] We all know that 234 is a major corridor that has a lot of improvements that need it. Going as far north as in the Brentsville District, going all the way down to Potomac, there are a lot of issues, especially on that Hoadley section of it, that we need to work on and really appreciate also Rich Weinman and his team for being part of the Purcell Road efforts. 6C, the Old Bridge Road widening.

[00:32:35] Again, I wanted to thank NVTA for their contribution towards that and Rick and his team for working on that. I know some folks get a little bit concerned when they see widenings, but this is a very targeted, small section of Old Bridge Road that really needs improvements. You get the bottleneck right before Miniville Road, and we're able to talk about how we can actually incorporate improvements to Miniville and all bridge road into that so we're looking forward to that as well uh 6j ocaquan greenway always appreciate the parks department and lrpra for their partnership on that um every step of the way we've been in close partnership with the folks at the hoa and what have you we're looking

[00:33:11] forward to god willing the next year or so being able to open up that greenway fully uh and finally 6k uh parks uh is going to looking for a clean water grant for the reforestation of lake ridge Park. I know when they tore up the entranceway to Lake Ridge Park and Marina along Cotton Mill, a lot of people were concerned about that, a lot of the trees that went down. This will hopefully go in a better direction in replanting, reforesting that area so it will be beautiful again alongside that much-needed pedestrian access of the park. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. Ditto to what my colleague said about the operational improvement project,

[00:33:47] the $10 million. Thank you so much, Rick, for keeping focus on that. But I want to focus on 6A for the Triangle Mobility Hub, the $10 million. Kudos to Mobility for securing the opportunity. It would be a great asset to the Triangle Small Area Plan and to that area budding up against Jumfrey, so we appreciate the continuation of that and the partnership with our town as well in securing the funding.

[00:34:14] And then 6D, just wanted to thank you again for securing smart scale money. It's getting more and more popular to secure smart scale money across the state of Virginia, and you and your team are very much focused on doing that so that we can reap the benefits as it relates to our roads and to our transportation.

[00:34:33] And so newly in the Potomac District in 234 North on Route 1 from 234 to Cardinal, including Cardinal, going further north. That's the last little piece that we have to do, so we really appreciate that. And it's a segment to widen the road from Woodbridge down to 234 next door to my neighbor, Supervisor LaCroix.

[00:34:55] So excellent job on the work. We appreciate that. This is something we started maybe three or four years ago, and it's coming to fruition. Thank you. All right. Thank you so very much. I'd like to call for the vote on those items. So move. Oh, sorry.

[00:35:10] Oh, I'm sorry. Aye. Thank you. Vote unanimous. All right.

[00:35:27] We're moving on to six. Supervisor Stewart, did you have any questions? Yeah, just a couple of comments about this. Well, I'd like to do comments within a motion. Do you have any questions for staff? If not, we'll go ahead and I'll get a motion and you can have comments inside of that, okay? All right. Works for me.

[00:35:44] Supervisor Vega, did you have any questions or would you? I do, Madam Chair. Is Matt here? Madam Chair, members of the board, Rick Canazal is your new director of the Department of Transportation and Capital Construction.

[00:35:59] As a new director of Transportation and Capital Construction, I will be taking over the Judicial Center project for construction. Matt is not here today. He's out on, I believe, vacation, but I know that Ali Haddad here, his deputy is here with me, as well as Eric Bruner, our new head assistant director of capital construction, for any questions you may have.

[00:36:19] Thank you, Rick. It might not be questions specifically for you to answer. Perhaps it's best if the county attorney answers, but I will defer to either or in regards to who wants to take the first question. Under Virginia law, what specifically is the board required to provide for courts and judges?

[00:36:39] Madam Chair, members of the board, I don't have the code sections on hand right now, but the county is required to provide a courthouse with secure space for the courtrooms, the courthouses, the circuit court, the clerk, et cetera.

[00:36:55] So the county is required to provide a courthouse. Thank you, Ms. Roble. Rick, I think this one's for you. Will delaying construction put the county out of compliance with state court capacity requirements based on what the county attorney just said? Madam Chair, members of the board, the county is diligently proceeding with providing space, the proper space that is necessary for all the three courts at the courthouse.

[00:37:21] And there has been concern expressed by all the various stakeholders at the courthouse and delay of this project would increase the concern of the users of the courthouse, particularly the circuit court, which does have jurisdiction over the area with regards to the circuit court trials.

[00:37:39] Thank you, Ms. Robull. Rick, could you share with us, refresh our memory, how many times was the city briefed on this expansion, CIP, and the Bennett School demolition prior to today? As you know, I've been taking over this project here. We do have Eric Brunner and Ali here who have a little bit more history.

[00:37:57] I'll let them answer some of these questions. Good afternoon, Chair, Board members, Mr. Shorter, and the county attorney. My name is Eric Brunner. I am the, as Rick introduced me, I am the Assistant Director of Capital Construction.

[00:38:13] I believe that initially we met at least twice, maybe three times, with the city. in the process. Okay, thank you. And based on your knowledge, exactly how much has the city offered towards the $46 million, $56 million cost to restore or remove the Bennett School?

[00:38:34] There has been no commitment made as far as fiscal. Zero financial commitment. Correct. Thank you for that. And how many years has the building sat vacant and boarded up? Roughly between 35 and 40. 35 to 40 years. Correct. And not once has the city council indicated any interest in assisting the county with preserving the building or fixing the building or to help monetarily as the best of my knowledge that is an accurate statement thank you madam chair those are all the questions i have i will have comments for a later time supervisor boating yeah thank you madam chair

[00:39:07] don't go too far um a couple questions here is you know right now um as per the resolution there is obviously the the conversation around um uh demolition but also there's uh some money that's put in the resolution towards commemorating somehow memorializing the bennett school can you talk about that a little bit yes sir uh right now what what the action that you are taking here today it is actually doing a change order to have our consultants take a look at how to best memorialize the building so with the action that you're taking today we are assuming and and moving forward with

[00:39:43] the demolition of the building and looking for our consultants to give you some renderings and understand how we're going to memorialize this building, either within or outside of the building that will be built. Appreciate that. And understanding how much some of the segments of the public are interested in this, how long is that demolition timeline if we were to act today?

[00:40:05] Right now, there's a couple factors that will go into that. We're still doing some examinations. If we're able to take the building down from what we know right now, which there's obviously asbestos, lead, paint, black mold, a lot of the infrastructure is not sound, it would take about a year to demolish. But we're taking a look at other analysis, underground analysis, radar for underground, and some geotech to see the dirt there. Depending on what that brings on, it could add perhaps another six months to a year. Appreciate that. So this isn't a situation where

[00:40:43] the building tore down within a couple weeks or even a couple months, there would be time given to do that analysis, as you mentioned, of how to best memorialize the building as well. And we would take a look at that at the same time in parallel as we are doing the rest of the work that needs to be done for that demolition to happen and all the remediation necessary.

[00:41:02] Appreciate that. And you also mentioned the geotech work, the sort of the ground monitoring, because I know that some folks have expressed concern that there might be graves or something underneath there talk about that and if we even delayed action today would that affect that timeline at all for doing that work i will i will let uh mr brunner and speak to the uh to the analysis uh currently uh we are starting the ground penetrating radar uh you'll see throughout the month of july and august uh every saturday we're rotating through all the paved areas on on off days to minimize the inconvenience to citizens uh you'll also notice that the green

[00:41:41] space, we're going to actually start tomorrow, or depending on weather, we may start next week. It's totally dependent on weather. It has to be a nice sunny day. Obviously, it can't be pouring rain. In addition to which, we are doing some of the geotechnical work for the parking garage across from Mosby in that flat paved area. So, you know, we can get only so far, and then we'll have to stop. So to say that there would be a delay is yes, more than likely. Appreciate that.

[00:42:09] And that leads me to my final question, Madam Chair, is if there is a delay or if they find something, tell us what the scenario looks like there. So the hard part is it depends on what we find. So if we find human remains, then there's one timeline.

[00:42:25] If we find actual artifacts, there's a different timeline. They're both very similar. It can be anywhere from 24 to 30 months, give or take, to actually we have to go to the federal level. We have to involve the Army. We have to involve a lot of other entities that, obviously, we don't interact with on a daily basis, so it would take some time, yeah.

[00:42:48] Appreciate that. Those 30 months are not cumulative, though. We're talking 30 months total. So it includes the year that we need to remediate what's actually there now as well. Thank you. All right, I'm going to go to Bailey Stewart, then Angry, Supervisor Bailey.

[00:43:04] Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I just wanted to just recall, if I could, I recall in 2019 participating in an event in the courthouse, I mean, excuse me, in the Bennett School, and it was restored a little bit then.

[00:43:21] Do you recall who, what funds that, where did those funds come from? Did it come from a combined, from the city and the county, or where did those funds for people to be able to go in the Bennett School and participate? Ma'am, I'm not aware of any restoration to that building at all that has been given in any year.

[00:43:42] Like Mr. Bruner mentioned, the building has been closed for 30 to 40 years with nothing done to it. I believe it was last an office building, if I remember looking at the history of the building itself, and it has not been renovated since then. Since then, we have sent people in to look at what's inside.

[00:43:58] They've had to fully suit up. We have pictures of them fully suited up, and they have found everything that I mentioned earlier to you today. So I was in a building that had not been restored, is what you said? It had not been restored, no. Okay. And then the other thing is, to what my colleague had mentioned about there being discussions about how we could memorialize the history of the building.

[00:44:20] I know we've had some discussions with Matt and his team about that. Could you just kind of give us an idea of what potentially that could look like, or am I getting ahead of you? And yes, ma'am, a little bit. Just a tad bit. Today's action is actually approving the change order that we'll have our consultant looks at.

[00:44:37] I know that we've been talking to our consultants already about some efforts and some ways to do it. But we're going to go through this change order process, let them process it through and see what the alternatives are that we can do and bring those to you. Which will include some of the alternatives that you may have already seen. Okay, okay. Fair enough. Thank you. Thank you, Madam.

[00:44:54] Supervisor Stewart. So the school was originally built as a memorial to the graves that were already existent on the site. And the question is, have the appropriate state agencies been alerted to the fact that these graves, is the plan to move them?

[00:45:18] What is the plan to do with any of the bodies that are found? We're testing that today. We're not aware right now. We've heard rumors, like you've mentioned, that that is the case from back in the history of the building. But we are not assured of that. So we are doing that analysis this week.

[00:45:34] That's the analysis he was talking about. We will make the board aware if we find anything and what we find as soon as that analysis is complete. Got it. But there's no plan at this. Just so I'm clear, there's no plan at this moment as to what to do. We know the I'm sorry, sir. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:45:52] We know the processes that we have to take for each individual thing that we find. So as Mr. Bruner mentioned, there's a processes. If we find human remains, we will follow that processes up. We'll have to involve the Army, the U.S. Army. We'll have to involve stakeholders out there. But if we find artifacts, we'll have to take a different approach, but it's a different process.

[00:46:13] We're aware of the process that we have to take in moving that forward. Right now, the issue is that we don't know what we're going to find until we find it. Okay. Thanks. Thank you. Supervisor Angry. Thank you, Madam Chair. And that basically was my question because I heard the if in there.

[00:46:29] The if we find remains. And, you know, I've been hearing these discussions that there were remains under this building. So now hearing you say that that's not been confirmed, that was my concern that we were saying if we knew that there were remains.

[00:46:46] So we clearly don't know if there are remains. And this is what we're here to discover and find out, which will then take us to this 30-month process that you're talking about. Okay, that's all I want. Correct, sir. All right, thanks. I just have one quick question, again, to clarify.

[00:47:03] The processes are talking about, these are state-mandated processes, correct? Correct, ma'am. Thank you. All right, I'd like to go ahead, and I know the people have comments, and I'd like to do that inside the motion, so I'd like to get someone to go ahead and move six F forward. So moved, Madam Chair. Second. Probably moved and seconded.

[00:47:19] Jump in for discussion. Supervisor Gordy, you're fast. Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, incidentally, this says the Brentsville District, but I will be honest with you, I've always looked at the courthouse area as being a countywide asset. It doesn't just belong to Brentsville. Um, and when I, incidentally, um, three Mondays ago, I had to drop my daughter off for jury duty.

[00:47:45] She's 20 years old and doesn't drive. So, so I took her and I had a little business that I had to take care of with the clerk of court as well. And I said, well, I'm just going to stick around and observe this process of the jury getting checked in. Um, I have to commend, uh, uh, Jacqueline Smith's our clerk, uh, her staff.

[00:48:06] i listened to them i watched them they were so kind they were so courteous my i mean you could not have found a more professional workforce to help people entering into something that's probably you know people nobody wanted to be there at eight o'clock on a monday morning for jury duty um but to watch the process and to see that these people were lined up in hallways they were stacked up outside and trying to get in. And everyone needs to understand that jury trials now are in high demand because our state legislature said, hey, if you want a jury trial, you can get one.

[00:48:46] So guess what? We have a lot more jury trials, which means we need more jurors. We need more the sheriff's deputies for security. There's a whole lot that goes on in terms of trying to manage and implement a jury trial. At the same time, we have a board of judges that are saying, you need to get this building built yesterday. And guess what? They're in control. And we have to meet those demands and meet those requirements. And so the challenge that we have before us is

[00:49:23] we have very little space on the courthouse area in order to do this. And so in order to facilitate it unfortunately it does come at the expense of the bennett school um i had from the very beginning i said if we can't save it we have to memorialize it we have to make sure that we find a way whether using architectural elements from the building there's a beautiful cupola there's the all the the stone uh masonry around the base of the building that could be used in many different ways the columns that are there i've never been inside i don't know what's in there and what could be used there. But I do, this has been something that I have advocated for all from the first time

[00:50:01] I was ever briefed on this. And so I know there's a lot of frustration on the part of folks, but $50 to $60 million to fix a building that once you're done, you still can't use it, still does not meet our needs as a county, is something that I really am challenged with using taxpayer dollars, 60 million taxpayer dollars on something that we can't use when we're all said and done. So I have discussed the city of Manassas taking ownership of the building. I've offered up, hey, we'll sell it to you for a buck and you can move it to wherever you want to do it,

[00:50:37] wherever you want to move it. And I'm still willing to support something like that. But we need this space right here at the courthouse. We need close proximity to the adult detention center we need close proximity to the sheriff's office we need close proximity uh to what's already there and so um this is not a perfect situation it's a horrible situation but it we're between a rock a hard place and an immovable object um that's the way i feel about this and uh and so while um we we we must keep this process moving forward and so for that reason i will be supporting

[00:51:12] this motion today. Supervisor Vega. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Supervisor Gordy, for those comments. There are so many reasons why I am proud, not just to live in Prince William County, but to serve in this capacity. It's its diversity, it's its rich history and heritage, and I am of the opinion, Madam Chair, colleagues, and folks that are here and those that are watching at home, that true preservation isn't about leaving a building unsafe, boarded up, abandoned, as has been the Bennett School, for over 30 years. Context matters, and history in regards to this entire process also matters. There's been a lot of misinformation shared out

[00:51:52] there, casting blame on how we're doing things, what we didn't do, but I want to set the record straight. If there's one thing that we can all agree on this day is, is that our staff is thorough in what they do. They've engaged this governing body for a few years now. They've made every effort an attempt to engage the city manager city council to ensure that everybody's been in the know but when elections roll around it seems like it makes people act a certain way and that's what we're seeing so for the folks that live in the city of manassas for those that are passionate about

[00:52:25] history and preservation so are we but this has been a very long process we are obligated by the code of virginia to ensure that our judges and that court staff have the necessary space needed to conduct business. We are going to continue to do everything in our power to ensure that we preserve this building, that we preserve this history, and that we actually give the people of Prince William County access to said history that they haven't had for over 30 years. The facts do matter. Facts are more important than emotions because we've been serious about the work that

[00:53:03] we've been doing, and I want to thank Madam Chair also for her leadership. Her and I serve on the inter-jurisdictional committee and we've had both cities be a part of those conversations and at the end of the day I am very proud of our county staff and I am proud to serve with my colleagues because we've all engaged in these meetings individually and I know that we've done our part and if the general public has any additional questions or would like clarification you can reach anybody on this dais and we would be more than happy more than happy to engage and to provide additional information when needed. Madam Chair those were the reasons why I asked the questions that i ask because they're important they've been left out of the conversation whether

[00:53:41] it's been on social media or with members of city council and again the facts aren't what they are and they matter in regards to not just this topic but any topic and for those reasons madam chair i move the motion forward and i will be supporting it thank you all right supervisor stewart you're in queue but you're out of queue did you want to speak i just think it's important to tread carefully here considering uh the history of this building what it could be repurposed for um separating perhaps civil and criminal matters and and putting it elsewhere and even maybe

[00:54:16] expanding the original footprint of of of the building itself um but i i just have reservations as far as what this building has represented historically um and culturally over the years and yes it is in a state of disrepair and it has gone ignored um unfortunately but you know we are where we are but um yeah no let's just madam chair let's just go ahead and vote i'm sorry what we'll just go ahead and vote i know um we have a lot of people in the queue supervisor

[00:54:51] voting yeah thank you madam chair and i will start my comments here by saying that i i really really sympathize with folks in the city sympathize with folks that are even our constituents that are fans of history they want to preserve elements of our history and we know the historical significance we've talked about it several times with yours on this dais of the bennett school and where it is i i don't want to diminish that um as we have this conversation at the same time uh appreciate the the line of questions that some of us have asked i'm going to add some more color as to what was uh shared by staff in regards to actual meetings that occurred between our county

[00:55:27] exec and his team and the city manager on march 3rd 2023 matt villarreal uh mr bruner and some other folks met with city manager pat pate and the planning director they discussed parking garage with folks in the city brought up a couple years they discussed the bennett school and what the plans were there that was back in march 3rd of 2023 that was shared with the county uh between the county executive and the city manager that was clear transparency and what the plans were for the county yes they were earlier and rougher but it was very clear even then that the plans were to demolish the bennett school october 12th of 2023 chris uh county exec showed him up with the

[00:56:04] City Manager Pat Pate discussed updated parking structure plans and other issues alongside Mosley Architects. Again, shared with the city manager, we even got a report back on that from the city manager, what have you. There was a transition there within the city management and what have you.

[00:56:20] But again, clear transparency to the city government in regards to what was happening. February 6, 2025, a virtual judicial center complex kickoff meeting was held by the county for all project stakeholders. The then city manager, Steve Burke, and city planning director was also there as well.

[00:56:37] This covered project timeline, map showing a future parking structure, and facility locations. Again, clear transparency, clear collaboration with the city on all these issues. Now, I don't know how much of those things were shared with city council. I do not know how much of that was shared with the public.

[00:56:52] But for anyone who thinks that this was a hurry-up-and-wait situation where folks on the city side had no thought or knowledge of what was happening, Going at least as far back as three-plus years, the folks on the city side knew what was happening, knew in timelines, knew what was happening to the Bennett School.

[00:57:10] So that's that. I wanted to make the record straight on that. There has been clear transparency, at least from our county side, to the city on this issue. Now, I want to go back to something that Rick Canizales has said a couple times on this. This is a change order on work that was already going to be done.

[00:57:27] We took a step back. We said, hey, we understand those concerns around the Bennett School. We understand that there's folks, obviously, on county side and city side who are concerned about this. We're actually putting additional money that wasn't originally allocated for this project to look at memorializing it. As Supervisor Gordy said, we're definitely open to this conversation.

[00:57:45] Again, it's not going to happen overnight. That's why I asked the questions that I asked, that this is going to be a one-and-done. Suddenly, the buildings are going to go down with no transparency, no insight, no foresight into what's happening. As we go through the rest of the state-mandated processes that need to be done to analyze the building and the grounds around it, there'll be touch points with this county government the city what have you I don't want to go into this blind I know there needs to be a lot more touch points here and I know that this dais is unified in wanting to do what we can to preserve the Bennett school as it's feasible for the taxpayers thank you madam chair supervisor LaCroix so a lot of people don't know that I

[00:58:23] have history with the Bennett school and the history I have is I was a court reporter for 30 years, and I walked by it every single day. As a matter of fact, I had a triple secret parking space over there. Some people call it illegal. I don't. So I've seen it now for what was 40 years ago when I started passing it, and nobody was making any attempts to fix it up, keep it, preserve it anything and so then I cross over to I went into the courthouse and I only had the perspective

[00:59:02] of a court reporter you go into the grand courtrooms and they're big and beautiful but I had the opportunity to go in the back and every one of those clerks and every one of those people back there are just so cramped up to the point of I was just ashamed of it as as a county we should be doing better for our court staff. And they're trying to jockey themselves around to fit more when the jury comes in. And I have been a court reporter in those hallways when the jury has to

[00:59:38] cross by the criminals or whatever's going on. And it's just packed and it's unacceptable. And so moving forward is a great thing for us. Unfortunately, that Bennett school sits right dab in the middle of where it has to go. And so I don't think we really have a choice. I think that this is just kind of a just a rare thing. We have no choice. And I see everybody with the county trying really hard to make sure that we honor the Bennett School in some way, whether it be

[01:00:16] in photographs, in paintings, or the actual. But we are working hard to make sure that we don't hurt people's feelings in this, but we really have no choice because we owe it to our court employees to do better by them. That's all I have. Supervisor Bailey, then angry. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I can't say anything any eloquently than how my colleagues have said it. I just want to remind us as a community that one of the things that I love about being on this board

[01:00:54] is we always try to do things with a sense of equity for everybody. And the equity has nothing to do with anything but preserving what a great county we have. And so when we make these decisions, though unpopular, though can become political in nature, we're not trying to do anything but do it with a sense of equity and respect.

[01:01:20] And so I see this particular project as just that, trying to preserve that which was created to acknowledge the hardships, but yet the hard work of people that lived in the county, but also trying to preserve the respect and the sanctity of the judicial system.

[01:01:42] And that's important. And it's a delicate balance. And so our team, our dais, is very good at really trying to breed equity in what we do, be it spending money, be it building buildings. We don't always get it right. We don't. But we try to get it right the best that we can.

[01:02:08] And so I just wanted to impart that piece as we take this vote, but just impart that piece as it relates to where we were with the Bennett School, what we've tried to do in collaboration and equity with the city, and where we are now in serving our judicial system, because we have a big population here that we've got to serve, and subject matter experts that we've got to protect.

[01:02:34] And so I just have a brief ask after all of that is once we've done our studies and we've done whatever we need to do to preserve that history, I would ask the county exec or I would just request that we have a little one pager, if possible, to show here's where we were, here's where we are, and here's where we're really trying to be.

[01:03:04] Certainly happy to do that. And I will add, we are working right now with Rick and his team to actually create a hub on PwC Works so that the public could follow along with the process, with the construction process. We will provide regular updates on PwC Works and certainly provide the board with updates as well.

[01:03:26] Thank you. Supervisor Angry. Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, what's been said in that room has been everything. So I can't offer anything to that. What I can just do is a recap since I'm the last one here.

[01:03:42] And folks, listen, we're at the end of the road. This is the end of the road. You've heard in Overpack Courthouse, you've heard orders from the judges. You've heard the history of a building that has sat there empty, vacant. You've heard about the cost of that building.

[01:03:57] We are at the end of the road to where I would ask anyone who's been fighting this fight to try to preserve or protect the building or save the building to talk about how do we carry on the legacy of that building and what does it look like and outfit it into this new building that we're looking at.

[01:04:16] So be a part of that process because the reality of this is the building sits in a particular position where that space is needed and we can't do anything else with it. So I would just ask that you be a part of the conversation of how do we actually now put parts of that history to what Supervisor Gordy spoke to, you know, into this new design and just protect that legacy of it all.

[01:04:42] Because what I will not stand for and do here is turn this political. This isn't a political issue. This is a historic issue. It is. And it's in a place where we have a courthouse that is at capacity. So this is where we are, and this is really only the last and really the next step that we can take.

[01:05:01] So I would ask to be a part of that process of how, what this new design will look like, how much of it are we capturing and encapsulating to show. Oh, that's a hotel phone. Okay, well, thank you for that. I'm going to go off mute now. All right, thank you so very much, everyone.

[01:05:17] I'm going to say a few thoughts before I call for the vote. First of all, Tom, I'm going to talk to you and your daughter later because I'm going to jury duty next month. I'm going to do it. I don't know if I'm going to be chosen for anything, but I'm going to show up every day or every Monday. And I do want to see the conditions in the courthouse because that is something that has been weighing on all of us.

[01:05:35] But I'm going to pick up what my colleague said, Supervisor Jury, about, you know, talking about other things this building can be used for. The question is, what can it be used for? What is the cost? What services are we going to have to cut? What taxes are we going to have to raise?

[01:05:51] But the big question that needs to be answered is, why doesn't the city of Manassas contribute? I've asked that question. I've asked that question many times. I've raised that in my inter-jurisdictional meetings with my colleague, Supervisor Vega. No one has an answer to that.

[01:06:08] Actually, they do. They're not going to contribute. And that's a problem, because then that falls squarely on Prince William County residents and our taxpayers. That's not fair to us. We are shouldering the cost of a new judicial center, and that is a huge cost. It is a necessary cost. And so we're going to do it. Being in positions of leadership means that you have to make hard choices. We can't always play to the crowd or play to popular sentiment. I understand

[01:06:41] this. I understand and I have listened to people who want to keep this building intact. I respect that sentiment, but it's not possible for us. It comes at too high of a price. We have all spoken about memorializing parts of the building and that is what we're going to do. I think that's a fair compromise i support moving forward i think that we need to move forward and i don't want to shortchange the clerk the sheriff our commonwealth attorney or our judges because if we kick this can

[01:07:16] down the road that's what we're doing and i don't support that i understand history i respect history and i want to fight to preserve history the best way that we can but we have to be pragmatic and rational about it and realize when the costs are simply too high so with that i'd like to go ahead call for the vote. Supervisor Angry? Aye. Thank you, sir. Motion passes seven to one. Supervisor Stewart voting nay. All right, thank you. We are going to public comment time. Now, I got a few

[01:07:55] sheets. I see some of the regulars. We have some regulars, our frequent flyers. Thank you. I see you. We also have some names that I don't recognize, so I'm going to give everyone instructions on how this works. Because we have a good number of people, there's going to be numbers, so I'm going to call you up by numbers um if you took someone else's number that's okay if you switch i just need to make sure because i am trying to keep track as best as i can so you're going to go to that back microphone you're going to say your name and the magisterial district where you reside you don't have to give us your address everyone's dais is tired of my mom jokes but you know if you give

[01:08:33] your address i might show up one day for dinner i'm kind of a picky eater so um i'll but i'll happily critique. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and start calling folks. We go with people who are county residents first. Then we go with people who are non-residents. I ask the people, please sit until you are called. So with that, I'm going to ask numbers one through five to come up, one through five to go to that back microphone. And the monitor right there, it says three minutes, Please do not make me stop.

[01:09:12] Please respect the time. I think I've covered everything. We have the first one through five coming up.

[01:09:30] And as I look around the dais, I want to remind my colleagues, we need five of us on the dais for a quorum. We had a stop once. So again, name, where you generally reside. If you need to adjust the mic, please adjust the mic because if we don't hear you, we don't hear you.

[01:09:48] Elena, since you're up first and you're a regular, you're going to show them how to do it right, aren't you? The answer is yes. Yes. Okay. Yes. And I'm sorry, I have to come. I'll be right back.

[01:10:33] Okay. My name is Elena Schlossberg and I live in the Gainesville District. I'm not going to talk about these applications specifically because I can say nothing more than all the reasons why staff has told you to deny them. I'm here to talk about the social fabric of the Gainesville

[01:11:06] district. What does it take to abandon your home, your community, your memories? I am not ever going to do that. We bought 10 acres in Haymarket. It was a terrible lot. I thought it looked like an Addams Family lot. Three months after we bought that lot, we got married. We built our dream home.

[01:11:41] Nobody else. My father-in-law. We couldn't afford to have a general contractor. Next one. Go ahead and do them all the same. That's me pregnant by the foundation. Once again, nobody helped. Keep going, Labrida.

[01:11:57] That's my husband, hammer and nails, blood, sweat, and tears. That's me, I don't know if you can tell, pregnant, trying to get up on a ladder to the second floor. Not the safest, but I did it anyway because I wanted to see the progress.

[01:12:16] This is a lot that my husband saved every single tree one by one. Keep going. There was no way you could even walk through this forest, and my husband's turned it into our oasis. This is my daughter.

[01:12:32] She was born at home in my bedroom. Isn't she beautiful? This is my children. I have invested years of memories. I'm not going to abandon it, but if you approve these applications, you are putting our memories and our life at risk because there are assemblages forming everywhere. What you are going to do if you approve these assemblages is not just bad land use.

[01:13:06] The digital gateway tore this community apart, and if you approve these assemblages, more will come, and they will come eventually from my neighborhood as well. But I am not going anywhere.

[01:13:23] I'm not betraying my community or my family or my husband. We are here to stay. What would it take for you to abandon where you live, Supervisor Bailey, Supervisor Bodie, Chair Jefferson, Supervisor Vega, Supervisor Lacroix, Bodie?

[01:13:45] And, Gordy, what would it take? Please deny these comprehensive plan applications. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[01:14:05] Irene Mignoni-Kelly from Gainesville. I want to start off with saying I just read recently a publication that had, Supervisor Stewart, you received zero money from the day you promised you were not going to take money from industrial developers.

[01:14:25] I personally thank you for that. And here we go again. Developers who have made no obligations, they're not forced to do anything. They do their proffers, which they come back and change.

[01:14:42] You may do this, you might do that. It's never you must. Cat Harpin, Manassas, you want 3,000 homes there. Or not you, but the developers do.

[01:14:58] There's no water, there's no sewer, there's no schools, no hospitals, no police, no firefighters to back that up. And the developers aren't going to be made to do that. I, the taxpayer, is going to come out of my pocket to do that.

[01:15:15] And I get no benefit from that. Maybe a nice new neighbor. If I could have one. I came from Staten Island. I saw what Verrazano Narrow Bridge did from New York City's Brooklyn over to Staten Island without planning.

[01:15:32] We have horrible, horrible developments there. Or they're still there. It looks horrible. We moved down here after we retired and what an oasis Virginia was out in this area where there were communities that had some small businesses, some homes around, each supporting each other.

[01:15:56] It's just absolutely charming. Don't ruin it. Don't let developers come in and put down stakes where they have no accountability to the community. Please stop letting the donated monies cloud up the vision for a successful Prince William County.

[01:16:23] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Neil Kelly from the Gainesville District. Good afternoon, members of the Board of County Supervisors.

[01:16:39] I'd like to thank each and every supervisor here for your vote regarding the Stopping the Dallas Cloud South CPA. It was refreshing to hear the board acknowledge the need to avoid piecemeal development and to remain disciplined in following the county's 2040 plan.

[01:16:55] and the time to catch our breath. Today, I urge you to show the same commitment to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan by voting against the two Comprehensive Plan amendments scheduled for a vote today. The Cat Harpon Valley Estates, CPA 2026-0003, and Manassas Preserve, CPA 2026-0016.

[01:17:15] Please follow the Planning Office's recommendations and do not initiate these two CPAs. If both CPAs are approved, we could see a combination total of over 3,000 housing units, land built currently zoned for agriculture and forest. This substantial increase in housing would necessitate a major expansion of our water and sewer infrastructure, overburden our county's approved infrastructure plan, and lead to additional unplanned costs for the taxpayers.

[01:17:43] Such a large process would also likely include runoff surface, contamination groundwater, and negative impact on the water supply for the Bull Run and Aquacuan Reservoir. Considered that new homes today have at least two bathrooms, that could mean approximately 6,000 flushing toilets.

[01:18:01] Water is required for this many homes to be sourced and properly disposed of. Furthermore, due to the lack of public transportation, the average rural household typically requires at least two cars, leading to increased traffic on the roads, such as Cat Harpen, Pageland Lane, and Featherbed Lane.

[01:18:17] We have already heard from residents of the county the royal crescent who are experiencing traffic saturation a few thousand homes would not match the energy needs of a single data center but would still require a power source as pjm and dominion inform us of the bridge fragility we could be the precursor to construction of a new transmission line and substations to increase the capacity for the future additional influx of new residents would necessitate expanding county services including fire rescue police schools and health care facilities? How will the county manage these infrastructure needs if these CPAs are approved?

[01:18:54] Please learn from the mistakes of other communities. Take the time to catch your breath, explore all available options, plan for smart growth, not rush growth. I hope you carefully consider these points and protect the integrity of the county's 2040 comprehensive plan and follow your staff's advice by voting no on these amendments. I appreciate your consideration for this. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and

[01:19:29] members of the board. My name is Shruti Sinha, and I'm here on behalf of the Prince William County Parks Foundation. Since July is now National Parks and Recreation Month, I want to begin by thanking our county's Department of Parks and Recreation, whose staff work year-round to give our residents safe, welcoming, and well-maintained places to play, learn, and connect. I'm honored to stand here before you as the newest member of the board of directors of the Prince William County Parks Foundation. We are a non-profit partner to the Department of Parks and Recreation, and our

[01:20:08] mission is to support the department through advocacy, education, and financial support. Our vision is simple, that everyone in Prince William County has the opportunity to play, recreate, and experience nature. We believe these experiences are vital to a high quality of life.

[01:20:27] The Parks Foundation carries out that mission through several programs. Our support to the Hands-On History and Science in the Parks programs brings hands-on learning directly to children across the county. Our Count Me In scholarships send up to 200 children to summer skills camps every year, camps many of these families could not otherwise afford.

[01:20:49] And our Memorial Bench program allows residents to sponsor a park bench in honor of a loved one. I also want to proudly highlight the Foundation's first successful capital project, the Public Pump Track at Rollins Ford Park. This first-of-its-kind public amenity in Prince William County is now enjoyed by hundreds of children every week.

[01:21:11] I want to sincerely thank this board for your support in making it happen. If you haven't seen it in action yet, I encourage you to visit Rollins Ford Park and watch the joy on those kids' faces. It's a wonderful reminder of what we can accomplish together. Building on that momentum, our current capital project is to supply the rapidly growing Science in the Park program with a van outfitted as a mobile laboratory to deliver hands-on education about ecosystems, habitats, watersheds, erosion, and conservation to school-aged children across

[01:21:45] the county. The small aging van currently in use requires daily packing and unpacking. They will still use this van, but they truly need a more efficient way to meet the ever-increasing requests to bring the programs to different locations. For this, we will need to raise about $300,000. Before I close, I want to share that this work is personal to me. As an urban planner, I firmly believe that environmental stewardship begins with public access to outdoor recreation. Community parks are not a luxury. They are where children grow and neighbors meet,

[01:22:22] where human development interfaces with nature to show us that we are part of something greater. I invite everyone here to learn more about our work and how you can support us at pwcparksfoundation.com. Thank you for your time and continued support.

[01:22:38] And thank you for sticking around for public comment time to share your comment. Thank you. So before I get to our next speaker, Karen, I'm going to call up the next group of people. So, numbers 6 through 10. If you are 6 through 10, please go to the back.

[01:22:56] 6 through 10. And I ask everyone else, unless you're a member of the media, please have a seat. Are you a member of the media? Okay, all right. So, all right, you may begin. My name is Karen Sheehan.

[01:23:13] I'm in the Gainesville District. And first of all, thank you, board, for your good choice on Cloud South. Regarding Manassas Preserve and Cat Harpen Valley Estates, I'm going to talk about the costs versus the benefits.

[01:23:32] First of all, the benefits. The county will make some real estate taxes. The county will make developers and assemblage applicants happy. Other than that, I don't see any other benefits.

[01:23:55] The costs. Where is the water going to come from for almost 3,500 homes? Where?

[01:24:06] If Dominion Energy is struggling to build and bring power to 2,100 acres of data centers that were stopped with the digital gateway and the 100 other data centers that haven't been stopped following the board's approvals, what makes you think that there won't be issues with the power required for almost 3,000 more homes in this area?

[01:24:39] How are we going to have a vibrant AAOD if you tear out rural areas for dense housing, removing all of this acreage from agricultural use? The AAOD has three main goals.

[01:24:59] Grow small businesses, protect the land, and save money. What is the future of our county going to be if you remove so many of the reasons so many of us came to Prince William County and want to live in Prince William County?

[01:25:23] Rural, green space, quiet, diverse economy. How are you going to fund absolutely critical projects across the county if you obligate funds and services to these unnecessary expansions?

[01:25:42] Why are these applications even being considered? Their justifications are based on the digital gateway, which we all know is dead. These applications, these changes to our comprehensive plan for our county are unnecessary, destructive, and will take us in a direction that goes against protecting what makes Prince William attractive and supportive

[01:26:10] of all aspects of our county please deny vote no thank you next speaker please my name is diane yeager and i live on cat harpen road in gainesville i joined my fellow neighbors to protest the initiation of this comprehensive plan amendment for cat harpen valley estates my comments and objections voiced on my 12th haven't changed and since this is a repetition of previously offered

[01:26:50] remarks, I will be more concise. The proposed plan amendment to build 1,000 to 1,400 homes, the numbers continue to just keep on changing, occupying 292 agriculturally designated acres, is not remotely in any kind of conformity with the existing surrounding communities.

[01:27:09] In light of the already approved Smith Crossing bringing 375 new homes along Cat Harpen Road, The proposed Cat Harbin Valley Estates project presents yet three to four times more serious concerns for groundwater runoff, well purities, septic systems, ambient noise, drinking waters for 800,000 people serviced by the Occoquan Reservoir, and, of course, an unconscionable number of additional vehicles traveling along the rural two lanes that are Cat Harbin Road.

[01:27:43] These cumulative effects on our rural community would substantially diminish the safety, well-being, and property values of our residents. The harm is incalculable. This project is so far out of the realm of reasonable and sensible community growth that it needs to be immediately denied any further consideration by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

[01:28:08] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Robert Yeager. I live on Cat Harpen Road as well.

[01:28:27] I'm here to speak out against the development of the continued development of small residential developments. And what I mean by small, I'm talking about lots that after you do some basic calculations, for example, Cat Harpen Estates proposed as 1,200 homes on 292 acres.

[01:28:54] That is less than one-quarter acre per home. That doesn't allow for streets, sidewalks, storm retention ponds, community green spaces, or any of those things.

[01:29:13] The average home today, the footprint of that is 1,860 square feet. The size of the lot before you have the other considerations that I just mentioned is 8,594, which is probably reduced for streets and all the rest of the things I mentioned by at least 1,200 square feet on top of that.

[01:29:42] You end up basically with a city lot, which in no way meets the requirements of a comprehensive plan that was put in place several years ago. We believe that communities such as these will, of course, increase capacity of our streets beyond what it was designed to handle, as well as increase the number of children

[01:30:20] that will have to go to schools. Yes, we'll have a larger revenue base, But in populated areas, revenue bases are always increased. I'm sorry. Taxes may go up, but expenses usually go up faster.

[01:30:42] You know, the increased sizes of police departments, fire departments, and all the other county services that are out there. I ask that you consider why the comprehensive plan was adopted to begin with, because I believe it was originated to protect the green spaces we have left in the county from such developments as what is proposed here.

[01:31:12] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Martha Henley, and I live in the Gainesville District, bordering this proposal on one side of the battlefield and the current proposal on the other side.

[01:31:44] In the mid-50s in elementary school, we had a social studies class that included a planning subject. A plan for a city was the message of the final exercise, to put that together and provide predictability.

[01:32:13] And that was 70 years ago now. Much later, when I was appointed to the planning commission, I was sent to planning commission training. That was in 2004. And guess what? The message was the same.

[01:32:29] Putting compatible uses together, providing predictability, and avoiding conflicts. You don't put casinos and saloons next to churches and schools. Your planning staff has done a good job with their report on the so-called Manassas Preserve.

[01:32:54] However, I have another name for this proposal. Ringing Manassas Battlefield with urban and suburban uses makes its name more appropriate.

[01:33:11] I call it Manassas Folly. The current low density of the rural area here has been compatible with the park. You wouldn't want to diminish the most important tourist attraction in the county by drowning it in suburbia.

[01:33:38] So I fully support the staff's recommendation of rejecting this proposal. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Patrick Harder's Gainesville District.

[01:33:58] These two projects, both of them are terrible. Manassas Preserve, nobody would say to build housing surrounded currently on two sides by Manassas Battlefield and the trust holding another section that will go before Congress to expand the battlefield, especially when the national parks have considered expanding into additional parks around Manassas Battlefield.

[01:34:20] It's a terrible project. Cat Harp and Preserve is also in an inappropriate location. A number of years ago, I had a close friend who had a mutual, someone I became mutual friends with. And she was fighting Belmont Bay. And to me, I live far away from it. It didn't sound that bad.

[01:34:35] I'm like, seems okay. But she was passionate about it. She lived there. She knew it. And that was Supervisor LaCroix. That was 1,400 homes. It was density. And she felt there wasn't a voice to the people. And so we need a voice.

[01:34:51] Supervisor Gordy was right on last week where he said, these are predatory land practices, land flippers, it's attacking the comp plan. If we allow this to go through, it's going to open up the floodgates. It's going to cannibalize the plans we already have in place for redevelopment, for smart growth, and for preserving open space.

[01:35:10] We need to get to the basics of good land use. This is what we need to do. Neither of these make any sense at all. Five years ago yesterday, I wouldn't say celebrate, but five years ago yesterday was when we had the addition on Pageland Lane to expand the study that became our digital gateway.

[01:35:34] And it was the most divisive time. Assemblages are backwards, inappropriate ways to develop land. There's a reason there's a comp plan. There's a reason that we follow smart growth. It's what the people have asked for.

[01:35:50] You saw on July 7th, everybody from data center, pro data center to people to against it said, we don't want housing. One person after the next, after the next. It wasn't saying no growth and no development. It's appropriate housing. And we're not scared of the developers. Everybody here is not scared of these developers coming in.

[01:36:07] We're scared of you. We're scared of you saying yes to too many of these projects, to expanding in our area, to not having predictability. And we need that predictability. A county needs that. And so I implore you, don't destroy our comp plan. Don't make this the Corey Stewart plan, because if this comes forward, there are 15 other assemblages in our area.

[01:36:28] I've been approached. Every neighbor I know has been approached. Everybody is scared that this is going to pass, and you are going to see these assemblages gain strength after today. So I implore you, this can be a historic day. We will go from what happened five years ago to this board finally putting its foot down and saying, we are a new board.

[01:36:47] We have a new vision, a new direction, and that's what I implore you to truly go after your vision. How do we make our community a better community? And the way to do it is to say no today and say yes to better development in the future. All right, thank you.

[01:37:03] Before I get to the next speaker, I would like groups 11 through 15 to come up. 11 through 15, please go to the back. And if you're standing, if you're not a member of media, you're going to need to have a seat. All right, you may begin.

[01:37:29] Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Matt Caddo. I'm the president of the Oak Valley HOA in the Gainesville District. I would implore each one of you who have not yet had the opportunity to drive out to Cad Harpen Valley Estates on Cad Harpen Road. When you drive there, notice the character of the road.

[01:37:45] Think about the load that will be placed on that road, unless you're willing to make it into a four-lane road, which the developer is not. And think about the safety factors that are associated with people who have to drive if you approve this project. As you turn into Cat Harp and Valley Estates, you will see beautiful homes.

[01:38:03] Homeowners have bought those homes. They are perfectly fine homes, by the way. They're magnificent, and they bought them knowing that they would be able to pass them down to their family members or they would be able to sell them in an open, competitive real estate marketplace. But something happened. It was called a digital gateway.

[01:38:20] They appropriately were afraid of the impacts because they would be right up against that project. That's gone. But the same developers are now telling them the golden ticket is still available to you. But in order to deliver on that payment, which was established by the digital gateway, the per acre price, they have to place an inappropriate number of homes onto that piece of land.

[01:38:43] And then you have all of the burdens. It is not their fault. They are being misled by these developers. Never once has anyone walked across the street or picked up the phone and said, let's talk about this. Let's see what the impacts were. We fought for them against the digital gateway and now they've turned on us because developers have offered them all of this land. You have the best reason in the world to vote against this project by looking at the carefully evaluated and passed land use planning document that the planning commission staff has used from your direction to say this

[01:39:18] number of homes in this location with the impacts that will be delivered on the community both in terms of traffic safety, the number of homes that will deliver children into the school system that will create again additional layer of safety for those school buses up and down that rural highway. Think about them and think about what happens to everyone who purchased houses outside of Cat Arpan Valley and the Manassas assemblage and think what they anticipated. What did they want when they bought? Did they expect that there would be this huge inappropriate housing development right across the street from them, which your planning documents say are inappropriate

[01:39:55] because it's an island. It is a metropolis, and it doesn't have one bit of transportation. It doesn't have, in terms of systems, to deliver people in and out of that community. It doesn't have a road system that supports it. It is left to one thing, and that is a group of developers who have decided that they're going to cash their golden ticket, too, because as much money as they can deliver to the landowners of Caterpon Valley Estates, they're putting in their pockets, too.

[01:40:19] This is the most distorted land value situation that we have faced in Prince William County, and the time now is to stop it, to say no, go back and reevaluate what we are going to allow. Send the signal today that landowners get to develop land use policy.

[01:40:35] You do. Thank you very much. All right, thank you. Before I call the next speaker, I want to make sure, okay, we have, I'm sorry for these two over here, the blue. Are you members of the media? Well, then you need to sit. Are you a member of the media? No, you can either stand outside or you can sit in the board chambers.

[01:40:53] Those are the choices. And this is by order of the fire marshal. I've asked many times today, and I ask that people, when you come into board chambers, you respect our rules. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Madam Chairman and members of the board. My name is Amelia Clean.

[01:41:10] I have lived in the Gainesville District on our property next to the Manassas Battlefield for 39 years. I moved here from Ruston in 1987 with my husband. We raised our family here, and currently my husband, children, and grandchildren live and work in Prince William County.

[01:41:25] In the time I have been living here, I have seen Prince William County population grow from 164,000 in 1987 to 507,000 and 800,000, 800,000.

[01:41:41] The Prince William Board stated on various occasions and in reports that it needs more housing because there's a tremendous housing deficit. It is unrealistic for Prince William County to stop growing and not address this issue. Opponents commented that developers should tear down lower dollar homes in Manassas and Woodbridge and rebuild.

[01:42:02] Where would all those displaced people go? Doing this makes no sense. It would significantly decrease the number of affordable housing units when new units are built. They, in general, are considerably more expensive than those that were torn down. Currently, quarries, asphalt, and concrete plants are directly north and east of the Manassas Battlefield.

[01:42:23] These were in existence before I moved here 39 years ago. I have not heard anybody currently complain that the battlefield was ruined and destroyed because those have been in operation. To the south boundary is a shopping district and community college. The Manassas Preserve is planned to be a housing development for seniors.

[01:42:41] It is a housing and development concept that provides an opportunity for seniors to have easy access to transportation, medical facilities, education, assistance, and shopping with all the beauty of the Manassas battlefield readily available. Their children would also have access to homes nearby for senior visits.

[01:43:01] We can create our own housing developmental concepts. Potential developers and landowners are considering this opportunity. The Manassas Preserve is one of those concepts. Please vote yes for the Manassas Preserve CPA to look for possibilities for the evolution of this area.

[01:43:22] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. My name is Wanda Sabin, Gainesville District. I've lived in the middle of what is to be the Manassas Preserve for 42 years. It's a beautiful place.

[01:43:39] I drive through the Manassas National Battlefield Park on Featherbed Lane to the gravel road that leads to my home, where I'm surrounded by incredible, beautiful nature and wildlife. I'm one of only five, to my knowledge, of landowners that have selected not to join in the assemblage for development.

[01:43:57] It's very hard to oppose neighbors that are good neighbors, good people that you care about. Planning staff has recommended against this project for all the obvious reasons. There's no point in recounting that to you.

[01:44:15] I am here with hope because of the way you responded after the Dulles South vote, each of you that spoke about, with passion, about the vision that you would like to create for the western end of our county is what gives me hope. I think that a lot of folks that are joining these assemblages believe that development is inevitable, and that in northern Virginia, it's inevitable, it's going to happen, take it while you can, get the best deal that you can, and get out. This Manassas Preserve community is a very, very special place

[01:44:50] please vote to protect it and please vote no thank you next speaker please good afternoon chair board members supervisors and county staff my name is marco capayachi and i live in cut harping valley states thank you for letting me speak today i respectfully ask that you support

[01:45:22] for the proposed comprehensive plan amended and re-signing application that affects our community 42 years ago, I arrived to this country with the pursuit of the American dream.

[01:45:39] Through the grace of God, hard work, resilience, I was able to buy a home for my family in 2004. God Harpin Valley Estates was where I raised my family. My kids grew parallel to the community, and we noticed the growth.

[01:45:56] Gainesville provided them with the resources to continue this dream. I had dreamed of a beautiful home and family when I arrived here at the age of 16, but now I would like to pass that dream to other families as well.

[01:46:13] As Prince William grows, our comprehensive plan should change to reflect more people, diversity, housing needs, and what lies ahead. Good planning means preparing for the future while respecting those who have invested in this community.

[01:46:32] Northern Virginia is growing quickly, more than what we have anticipated. Many people are commuting long distance or leaving Prince William's to find starter homes in places such as Fockier County, Winchester, West Virginia, because of the housing shortage.

[01:46:55] I also like to encourage the board to keep high standards for the future development, including better transportation, protecting the environment, good buffer zones, quality architecture, and real community involvement.

[01:47:14] Responsibility, responsible growth, and preserving our community can go hand in hand, and they should go together. This decision is more than about one property or a neighborhood. It shows that Prince Williams County can manage growth responsibly, respect homeowners, and support a strong economy and plan well for the future.

[01:47:41] I ask for your support for the Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Your decision can help create and balance the outcome that benefits property owners, builds communities, and support the long-term interests of Gainesville District and Prince Williams.

[01:47:58] Thank you for your time, thank you for your service, and thank you for allowing me to speak today. Thank you. Before I call the next speaker, a lot of people, I don't know if they've decided not to speak or if they've left, but people in the 11 through 15, 11 through 15.

[01:48:14] I don't see anyone else coming, so I'm going to go 16 through 20. Sorry. I'm sorry, what? Sorry, I have, sorry, 11 through 15, if everyone... I'm 15, I'm a 13.

[01:48:29] You're a 13, okay. I'm 16. all right because we are missing a few people six well i'll be kind 16 through 20 16 through 20 if you can go up all right you may begin hello board of supervisors my name is jeff k hall i live in catarpan valley estates in the gainesville district i've lived in the gainesville district

[01:49:01] since the mid early 90s i'm asking that the cpa in regards to catarpan valley be pushed forward and the study be authorized. We as a group of homeowners in our small subdivision are 100% in agreement with one another in what we want to be done with our property.

[01:49:23] Our small community is made up of local businessmen, owners, business owners, retired residents from private business, government, and the military. Our demographics are comparable to any Northern Virginia community. We are not like some coalitions, and we're not trying to stop other property owners from selling their property. I believe that's the American way. You buy, you sell. That's the market. We have lived on these properties for over 20 years now. Our children

[01:49:57] have grown. We've aged out of these communities. Our children have grown, gone to college, and on their own now. I see no reason why we can't go forward with this small community. Other people you've heard speak against it, some for self-serving reasons. They want us to be a buffer zone to power lines or other construction in other areas. We've seen a lot of propaganda on social media

[01:50:37] about our request for this CPA for our subdivision. I challenge most of those statements. Most all of them are exaggerated and some are just state false. And given the opportunity, we could go through all of those. Another reason for this, building these homes, the schools in our area are underutilized. A couple of them are at 50 percent. One's slated for closure. A new invoke

[01:51:09] of residents, new families would put these schools back in full swing. Therefore, you're not losing teachers' jobs, custodians, bus drivers, the other vendors that supply these schools. All those people are going to be hurt, but would be helped by this building project. I look forward and hope the board will move forward with the CPA, at least in its preliminary stages, and address all the

[01:51:45] issues. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them. This isn't a dialogue. Everyone has a chance to come up here and give their remarks, so thank you for your time, and thank you for yours. Next speaker, please. Hello, my name is Dale Pennenberg, and I live in Cathorpe and Valley States, and I'm here today to support the commencing of the CPA study. I want to start out with a concern that's left me a little bit confused. Two months ago when we were here talking this very topic, the group that's supposed to conduct the study appeared to weigh in against

[01:52:22] it before the work was even done. How can they advise against it? It just seems backwards to me. It just seems that the study should commence, and then they should weigh in with their opinion. I also have to ask, why is it that these anti-development groups seem to have so much pull, so much say in what happens in the western part of the county?

[01:52:43] I don't get it. Those of us who support this project have been called selfish and greedy on Facebook and other public forums, and in fact, lately, much of the rhetoric has gotten pretty nasty. Why? Because let's be honest, if many of those same folks were presented with the same opportunity, without hesitation, they'd jump on board.

[01:53:07] And as far as selfish, I would agree, I would argue, that if anyone is being selfish, it's them. Many of these groups oppose a development that closely mirrors the communities in which they live.

[01:53:24] So they want what they want, but they don't want others to have it. Isn't that the very definition of selfishness? Sorry. This project deserves consideration because of the broader benefits it provides. Western Prince William County is experiencing major housing shortage.

[01:53:44] This development has the potential to address the needs by providing more entry-level opportunities for families and first-time homebuyers. And as you might recall, I mentioned the last time I was here, I want my kids to have a chance to live in Prince William County.

[01:54:00] And with this project, maybe they can, but without it, it's just unaffordable. At the end of the day, I don't believe this CPA study has been given a chance, a fair shake, a fair chance. The purpose of the study is to gather facts, evaluate impacts, make informed decisions, not predetermine the outcome before the work has ever been done.

[01:54:21] I respectfully ask that you give this process the opportunity it deserves by voting in favor of the CPA study. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your attention. And most importantly, thank you for your service to our communities. All right. Thank you.

[01:54:36] Next speaker, please. Kevin Parker in the ABSCO district. I'm here to speak against the initiation of the CPAs. They are another way that an exception is trying to be made for the comprehensive plan.

[01:55:00] And the comprehensive plan is the work that has been done. You know, people say, well, we need to have this be a chance to look at it. Well, we have looked at it. And when we look at the comprehensive plan, we are looking at the whole of the county and all of the elements, not just, okay, let's do a little thing over here.

[01:55:25] Let's just do a little thing over here. Let's just do a little thing over here. It's a, you know, a big, the Prince William Conservation Alliance also has a vision that is, I would say, even better than the comprehensive plan. And the first, we call it the three R's, and the first R is reimagine.

[01:55:47] But this is not a reimagining. This is typical sprawl development. And it has all of the negative elements of sprawl that you see in the county documents of, you know, why we want more dense, walkable communities.

[01:56:07] So we should reimagine, and we should not move forward with this comprehensive plan amendment. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Madam Chair, members of the board, appreciate the time this morning.

[01:56:27] My name is Don Watson. I live in the Gainesville District. Yes, I am a homeowner, my wife and I, of Catharbon Valley Estates. The request today is only a study. It's not approving the amendment and approving rezoning.

[01:56:43] The study will allow the staff to look at every concern, traffic, water, sewer, some of the things that were brought up today. There's already been, and as Dale had mentioned, there's already been speculation and untruthfulness spread by those who oppose the CPA. How many different numbers have you heard today about how many homes will be built?

[01:57:02] I heard 1,100, I've heard 3,200. Let the study go forward and let the study proceed and provide the factual information that the board needs for a future decision. As you know, density was brought down from RN3 to RN2 with a maximum of four homes per acre and half the product now includes 55 plus senior housing.

[01:57:23] This is a fraction of normal traffic and lets western Prince William County residents age in place instead of leaving it for a loud end or fuck here. Land is not farmland and no one has ever offered to buy it for preservation or agritourism.

[01:57:42] Groups and individuals opposing this have a long history of opposing everything. Every scenario is a no. No data centers, no housing, no senior housing, no roads. The standing objective of all development is not a fair land use position. Oak Valley across from Catharpan Valley is a lot of homes, right?

[01:58:01] You approved Smith Family Farm or Smith Crossing. We have the approval of the Regency at Creekside. So definitely the corridor, the Catharpan Valley corridor is changing.

[01:58:18] So we ask, Ctharpon Valley Estates asks, for the same consideration, equity, fairness, and opportunity given to other proposals I aforementioned. Again, this is an initiation for a study non-approval.

[01:58:34] I ask you please to vote to initiate the CEPA study for Ctharpon Valley Estates. And lastly, there's a hospital nine minutes away. There's a grocery store five minutes away. There are many amenities available for people that will live in this area, in this corridor.

[01:58:52] And, again, I please ask that you vote. Thank you for the privilege of your time and your service to the county. Thank you. Next speaker, please. I am going to need the Elmo. Is it ready to use when I need it?

[01:59:12] Actually, while they're getting that set up, groups 21 through 25, if you want to move forward, 21 through 25. You ready?

[01:59:33] My name is Margarita Moylan, and I live in the Gainesville District. And I want to thank you all for listening to our concerns today.

[01:59:48] People have been saying today that this is to do a study. I believe this is a comprehensive plan amendment. And if you vote yes, it is a comprehensive plan amendment. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[02:00:05] What we are seeing in much of Prince William County is assemblages that are nothing more than aggressive predatory land grab tactics and methods being used by former and present representatives we once trusted. Corporations, private investors, and real estate developers to strip local communities of their land rights without informed consent. Driven by greed, they are using these strategies to blend legal manipulation with systemic coercion. If you pull

[02:00:42] the deed information of properties in some of these communities, you will find that they are owned by LLCs. I know of at least one in Cat Harp and Valley Estates, which I am showing you right here, that has investors from outside the county who jumped in with the promise that they would see huge windfall if they became part owners of this property. The LLC address of this ownership

[02:01:16] is also a property that is in Prince William Digital Gateway community. These are not poor homeowners who simply want to sell their homes. The reality is that if homeowners in Cat Harbin Valley put a for sale sign in their yards today, they would have multiple offers for fair market value, which would be more than double the money they purchased these homes for. The other reality is that none of these homeowners would be in this position if the threat of the digital gateway

[02:01:50] had not been a reality. Thankfully, that is no longer a threat. Keep this gorgeous community intact and consider developing in areas that have road infrastructure, public transportation, and are close to jobs, shopping, and schools. I can't help but note that this is Traffic Safety Month. The dangers of Cat Harp and Road should be considered before any more development happens there. Trying to force high-density development off of a rural two-lane road that has already

[02:02:23] seen multiple accidents and fatalities is reckless and irresponsible. Please vote no to Cat Harpin Valley Estates. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. This is the next one.

[02:02:58] I'll lead Elmo, please. Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the board. Catherine Kulik, Vice Chair, HOA Roundtable of Northern Virginia, Gainesville District. Is July a cursed month?

[02:03:23] Here we are again with not one but two dangerous destructive projects seeking comprehensive plan amendment initiations, and one is nearly inside a national park. Cat Harpin Valley Estates is almost worse. It will add nearly 9,000 additional daily trips on a narrow two-lane road called Cat Harpin. Here's the intersection of my neighborhood road, Circuit Court, just north of the proposed development. The intersection does not meet VDOT standards with seriously limited line of sight, both left and right. When our community put this road into the state system through the rural addition program some 20 years ago, VDOT told us they could not bring the

[02:03:59] intersection to state standard without major realignment that would require taking significant portions of our neighbor's property to straighten the long and deep curve. But they upgraded as much as they could based on traffic projections at the time. It's not a simple project, and the requesters of the CPA refused any contribution for funding road improvements. It doesn't work with the unsustainable financial model this absurd proposal rests on. And nearly 9,000 additional trips to a winding rural road with substandard intersections, and someone is going to die. Your staff said this is so bad, they recommend you not even make one step into it. But the good folks of Caterpon

[02:04:38] Valley Estates, Manassas Preserve, and even Dulles South might try to think or argue they all came up to these outrageous proposals on their own organically. But they all have the same land agent fertilizer that cultivated the digital gateway that shows up on applications to the county, emails, purchase sale agreements, invites to Zoom calls, and neighborhood meetings. As soon as this started in my community, neighbors reached out to me and asking what I thought of these offers. It was hard to say since at first we were the only ones in our neighborhood who didn't receive them. These guys are not putting up their own money to purchase land. If they actually have any, their approach is to draw average homeowners into the game and assume all the risk. They're

[02:05:15] not purchasing properties. They're purchasing property rights, okay? And they catch people with the eye candy in the front of, you know, 500,000 an acre, assuming that's what you actually get. Right. And don't forget the clauses for penalties, which are up to $750,000. That's what's in the purchase agreement sent to my neighbors. But I blurt out my neighbor's details, but you can see my property. I hope this is manipulation to intimidate homeowners. Sign on with your neighbors. But if you don't want, that's okay. We'll just surround you with building our properties on that chart we never agreed to be a part of this but they sent this around to

[02:05:54] our neighborhood all right and when my neighbors were put on the zoom call and they asked why we weren't on it they said oh kathy we know kathy yeah we're not going to talk to kathy that's who you're dealing with with this okay so this is leveraged we need housing arguments you don't need to break the com plan to get it no you don't and you shouldn't approving either of these awful CPAs will start the intimidation process all over again. Don't break the com plan. Say no on both of them. Thank you very much. Thank you, next speaker. Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and members of the

[02:06:34] Board of Supervisors. My name is Diana Penenberg, and I live in Cat Harpen Valley Estates in the Gainesville District. As you know, my neighborhood has been presented with an opportunity that could change the future for many families who have lived here for decades. At the same time, however, This proposal stands to benefit far more than just the property owners in Cat Harp and Valley Estates.

[02:06:57] If the study ultimately determines that this project is appropriate, it will provide meaningful long-term benefits to the wider community and positively shape the future for many other families as well. The proposed community will bring in between $20 to $25 million in tax revenue each year and help solve the county's housing deficit of more than 20,000 homes.

[02:07:21] That's why I believe this is a win-win situation. What has been difficult is seeing those of us who support simply studying this proposal portrayed as greedy or as the bad guys. Some have even called us selfish. Wanting to explore an opportunity doesn't make someone selfish.

[02:07:41] It means we're willing to gather the facts before making a decision. That brings me to the reason I'm here today. I'm struggling to understand why authorizing the CPA has become so controversial. The purpose of the CPA is to conduct a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the facts, the impacts, and the feasibility of this proposal.

[02:08:03] It is not approval of the development itself. It is simply the process that allows informed decisions to be made. We've heard concerns about traffic, road safety, water resources, and other potential impacts. Those are legitimate concerns, and they deserve careful consideration.

[02:08:21] But without the study, how can any of us know what the actual impacts will be? Right now, we're debating assumptions rather than evidence. Again, I reiterate, the CPA is simply a fact-finding process. It ensures decisions are grounded in evidence, not fear or guesswork.

[02:08:41] I respectfully ask you to vote in favor of authorizing the CPA for Cat Harp and Valley Estates so that this study can begin. Let's give our community the opportunity to make an informed decision based on facts. Thank you for your time, for listening, and for your service to our community.

[02:08:59] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Thank you. My name is Jeff Acario, and I live in Cat Hopper Valley Estates, Gainesville. Love the area. Somebody had asked what it would take for me to move.

[02:09:17] I'm career Navy, so all it took was my next set of orders. And about every two to three years, I had to move. But I digress. So I'm here to encourage everybody to vote for the CPA. I've been in this last house for several years. I watched my daughter grow up.

[02:09:33] She graduated college. She likes the area. And she's not the only one. So Gainesville and Prince William County, it's growing. And the CPA will allow for, or the project will allow for more homes to be built in that area.

[02:09:51] It's a good project. The fact that there's a developer developing it and has to do that, well, it doesn't make it bad. So I'm not for sure why so much angst is about having a developer develop land. That's kind of their job. There's a lot of misinformation I've heard today.

[02:10:09] I've heard it on social media. There's a lot of irrelevant information about buying homes or building homes that has gone out. And I think that is one of the best reasons for voting yes on the CPA, so we can actually get the real information, the actual information, the actual facts, and have a logical discussion for being able to vote on a project for expanding the homes there.

[02:10:37] The property we have already has homes on it, so we're not encroaching on any special land or any historical land. It's just putting more homes on there and everybody's in agreeance for it, so we're not kicking anybody out, and it does not diminish anybody's home that currently lives in the area.

[02:10:56] So for me, I would appreciate a vote yes so we could have a good discussion with the facts and an illogical conversation on whether it is good for Prince William County or not. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:11:13] Next speaker, please. Hello, Chairman of the Board and Board members. My name is Philip Klain. I live in the Gainesville District and have for the last 39 years. I have lived in Northern Virginia my entire life, watched almost seven decades of change in this area. Land usage has changed considerably in my lifetime. I've watched Northern Virginia's evolution of growth and expansion. I saw the Fair Oaks Mall start out as a dairy farm, then it became a golf course, and then a shopping mall. Currently, there is talk that that usage

[02:11:48] needs to evolve into a different use. I've watched Reston go from farmland and forest to the vibrant economic engine it is today. Northern Prince William County has evolved as the Linton Hall Corridor, Heritage Hunt, Piedmont, Dominion Valley, Virginia Oaks, Lake Manassas, and many other subdivisions have been built. Devon Road was a dirt road when we moved here. It is now filled with many homes. The eastern end of Prince William has had an even more dramatic increase of homes.

[02:12:20] The county also grew with the expansion of Gainesville, Haymarket, Bristow, housing, shopping malls, medical facilities, commercial and industry expansions. When I moved, Gainesville was the Atlas Steelworks, a robber's oxygen supply, and a Betco block factory.

[02:12:35] The area around Manassas Preserve has quick access to I-66, U.S. 29, Routes 234, 234 Bypass, and the Prince William County into and out of the region, allowing access to additional transportation, work, entertainment, medical, and education opportunities.

[02:12:54] Opponents of this CPA suggest increased agricultural activities for our area. The current agricultural forestry designation for our area faces real challenges for those operations being successful. I have had my agricultural business, a plant nursery and landscape installation company, for over 45 years.

[02:13:13] I have tried growing food products and nursery products on our farm. The soils here are terribly suited for this type of endeavor. Good agricultural soils are required to make agricultural work. Agricultural enterprises require a lot of time, hard work, and even with good soils, a difficult challenge.

[02:13:34] I've had to relocate most of the in-ground nursery production that I have to areas with better soil. We should not block and cannot block the inevitable growth and expansion of the Washington, D.C. suburbs. This area should not stay limited to the inefficient land use of one home per 10 acres.

[02:13:51] That would result in a tremendous drain of the available real estate and add to housing sprawl and not support the need for additional housing that we need in Prince William County. I believe, however, that the Manassas Preserve Senior Housing Project could be built with minimal visual impact to the existing battlefield and address some of the housing shortage needs.

[02:14:16] Since I've lived here, we have had almost triple the population growth in Prince William County. Please vote yes. Sorry, thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Hello, my name is Joe Singleton, and my family has lived in Catarpan Valley since 2003.

[02:14:36] I'd like to thank the Board of Supervisors for hearing our case. I'd also like to thank all the people who showed up in support of our case. I simply want to reiterate that we are just asking the Board to approve the CPA. We also understand that if approved, then all the necessary studies will be done to address the concerns brought up here today.

[02:14:55] We 21 homeowners all agree and ask the board to vote in favor of our CPA. Thank you for service, and thank you for your time. Thank you. Before I call the next speaker, if I can have 26 to 30 come up. If you are numbers 26 to 30, please make your way to the back.

[02:15:36] All right. You may begin. Hello, members of the board. My name is Sean Moeller. I live on Bob White Drive in the Sudley Mountain neighborhood, which abuts directly against the assemblage that is being called Manassas Preserve.

[02:15:53] I just wanted to mention that even though, you know, this goes right up against my backyard, and so I could be called a NIMBY, but nonetheless, I've been a smart growth activist for many issues going back 25, 30 years in Prince William, about many things that had nothing to do with my backyard, including the 1998 comp plan that created the wonderful Rural Crescent, including the misguided 2002 Northern Virginia sales tax referendum that was claimed to be good for traffic, but it would not have been.

[02:16:24] So, you know, I've been doing smart growth stuff for a long time. I was looking on the map of this preserve assemblage, and among many things that I thought about, I was looking at Featherbed Road and the nature of this, the location of where this community would be.

[02:16:43] And it's going to generate, according to the Planning Commission, 6,000 vehicle trips a day. And it's pretty clear that, or I should say it's a pretty reasonable assumption that at least the majority of those vehicle trips are people that would be like most working people in the D.C. area, would be heading east to their destination of employment. But there they are tucked on the wrong side of the battlefield, on the west side, and the only, you know, secondary arterial road they'll have to get to their destination would be Featherbed, which is a north-south road. And so as soon as they get out of their driveways, they're heading onto a road that's going not in the direction that of their destination so this is the kind of thing that is

[02:17:22] not smart growth it's not an appropriate type of way to develop things because it inevitably creates all kinds of circuitous driving patterns and we know what that does we creates the traffic that we all have around here and thing is that you know i looked at what the planning commission had said and they looked at they did their job they did an objective assessment of the criteria that they're supposed to look at and they came to the right conclusion it's an inappropriate development in an inappropriate area. So, you know, it's, it's kind of the same sort of thing we've been dealing with in Prince William for a long time. And it's kind of easy for any given board at any given time to sort of think sort of short term and say, well, this is just one

[02:18:01] development or something. But for those of us who have been around for 30 years, we know that it's the cumulative effect of many wrong decisions that creates a lowering of the quality of life for everybody, not just the people right near these kinds of developments, but everybody else. So, you know, I just think that the board should respect the findings of the objective studies of the Planning Commission and just go with it because they're right.

[02:18:26] Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Thank you. Hi. My name is Lori Vacario, and I actually am a CPA. But today I am just here to ask you to vote yes on the CPA because obviously it's different.

[02:18:46] I am a Gainesville resident and live at Cunhaven Valley Estates. When I go to the grocery store three miles away and I'm driving home from Harris Teeter, I pass by Heritage Hunt, Piedmont, Regency, soon-to-be Smith Family Farms, and, of course, right across the street from Oak Valley.

[02:19:02] It only makes sense for Cat Harpin Valley to become the next development, just one with nice amenities. We don't live in a rural area, and as a community, we have come together, all of us, and want to sell our homes. We have a buyer who wants to develop our area, and we are just asking to make an amendment to the current comprehensive plan and do the studies to see what should be developed.

[02:19:24] A majority, you know, it's funny because a majority of the anti-development people all live in communities that were once, at one time, not developed. Progress happens, whether you like it or not. And as homeowners, we have not appreciated all the names, name calling, the trespassing, and the falsehoods from the anti-development crowd.

[02:19:43] And please don't let them try and convince you with their lies. Again, we are homeowners who just want to sell our homes and we would like you to pass the CPA so they can be looked at and see what can be developed. thank you for your time and your consideration oh and by the way homes are needed in prince william county thank you next speaker good afternoon chairman members of the board my name is andrea connor bergeron and i'm in cat harpoon valley estates we're not asking you to approve

[02:20:18] a development we're asking you would allow the same fair process that has been afforded to so many other property owners and communities throughout prince william county our community has been approached by residential developer interested in purchasing our property. As you know, we are asking for the opportunity to conduct the appropriate studies to determine what level of residential development is suitable for this property and what the impacts would be. This is exactly the process that has been available to communities such as Piedmont, Oak Valley, Regency

[02:20:54] at Creekside, Heritage Hunt, Crossroads Village, and Smith Crossing, all of which are along Cat Harpen Road, not to mention a grocery store and a school within two miles, all within two miles. Each of those projects were evaluated through studies, public input, and the county's planning process.

[02:21:14] We're simply asking for the same opportunity. We also recognize that there is an organized opposition. However, much of that opposition appears to come from one adjacent neighborhood rather than representing the county as a whole.

[02:21:30] While every citizen deserves to have their voice heard, no single neighborhood should determine whether another community is even allowed to begin the planning process. It's important to remember that the community is relatively small, our community is relatively small, compared to many of the developments mentioned.

[02:21:51] Keep that in comparison in mind when you hear the opposition. Our numbers can't begin to compare. Dominion Valley, Oak Valley, and Cat Harp and Valley Estates have very similar homes with sales prices comparable in each and offer often higher pricing in Dominion Valley and Oak Valley.

[02:22:13] Our family saw the model for our home in Oak Valley. What sets our neighborhood, our Cat Harp and Valley neighborhood apart, is the amount of land, the 10 acres in each lot. We'd like to have this land go towards the housing that the county does need.

[02:22:31] This discussion should not be about pitting one neighborhood against another. Everybody deserves the opportunity to be heard. Prince William has long recognized the transition of appropriate agricultural land to residential use through thoughtful planning.

[02:22:49] We are simply asking that our community be given the same consideration, the same opportunity for objective analysis, the same fair processes that others have already received. Please vote yes and allow these studies to move forward.

[02:23:06] Let the facts, not assumptions, not fear, and not preferences for one neighboring community guide your decision. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Chair and members of the Board.

[02:23:22] My name is Jill Browning. I'm a homeowner at Cat Harbin Valley in Gainesville District, and I'm asking that you initiate our proposed CPA 2026-3. Over the past several days, many of you have had the opportunity to visit the corridor. What you saw was not an isolated rural landscape, but a corridor made up of one established community after another.

[02:23:42] Many of these are gated with significant amenities. Our proposal is consistent with the character and pattern of development that already exists. it's a natural continuation of what is already there. This proposal addresses a real need in Prince William County that you guys have heard a lot about today. It creates new housing in an area where it is needed while helping support the local schools that are experiencing a decline in enrollment. It's an opportunity to strengthen the community, not diminish it. Since our last appearance before you in May, we have listened carefully to the concerns that you raised as a

[02:24:15] We've revised our CPA to address those concerns, and we believe that the proposal before you today is stronger because of that collaborative process. Most importantly, the proposal has the overwhelming support of the people who own the land and broad support from the silent majority.

[02:24:31] I ask everyone here who supports the CPA to please stand and show the board just how broad the support is. Unfortunately, a small but vocal group has continued to oppose not just this project, but every development proposal in western Prince William County.

[02:24:48] While the Just Say No campaign worked for Nancy Reagan's crusade back in the day against drugs, it is not an effective strategy for managing a county. I don't think we want to be the county that says, no room at the end, we've closed our doors. While we all have the right to express our views, this type of knee-jerk reaction, particularly from a small and one-sided coalition, should not have an oversized influence on the future of our community or our property.

[02:25:13] They are the hammer, and every project to them looks like a nail, and this is not the way it should be. Each proposal deserves to be evaluated on its own merits. Please consider the voices of the people who have invested their lives. Here, we are hardworking families and local business owners, choosing what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for our families. Our CPA offers meaningful benefits to the county today getting ahead of the real issues that facing facing our community like the housing shortage and declining enrollment in schools sometimes the needs of the residents outpace the existing comp plan which is exactly why part of the land management process

[02:25:50] includes cpa applications just like this one we respectfully ask that you vote yes on the initiation of the revised cpa as submitted by the applicants thank you next speaker please Good afternoon, Madam Chair and Board of County Supervisors.

[02:26:11] My name is Kristen Mulcairin. I'm a resident of Gainesville and a homeowner in Cat Harpen Valley. We have sat here and listened to all of the comments, and from our perspective, what it boils down to is this. There is a major housing shortage. The schools in our geographic area are under capacity.

[02:26:28] 100% of our neighborhood is on board with doing this. Cat Harpen Road is not rural, as you have heard earlier. It is full of gated communities, crosswalks, walking paths, fountains. We are five minutes from Harris Teeter shopping, bars, restaurants.

[02:26:44] People want to live where we live. We're close to 66. We're close to the Loudon Line. We have new retail. We have new restaurants. We have new shopping centers. People want to live there, but there's no housing to buy. We have watched comprehensive plan amendments be initiated in the Brentsville District over the last year.

[02:27:03] And it just seems a little unfair and confusing, actually, why this is so suddenly controversial. We have definitely hit a point of frustration. We have been harassed online and in person by the anti-development group.

[02:27:20] Cyberbullying, name-calling, misinformation, trespassing photographers in our neighborhood, one of the pictures you just saw, drones flying around, fake site plans being distributed, videos of our neighborhood being posted online. We have had enough.

[02:27:36] This vote today is about initiating our CPA. There's not a single person in this room who is an expert on the land at stake. The studies need to be done. Density has been proposed. Density has not been set. We have been able to get meetings with a few of you, and for that, we truly appreciate letting you hear us out.

[02:27:56] One good thing about the Digital Gateway and Dulles South and even Manassas Preserve is it shows you there are hundreds of people that are very interested in progress and development in our area. Recently, we have all been able to meet each other, and if you think the anti-development group is vocal, wait until you meet our new group.

[02:28:16] Please vote yes to initiate the Cat Harp and Valley CPA. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Okay. I'm back. Wait, hold on. Actually, before I go, I thought there was another lady who was in line to speak.

[02:28:32] She was a previous speaker that was waiting for... Okay. So then I'm going to call up, before you get started, I'm sorry, 31 to 35, people with the numbers 31 to 35, if you can...

[02:28:51] Oh, that is 31 to 35. All right, you may begin. Okay. Chair Jefferson, members of the board, my name is Melody Miller. I live in Neabsco, and I run fire on the west end of the county in Noakesville.

[02:29:08] Today, you're going to be considering a lot of land use decisions, and you'll hear from me later on quite a few of the individual agenda items. I'll try to be quick on those ones, because I think I'm the only person signed up. And I already sent you an email on the consent agenda, so thanks for listening still. However, as the body that's performing the final check before the last gate of decision, I'm going to ask you to kind of examine the aggregate cumulative impact of all of these things, especially Manassas Preserve and Cat Harpin Valley.

[02:29:34] As somebody who regularly drives both ends of the county, and I run Fire and Rescue, and I have for almost 30 years, when we tally the numbers together, the cumulative effect of these, just these five that we're talking about, are absolutely staggering. So you've got 565 acres of land that would be rezoned or redesignated.

[02:29:53] residential capacity would skyrocket by about 4,800 houses without corresponding infrastructure, without sewer, without water, without electrical capacity. And our grid is already capacity, as Supervisor Gordy has mentioned before. That would bring probably 15,000 new residents in our county without the infrastructure to support them. And all of the current residents would bear that burden. Our road networks, people have talked about the traffic. I think we're all very aware about how some of the roads on the west end of the county cannot handle the increased capacity. Urban corridors like Route 1, Noakesville Road, already some F intersections on those with

[02:30:29] no plans to mitigate. For me, local public safety capacity would be a big thing. On the Cat Harpin side is Station 4 and Station 25. On the east end side is 3 and 23. All of those stations are already over capacity. All of them. And I don't know if the general public knows this, but it is not easy to get new firefighters and EMTs. It takes a minimum of two years to get somebody through the training. So you can't dump 10,000 people and then expect that there's going to be personnel to help them in their moment of need. It takes years to get people ready to do that. So these are not resources that we can just turn over and provide. Some of the students that would be dumped

[02:31:07] are going into school systems that are overcrowded. A lot of the proffers do not add any money for capital school expenditures or capital school costs. So there's that. But mostly we're talking about the 540 acres of rural timberland, the agricultural reserves, and the open space that's going to be clear cut. We have critical environmental overlays like the Lick Branch watershed, all of the RPAs. The viewsheds on the Manassas battlefield are less concerning to me than the watershed, but those are also permanently altered and we cannot get those back. So I want to also just lastly point out that when you put all these together, these significantly distort our

[02:31:44] comprehensive plan. They go against our smart growth principles. You are going to exceed density limits in some of these by up to 45%. So if you vote to maintain the DCSM and the comp plan, you are going to not only encourage smart growth, but preserve the quality of life for the residents that are already here. Thank you so much for your time. All right. Thank you. Next speaker, please.

[02:32:08] Madam Chair, members of the board. My name is Jay Mulcairn. I've been a resident of Gainesville for over 20 years. I'm asking you to vote to initiate the CPA for Cap Arpen Valley Estates. Last time we were here in May, there was concerns about density. I think Don covered those being addressed with the RN3 to RN2 designation, which is one to four homes per acre. While I was researching the comprehensive plan amendments in Prince William County, I noticed that multiple CPAs have gone through in Brunsville for the past district for the past

[02:32:43] year and i'm not sure why um we're having this issue with gainesville district you know schools in our district are under capacity and we need housing available for the younger generation this is only a study so please allow us to proceed thank you thank you next speaker please how y'all doing my name is kibi i'm gainesville district i couldn't think of a more appropriate color for everybody to wear to represent the underlying psychology of the dangers of increasing

[02:33:18] the population by 50. I believe it's 50 times the amount of residents that would be driving down Cat Harpin Road. Death and dismemberment is not really a logical way to proceed in the development of a county that's got small winding roads. Thank you for voting logically and mindfully.

[02:33:44] Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. Jessica Grove, Gainesville District. First of all, where is the groundwater study that was promised? I would like to respectfully ask that you follow staff recommendations and honor your own previous statements and vote no to initiate Manassas Preserve and Cat Harpoon Valley Estates. Manassas Preserve is a project

[02:34:22] that is sitting directly behind Sutherland Mountain Estates. Small neighborhood, mostly five acre lots behind the Manassas Battlefield Park. It's a small community that my dad and uncle developed in the 60s and 70s. And this community still has several of the homeowners who have been there since the beginning. They are octogenarians and in their 90s.

[02:34:41] You work all your life and you get to retire in the place that you've called home for 50 years. Then you get a letter stating that your local leader has decided to betray his constituents and work to change rural lands into industrial lands for 37 data centers.

[02:35:02] Because it's not near homes. But it was near homes. Each step of the way was more and more concerning. Then one day you get an email from your neighbor and there's a project presented to you. You're going to get thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars for your acreage because they want to build workforce housing because of the data centers, which is so odd because I thought the data centers wanted to be here because it wasn't near homes.

[02:35:29] And they don't employ many people except for construction workers, but they all came to the Digital Gateway meeting saying they lived in the county and they wanted to work in the county. So what does an octogenarian do? Where should they move to? No, they want to stay in their homes.

[02:35:50] Sir, I asked the developer, where is an octogenarian to go? Where you're near your doctors and your churches and your friends. And they said, don't worry, you don't have to be a part of the project.

[02:36:06] We can build around you. Your water be damned, your property be damned. They don't care about the biggest investment you've ever made in your life. Ms. Vega, I've heard you say in the past you don't believe in taking private property for road improvements due to projects.

[02:36:28] But both of these projects would take private property to keep drivers safe. Ms. LaCroix, you said you had a whole neighborhood that comes together that wants to sell, and you would look for a way for them to sell. All of these homeowners are able to sell at any moment, but they're asking for a CPA for something that is not compatible with surrounding areas and communities.

[02:36:50] We hope you are considering how the families will feel who are left behind. Mr. Bode, you said the other day Gainesville and Cat Harpin need time to pause, exhale, and work together with our supervisor to shape the area's future holistically. This is not holistically.

[02:37:08] Time is up. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Nazra Suti Martin, and I am a homeowner at Cadd Harpin Valley State in the Gainesville District.

[02:37:30] I'm asking that you vote to advance the Cadd Harpin Valley State CPA initiation. I have been a resident and homeowner in Prince William County for more than 30 years. During that time, I have seen many changes.

[02:37:47] The county has added the Prince William County Parkway, numerous shopping centers, and restaurants. gone from roughly 60 public schools to almost 100, and built many new housing developments, including Heritage Hunt, Piedmont, Dominion Valley, Regency, and Oak Valley.

[02:38:06] The neighborhood being proposed at Cardharpon Valley State is no different, and it should be studied further for consideration. As a homeowner in Cardharpon Valley State, I have the right to sell my property, And if the result of that sale, a new community is developed, much like the several we currently have in Gainesville and Haymarket, I truly do not see how this could be any different.

[02:38:34] Unless, of course, it is the classic, not in my backyard. The answer to the new development cannot be automatically no, especially when many of those speaking in opposition have privately said that if this is with their project or their property, they will sell it in a heartbeat.

[02:38:51] Thank you for your time. All right, before I call up the next speaker, I would like to get 36 to 40. So if you are 36 to 40, bingo, let me go to the back.

[02:39:23] All right, you may begin. Hi, my name is Laura Singleton. I'm from the Gainesville District, and my family has lived in the Cat Harpen Valley Estates community for 23 years.

[02:39:43] The comprehensive planned amendments are effective because public participation ensures that community voices are being heard and considered. Please listen to our concerns, hear us today, and consider voting yes to initiate a CPA study for the Cat Harpen Valley Estates community.

[02:40:02] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Afternoon. My thanks to the board for having us here today. My name is Chris Higginbotham, and I'm a Cat Harpen Valley resident in Gainesville.

[02:40:20] I agree with everything that my neighbors have said, so I instead want to use this forum as an opportunity for outreach to everyone here today. When things like our CPA happen, an artificial wall often forms between one community and another, and there are folks who are willing to spread misinformation about roads, water, septic, in order to manipulate one group of people and to demonize the other.

[02:40:47] Supervisor Vega, I couldn't agree with you more that facts do matter, which is why I'm offering right here the opportunity for you to hear it straight from me and our community. If you'd like to know the facts, please contact our board or me directly, and we're glad to share an overview of our proposal with you.

[02:41:09] It's a CPA, so you may not enjoy it, but I assure you that it will be the truth. To those of you who have kids under 30, it's reasonable for you to be concerned about their ability to break into this housing market with its limited inventory and high prices and start building their lives with their families like each of us did years ago.

[02:41:32] It is opportunities like this that open up inventory here or elsewhere that can provide them that future. To Oak Valley, we recognize this is more personal for you. Your residents have enjoyed our private neighborhood for the last 24 years, with more of your folks entering our neighborhood every day than we have homes in our entire community.

[02:41:57] We haven't complained when your dogs run through our yards, when your families walk and bike along our street for hours on end. I've met many of your residents over the years, with some of them my friends. So it's important to note that more than a dozen of you have told me that if you were in our situation, you would do the same.

[02:42:18] To anyone from the broader six planned communities comprised of more than 4,000 homes that already line Cat Harpen Road, Piedmont, Heritage Hunt, Regency, Oak Valley, Fallen Oaks, Lawnville Estates, The ironic thing about you protesting here today is that each of you, every one of you, has a home and you're thriving communities because someone else was willing to part with their land in the first place.

[02:42:51] To the board, I expect you're familiar with Cat Harpen Road. You know it's clearly not a rural area, especially with the Oak Valley across the street and the 7th Development Smith Farm immediately next door. The real battle line should be drawn at Pageland.

[02:43:08] We respectfully ask that you give us a fair shake, has been given to all others, and approve our request for initiation and exploration. Thank you so very much. Thank you for your time. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon.

[02:43:25] My name is Laura Harders, and I live in the Gainesville District in Sudley Springs. I'm speaking today on items 11A and 11B. I'm asking you to vote no on initiating the comprehensive plan amendments for Manassas Preserve and Caterpon Valley Estates.

[02:43:42] And I just want to commend the staff on reviewing these thoroughly and recommending denial. And I know the staff has done a great job. And earlier, Supervisor Vega commended the staff when it was a discussion on the Bennett School, stating, we have a great staff.

[02:44:00] They work hard. I do believe they have reviewed these thoroughly and made the proper recommendation of denial. Now, these are two separate projects. And I do want to point out the Manassas Preserve is the closest project to where I live, to my house, that I've ever spoken about.

[02:44:17] I know you all say we've seen her speak about the Digital Gateway and other projects. My husband and I own property, our farmhouse on Sudley Road, and actually onto Feather Bed Lane as well. It was actually 20 years ago that my husband and I bought our first townhome.

[02:44:36] My husband's a little older, but I was still in my 20s. and we had, we were expecting our first child. So we bought our first home here in Manassas in Prince William County near Mullen Elementary School. And it was great because we had neighbors that were single. We had newlyweds, people with young families, as well as retirees. It was a great eclectic mix. And it was our great entry into gaining homeownership here in Manassas in Prince William County. Ten years ago, we made the leap and bought our first standalone house,

[02:45:12] a farmhouse that needed a lot of work. We bought it from Sedley United Methodist Church. It needed a lot of work. And back then, I was in my 30s, and my kids were 5 and 10. So it's amazing to look now full circle that in the rural area that we live in now, by Manassas National Battlefield, We have such a treasure. The rural landscape and some of the agricultural businesses that I just want to comment on. Off of General Trimbles Lane, there's Morningside Stables. So my son went to a

[02:45:46] boys camp there nine years ago. And I know that there's people who are looking to change the landscape there. But I just want to say there is so much uniqueness in the rural landscape, so much history near the unfinished railroad and by the battlefield. So I'm asking you to vote no on these two CPAs. As was heard earlier this month, a CPA is not just initiating something to look into a plan and do the studies. It's actually amending our comprehensive plan. Stick to your vision.

[02:46:24] I implore you for smart growth to vote no on the two CPAs. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon. My name is Kara Kloss and I live in the Gainesville District. I'm opposed to both CPAs that are initiated before the board today. And the staff has already laid out the myriad reasons from no infrastructure to the summer rural area, the problems with Cat Harpin Road. So I don't want to touch on that, but I want to touch on something much more fundamental today.

[02:46:57] both of these assemblages are a direct outgrowth of the digital gateway okay both communities saw the threat that the digital gateway posed as we did in oak valley and they looked for an escape hatch i don't begrudge them that this isn't about that this is about we are at an inflection point okay our defeat of the digital gateway through this litigation has provided this county an opportunity to come together, to have a holistic approach for what Western Prince William should

[02:47:31] look like. These are decisive decisions before you today. Make no mistake, it's not just a study. If we go forward with piecemeal development, this holistic approach that has been advocated by those of you on the day as becomes impossible. It simply does. What we ask for is to move forward with all of the stakeholders in the community in western Prince William County.

[02:48:02] I didn't spend the last three years of my life leading the litigation for Oak Valley to see this vision fall apart. This is a unique opportunity. We thought when the digital gateway was still viable that we would not have this opportunity, but we do.

[02:48:21] I think that the developer gave Oak Valley a rather curious tongue-in-cheek shout-out, saying that this would actually quote permanently address Oak Valley's concerns about the impact of future industrial development but that's quite to the contrary because if the board starts approving these piecemeal assemblages which again I don't begrudge our neighbors the digital gateway was a threat the financial income from this again this is pitting neighbor against neighbor but approving this doesn't doesn't give us any assurances I mean it basically says that anything can happen at any time. It's not guided growth. There's no vision. We've got piecemeal development. There is

[02:48:59] always a threat. Supervisor Bode, you said we need a chance to breathe. I could not agree with you more. When the Digital Gateway, as Patrick said, started five years ago, my oldest was in middle school. Next month, he is leaving for college. That is how our community has been under threat and for so long. So please give us a chance to come together as all the stakeholders in western Prince William County realize a vision that will be beneficial to the entire community to all of Northern Virginia. And yes, we're tired, but we still got a lot of fight left in us. And make no mistake, we're ready to continue to fight for our community and for Western Prince William County.

[02:49:39] Thank you. All right, before we get to the next speaker, I would like to call up 41 through 45. Did I call y'all 41 through 45? No, I did not. 41 through 45. Come on down, y'all.

[02:49:57] Come on down. 41 through 45. You're going to get in the next group, okay? I was debating about it, but we got some more people, like the non-residents.

[02:50:13] So hang tight, bro. Hang tight. All right, you may go. Hi, my name is Jacob Horst. I live in the Gainesville District in Cat Harpon Valley Estates. I just want to say that I'm a small business owner.

[02:50:33] I've had a business in Prince William County for 35 years. I've lived in Cat Harpon Valley Estates for 22. I would just like to see the county be able to look at this and move this study forward so that Cat Harpon Valley Estates can get their CPA approved.

[02:50:58] I'm not going to, you know, spend a lot of time. But, you know, I had a son that wanted to live in Prince William County, and he couldn't find anything affordable in northern Prince William County, he had to move to Winchester.

[02:51:15] So he commutes to our area from Winchester every day, five days a week. So we need housing that can support young families with small children and be able to send them to good schools because I love Prince William County.

[02:51:34] So that's all I have to say. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Rachel Ellis, Gainesville District. Say no to Cat Harbin Valley Estates in Manassas Preserve.

[02:51:50] Homeowners can sell at any point. While the homeowner can ask for a rezoning or a CPA request, it does not violate their property rights for this board to deny the request. And speaking of property rights, with the density that both applications are requesting, road improvements will be needed. An eminent domain will be required of all the roads. Cat Harbin Road is just like Purcell Road. Again, imagine an additional 1,100 homes on Purcell Road. Both of

[02:52:25] these applications are about one thing. Who is in control of how this county grows? Is it the developers and a handful of residents looking to sell out and secure a windfall of an over-inflated purchase price? Or is it the board following the comprehensive plan, which is the result of public hearings, resident input, and years of planning work. The comp plan gives residents confidence in what the future of their community will look like. It is a promise to the residents that this is where we grow. This is where we protect historical resources and farmland. This is where

[02:53:02] we keep things residential and rural. Both of these applications are contrary to the comp plan and the strategic plan for smart growth. They are a litmus test for developers and residents to see who actually runs Prince William County?

[02:53:18] Yes to either of these is a green light to all the other assemblages that are being created within our county in areas just like this with no infrastructure, incompatible with surrounding community densities and outside of the comp plan vision. Saying no to these applications helps to drive the developer conversation away from these type of greenfield projects to redevelopment in areas like the Sudley Corridor where infrastructure already exists and affordable, attainable housing is a real possibility.

[02:53:50] Last week, actually, I'm sorry, last month, Supervisor Bodie, you did a social media post, which really struck me and I agreed with. And you stated, the choice isn't growth or no growth, it is infill or sprawl. It is whether we grow through thoughtful infill and redevelopment or whether we keep pushing pressure outward into longer commutes, more land consumption, higher infrastructure costs and fewer housing choices done well infill can help us reuse land where infrastructure already exists and more housing choices support transit and shorter trips reduce

[02:54:26] pressure on under developed on undeveloped land and bring new life to aging commercial areas thank you supervisor bode for that vision and it's a vision that i hope other supervisors can get behind right now this vision is not the community the community it is the developers and the people that are looking to sell please say no thank you thank you next speaker please hello my name is sonia connect hoshi and i live in the brinsville district i am opposed to both

[02:55:01] 11.a and 11.b i believe we need to preserve green spaces the best we can i am an equestrian and i see trails being taken away across the county and actually the country i often ride at mass and Manassas battlefields and see many people and families out enjoying the trails all year long.

[02:55:20] I also wondered about the needed infrastructure for these communities. With these proposals, will the county be putting the proverbial cart before the horse? I believe growth is inevitable and necessary, but it needs to be smart growth. I remember many years ago when I was a high school student, I lived in Fairfax and would come to Prince William County. The amount of rural and green spaces was always a joy to behold. Please leave some of these spaces green for other young people to enjoy in the future. Please vote no on these two CPAs, and thank you for allowing

[02:55:55] me to speak. Next speaker, please. You may proceed. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Amanda Smith.

[02:56:11] My husband and I own property on General Trimbles Lane, also known as Manassas Preserve in the Gainesville District. I'm here today as a resident property owner to share my support for this project. There have been several videos circulated online highlighting the parking lot on Featherbed Lane across from the end of our property on General Trimbles Lane. The video described how runners enjoy the trails and suggested that developers are attempting to ruin the battlefield.

[02:56:40] I understand the concern is this will destroy the battlefield trails. It will not. This opportunity doesn't take trails away. It brings more people to use them. It opens the existing trail system to a growing community building a stronger sense of community and a place we all want to protect.

[02:57:02] This is an opportunity for real growth, not growth that competes with the battlefield, but growth that supports it. More residents using and caring about these trails means more investment and more reason for this land to be preserved for the long term. It creates an advantage for the whole area. A thriving community, a protected historic site, and a trail system that get used and valued instead of forgotten. I want to see this property become a place where generations of families build community together, walking the same trails, sharing the same history,

[02:57:39] and passing that on appreciation. I respectfully ask that you vote yes and to see this for what it is a chance to create community growth and lasting value for prince william county and the surrounding areas thank you thank you next speaker please ladies and gentlemen esteemed members of the prince william county board and fellow community members my name is christopher smith i'm a constituent of the gainesville district and i am here on behalf of the manassas preserve

[02:58:18] today i stand before you as a sailor who is excited about the opportunity to partner with developer who genuinely cares about the community growth. My decision to sell my land for the development of a 55-plus community in the historic battlefield area reflects a vision that goes far beyond real estate. It embodies our shared commitment to enhancing the quality of life within our county. The proposed 55-plus community not only brings significant advantages for Prince William County in terms of revenue generation and job creation, but it also promises to improve the battlefield land experience for both visitor as well as

[02:58:58] resident. By welcoming new centers and residents, we stimulate the local economy, leading to increased business for shopping and ongoing operations within the community. Furthermore, the construction and ongoing operations within the community will provide numerous job opportunities that will invigorate our local workforce and economy, all is while enhancing the historical and cultural richness of our beloved Battlefield area.

[02:59:27] A key benefit of this development is its potential to create a vibrant environment that draws more visitors to the Battlefield. This will provide an engaging space that complements the historical significance in the area, transforming it into a hub for learning, community connection, and cultural appreciation.

[02:59:43] However, there is a deeply personal aspect to this project that resonates strongly with my family and me. The proceeds from this sale will enable us to establish an addiction treatment facility and behavioral health center, an endeavor that is very close to our hearts.

[03:00:03] Our family has navigated the challenges of addiction and we understand firsthand the shortcomings with the current ongoing treatment options that are available. So by voting yes on the CPA, you're not only supporting the development that enhances the community but also facilitating a project that will provide hope as well as assistance to those in dire need. We believe that every individual deserves access to high-quality addiction treatment and mental health services and through this center we aim to create a place of healing and support. I urge you

[03:00:40] to see the project as more than just a development proposal. It is an opportunity to make a lasting impact within our community. A vote in favor of the cpa is a vote for progress compassion and hope together we can foster an environment that not only enhances our community but improves the battlefield experience for all but also provides critical resources for those who struggle thank you for your time and consideration and believing in a brighter future for prince william county all right before i get to the next speaker mr 46 you may go up there i also have um i'm going to also call people from our non-resident list i don't

[03:01:20] know if you guys were given numbers, but one through four, that's Cayman Ward, Kyle Hart, Lynn Forkle Green, and Chuck Laudner, if all of you can make your way to the back. So that is 46, and then the people, the non-residents who signed up to speak. All right, you may proceed.

[03:01:43] Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and members of the board. My name is Patrick O'Leary. I live in the Gainesville District. I'm here to support. I'm here in support of the CPA for Manassas Preserve.

[03:01:58] I have lived in Prince William County for 56 years and on General Trimbles Lane for the past 26 years. I have watched smart growth work successfully in Haymarket and Gainesville. I would love to see the same thoughtful progress for the rest of the county. I strongly support initiating the CPA for Manassas Preserve. This is not a vote to approve the project. It is simply a vote to allow a full transparent public study to determine whether residential use is even feasible on this site.

[03:02:37] This has been an open all-in-the-daylight process from the very beginning. From our decision to convey this land to the county through today's starting line and continuing through every step of public review. This proposal offers 55-plus senior housing, not high density.

[03:03:00] Senior housing results in fewer cars on the roads, no added strain on our schools, and a practical way for long-time western Prince William County residents to age in place rather than move away. It also permanently protects 255 acres next to the battlefield by locking the land into residential use removing any risk of data centers 12 local families deserve the same fair hearing this board has given to many other proposals please let the process examine the facts

[03:03:37] and please vote yes to initiate cpa manassas reserve preserve give this responsible proposal the study it deserves thank you for your service and keeping prince william county a great place to live next speaker please i'm steve ward and i live in the gainesville district and i respectfully ask that you support the initiation of the Manassas Preserve CPA. First, thank you and your staff for the time you've invested in meeting with me over the last several months. I hope you've come away

[03:04:16] with two conclusions, that I love Prince William County and that I truly believe we have an opportunity to leave it better than we found it. Today, I want to speak with optimism, not about what we stand to lose, but about what we have the opportunity to build together. I've heard concerns about the people behind this project, as if there's a nefarious intent that the private investment land rights and public interest can somehow not be compatible. When people meet with honesty, transparency, and without vilifying one another, remarkable things can happen. Many of us standing

[03:04:50] here today also stood together against the digital gateway because we believed mass industrialization was fundamentally not the right idea for this corridor. Those same principles carried forward to the negotiations that followed. We didn't compromise our views. We applied them. One thing every conversation, every conversation I've had with this board or staff has said is that, especially Supervisor Stewart, this corridor is going to change. The question is whether it happens through thoughtful vision or decades of fractured piecemeal decisions. What makes today different is alignment, willing homeowners, a private partner ready to make an extraordinary

[03:05:28] investment, and a county with the opportunity to shape that investment from day one. If that alignment disappears, development doesn't. What disappears is the opportunity to shape it. On the 165th anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run, this proposal doesn't bring harm to the battlefield.

[03:05:47] It brings preservation through inclusion. Housing is already there. We live there. What changes is the vision. Instead of massive single-family estates, deteriorating properties, and roadways that fail to reflect the significance of the area, we can create a community that celebrates the battlefield, welcomes new residents, and becomes a source of pride for the entire county.

[03:06:09] Look to Fawn Lake in Fredericksburg, and you will see an absolute shining example of what this looks like. That is preservation through stewardship. That is also the kind of growth we say we want. A planned 55-plus community that broadens our tax base, supports local business, strengthens the economy, without straining on resources, that is not anything but thoughtful growth.

[03:06:33] History teaches us that every meaningful change is met with resistance, but change should not be our enemy. Supervisor Stewart, you know that we share many of the same ideals. You know that we both dream about what this corridor can become. I think the only thing we've ever disagreed upon is timing.

[03:06:51] But none of us get to choose when opportunity knocks. We only get to choose whether we answer the door. Open the door because you can't build a brighter tomorrow by closing out the partners who are willing to help you create it. Vote yes and, and let's get this dialogue started. Thank you so much.

[03:07:07] Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the board. Thank you for your time today. My name is Kamen Ward, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak today in support of both the Manassas Preserve and Kitharpon Valley Estate developments.

[03:07:27] My family has built a life in Prince William County, and it's always been home to me. As I think about the future, my fiancé and I would like to build our lives here. We want to buy a home. We want to raise a family and become part of this community for the long term. The challenge is that, like many people in my generation, finding a home we can't actually afford has become incredibly difficult.

[03:07:48] We look throughout Northern Virginia, and the reality is that affordability often pushes young families farther and farther away from the communities where we grew up. I don't want that to be my story. I want the opportunity to come back to Prince William County, but for that to happen, there needs to be housing that people like me can realistically afford.

[03:08:07] I also want to share something more personal to me that I've endured over the past couple weeks. My grandmother lives in Heritage Hunt, and I've had the chance to see firsthand how much community has improved her quality of life. She's surrounded by friends, activities, neighbors who look out for one another, and has given her a level of independence, purpose, and happiness that has been incredible to our family to witness.

[03:08:30] When I think about the proposed housing, I don't just see buildings. I see the opportunity for other families to experience what ours has experienced as well. I see grandparents finding community, more young families having a chance to stay close to the people they love, and more residents being able to call Prince William County home at every stage of life.

[03:08:50] I know growth comes with an important decision, but I hope you'll continue supporting efforts that create more housing opportunities for people across all generations that we truly need. Thank you for your time, thank you for your service, and your consideration to vote yes.

[03:09:07] - Thank you, next speaker please.

[03:09:23] - Good afternoon, I'm a non-resident, assuming the residents are done. Great, awesome. My name is Kyle Hart, I represent a nonprofit called the National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA. Y'all have heard from me before, but as a reminder, NPCA, As a national nonprofit that does advocacy for national parks, much like the Lorax speaks for the trees, we speak for the national parks.

[03:09:47] I'm here today to kind of highlight some of our concerns with CPA 00016 and CPA 0003, Cat Harbin Valley Estates, and Manassas Preserve. Way back when we were talking about something different about the digital gateway, I actually grappled with the park where the park would tell me oftentimes, and I frankly disagreed with them, where they would say, well, we'd rather have data centers than houses because our biggest threat is traffic.

[03:10:18] Our biggest concern to the park is traffic. They reiterated the threats that traffic have on their roads and their infrastructure, how they're having to do restoration on the Stonehouse because of traffic trips through the intersection at 29 and 234. They were concerned about the additional strain on traffic that housing would bring to the park.

[03:10:40] Like I said, at the time, I disagreed with them that data centers were better than housing, and I still believe that. But I put housing, and specifically extremely dense housing, at the second biggest threat to the park. So there are currently, according to the CPA applications, around Manassas Preserve, weekday trips of 121.

[03:11:05] At Carbond Valley Estates, weekday trips of 191. Combined, once you subtract those current weekday trips, the two projects would equate to 14,847 additional weekday trips through the park environs and in the community.

[03:11:24] That is a significant uptake. That isn't a minor change. That is a complete rewrite of the entire transportation network around the park, and we have significant concerns about how that would impact the existing strain that the park deals with every single day for traffic.

[03:11:45] You know, we have heard throughout the Digital Gateway about years of traffic concerns. Oh, the area has so much traffic, we can't live here anymore. Well, when you find yourself in a hole, you should probably stop digging. So that's what I ask you to do today. trust your comp plan, trust your planning staff, which have rightly advised denying these two projects, stop digging a hole, and reject this request.

[03:12:10] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good afternoon, Chair and Board. Lynn Forkel-Green, Manassas City resident.

[03:12:27] Appreciate you having me here this evening. I came here today to ask you to defer the vote, but you've already taken that vote, so my comments are going to just go back and forth from the couple of emails that you did receive, and yet not one person responded to.

[03:12:43] And though you say you would like partnership with those interested in preserving the history and the shared history, not one person responded to my emails. The only person who replied to my email was the FOIA officer due to the FOIA request in the first email.

[03:12:58] And then I hear the comments made this afternoon about the city, which is also a little bit discouraging because I cannot speak for the mayor or the current elected mayor Council. However, I have sat as a council member before 2023, and in, I believe, January 2025, there was an Inside Nova article that shared a plan that specifically still shows the preservation of Old Bennett School on that plan. In my understanding, during my time serving the city

[03:13:35] as a councilwoman and remaining an advocate in our city during all times, not remaining political, only serving our people, representing people, not politics. I think each of you who know me up there know that to be true. However, it is very confusing for residents to understand what changed from 2025 to now, where now the building is being demolished. And at the same time, it's difficult to find where Manassas City residents are supposed to get involved in that conversation since you do represent the county residents and as you know I'm just sharing this with the public

[03:14:14] but as you know Manassas City is 10 square miles we have about 43,000 people so when you talk about equity and partnership and representation how much should Manassas City be on the line for for a building that was neglected by its owner which is Prince William County who is bigger than us richer than us and has the control of the decision if you just take 40 million dollars nothing else you take 90 we take eight and manassas park takes two that's just over three

[03:14:49] million dollars right now manassas city is doling out three million dollars like candy canes and lollipops so i'm confused as to how this conversation wasn't moved forward in a more meaningful way so that our residents were more represented. I'm not here to challenge the fact that we may have gotten too far, but I would like to make sure that Manassas City is included along the way. And I'm asking anyone up there who said they are open to partnership to give me a call.

[03:15:19] I'm happy to send you my phone number again. Please keep in mind that we just want to do the same thing. We want to have a shared community, and the shared services agreement is less than transparent our residents are looking for ways to meaningfully connect and partner thank you thank you next speaker please good afternoon my name is chuck laudner i represent the american battlefield trust and we have a long history of working in and with prince william county

[03:15:54] both at manassas and bristow station and we agree with the recent statement that the county needs to catch its breath regarding intense development with the defeat of the prince william digital Gateway and vote to deny the Dulles Cloud South, it would be wise to look at the comp plan holistically and not amend it piecemeal.

[03:16:16] Further, this project is another historically sensitive area near the Manassas Battlefield Park with Core Battlefield in one of the most country's most popular tourist destinations. It not only serves as a magnet that draws in millions of out-of-state revenue, but it is also an important amenity for local residents who want to enjoy its history, hiking trails, of Wildlife and Open Space in its history, noting that today is the anniversary of the battle, many commemorating the first battle at Bull Run, July 21st, 1861. And we agree with the

[03:16:55] professional county planning staff that it would be unwise to proceed with this comp plan amendment initiation, noting that it is, quote, inconsistent with the goals, policies, and action strategies of the adopted comprehensive plan. Further, we want to point out the additional strains such intense development will put on the road network including already busy narrow roadways through the park absolutely a safety concern and finally it is important to remember the needs and desires of long-term residents of the area who cherish living in a rural area of the county and have been active in raising private monies to protect the area in particular I want to mention the landowners

[03:17:33] in the area who put up their own money sometimes taking out second mortgages to protect the 135 acre Davis tract along Featherbed Lane just a stone's throw away from this project. The American Battlefield Trust urges your opposition to both comp plan amendment initiations and I appreciate your time and I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you. All right thank you so very much. We have now concluded with in-person comment time. I'm going to turn it over to Supervisor Gordy who is going to handle remote public comment time. Do we have anyone online for public comment time?

[03:18:15] Good afternoon, the board. Yes, we do. Our first speaker is going to be Patrick McFaul. Please proceed, Mr. McFaul. Okay, can you hear me okay? We do. Thank you so much. Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and members of the board. My name is Patrick McFaul from the Gainesville District.

[03:18:37] I am back today because when my actual land at home were in an active hostile takeover, Literally wrapped into a CPA without my permission, I learned firsthand how broken this process can be. I'm here today to support others facing the same problem and for every resident watching this asking, what on earth is going on in our county?

[03:18:57] I hold no malice towards landowners seeking to sell. More power to them. Get your Benjamins. But just like them, I'm here standing up for my property rights. I bought my home, relying on the Prince William County 2040 Comprehensive Plan that this board adopted on 13 December 2022.

[03:19:17] Running land use by applicant-driven and lack of mold amendments is bad policy. We need a legislative moratorium on out-of-cycle development applications to comprehensively study what we are doing to our infrastructure, water, rural zones, Chesapeake Bay watershed, not going to war with Mother Nature, business development, and tax revenue.

[03:19:40] If a county-led master study during moratorium concludes changes are warranted, so be it. But private developers should not be directing when and where those studies happen. I am a resident demanding sound planning, administrative discipline, and respect for all property rights.

[03:19:59] I urge this board to halt these applicant-driven amendments and restore order to the planning process. Support and agree with your planning staff by voting no on initiating the Catharpon and Manassas Preserve Developmental CPAs today. direct staff to focus on county-led, county-wide, comprehensive planning, not applicant-driven speculative assemblages.

[03:20:23] Thank you, and God bless. Thank you, Mr. McFaul. Who do we have next? Our next speaker is Christine Hock. Please proceed, Ms. Hock. Thank you. Hi, my name is Christine Hock, and I have lived in the Brentsville District for 30 years, and I'm urging you to vote no on these proposed amendments.

[03:20:52] um instead to follow what the planning commission staff recommend 30 years ago we considered the eastern side of the county but it had lots of commercial developments like potomac mills and shopping centers and gainesville was rural you know with only a grocery store and 7-eleven but we were also pleased that the county board of supervisors approved the rural crescent in 1998 on a bipartisan basis. And so I urge, once again, the board to preserve rural communities.

[03:21:27] Both political parties supported the rural crescent, and it was very attractive as well. But at the same time, these amendments will weaken that effort. I want to remind you that there was a 2014 Rural Preservation Study report, and the public input showed strong consensus on preserving the rural area's importance for rural character, agriculture, environment, and quality of life. I also want to remind you about the Prince William County Comprehensive Plan's environment goal, which is to preserve, protect, and enhance the significant environmental

[03:22:06] resources and features of the county, including air quality, topography, soils, ground, and surface water. At the same time, this amendment is inconsistent with all of those goals. There will be, as we've already talked about, added congestion on the Tharpon Road a thousand times more than currently as projected. The negative impacts of air pollution and crowded roads. And to remind you that, you know, other nearby counties like Loudon and Fairfax are not destroying their remaining

[03:22:45] rural areas. So the, you know, we've talked about how the data centers are overrunning our county, and instead what I recommend is to leverage the rural areas for agritourism, where residents can pick and enjoy visiting livestock produce, encourage value-added agriculture, and just try and preserve the thousands of acres that keep people like me wanting to move from the county.

[03:23:23] Let's not let developers drive change in Prince William County. Let's create a holistic approach for rural communities in western Prince William County. And thank you for the opportunities to speak. Thank you, Ms. Ho. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Lee Oppenheim. Good afternoon.

[03:23:46] Can you hear me? We hear you. We hear you. My name is Lee Oppenheim, a Gainesville resident. I respectfully request the Board vote no on the requested change to the zoning plan for Catharpon Valley Estates. Density requested is much too high for the area.

[03:24:04] Catharpon Road is a two-lane road with three bridges over creeks and one over I-66. At the north end, it connects to Sudley Road, and at the south end, it connects to John Marshall Highway. Neither of these roads can handle the estimated vehicle traffic load.

[03:24:20] Based on the submission, it is expected that morning rush and evening rush hours would add 1,000 cars. That doesn't even include the estimate from Smith Crossing. That hasn't been built yet, but it is approved. Notwithstanding the Bowman transportation estimate, my estimate is that at least 50% of the units will have two non-home workers.

[03:24:42] During the day, an additional 1,000 trips to and from schools, shopping, and entertainment would be made. Sudley and John Marshall already back up due to high demand. The board reports there are no funds available now or in the near future to improve Catharpon Road, Sudley Road, or John Marshall Highway.

[03:25:02] An estimate to move the utilities and make Catharpon four lanes would be in the neighborhood of $150 million based on already approved similar work in the county. Additionally, there are no current plans to add schools to the Prince William area. Does this mean the applicant supports an increase in students in every classroom to an unmanageable level for teachers?

[03:25:25] The high density negates opportunities for meaningful recreational areas in the community. Half the community is designated for seniors with walking, swimming, and pickleball or welcome activities not overtaken by teams. The applicant maximizes profits for themselves and investors by failing to assist in improving transportation, school, or recreation opportunities.

[03:25:48] Normally, funding would be provided through a combination of local, state, and federal actions. Because there is no funding, the applicant suggests that a special tax district be established to burden a select few. This is smoking the herbs, as a special tax district would never realize the money needed to make improvement.

[03:26:07] Yes, we need new housing and infrastructure, but not at this density. I again request an A vote on this proposal while recommending to the applicant to propose no more than 250 units on the 239 acres, providing open areas for physical activities.

[03:26:24] I thank the board. Thank you very, very much. Bye now. Thank you, Mr. Oppenheim. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Daniel Foti. Please proceed, Mr. Foti. Good afternoon. My name is Dan Foti, and thank you, supervisors.

[03:26:40] I live near the Cat Harpen Valley Estates on Circus Court off Cat Harpen. I will be directly affected by the proposed sprawl, which is not why I or any of my neighbors chose to live in a fairly rural community. You know the threat to our well water, to the ecosystem. You know the potential overcrowding to our high-performance schools where my three children go.

[03:26:57] You have heard the insane increase in traffic this will bring, 9,000 more vehicle trips on a two-lane road. That's irresponsible. It does not matter if this is not farmland, and it does not matter if you consider this rural or kind of rural or not rural any longer. It does not matter if Western Games don't say now as it was when you moved there 20 years ago or 30 years ago.

[03:27:16] The Prince William County Comprehensive Plan was updated and passed in December 2022. That's four years ago. For those in support of the development that say the comprehensive plan is not up to date, that is not true. The plan is up to date. For those in support of the development that say they want the county to simply look closely at this proposal, it's been done.

[03:27:33] Staff recommended against it. For those in support of the development that say all they want is to develop their land for the best deal, that's also fine. There was a plan to follow that was passed four years ago. You can develop a conservation residential. That's what the staff recommended. If that is not dense enough for you, then it's not allowable.

[03:27:49] The plan is four years old. It's up to date. Experts have weighed in. A democratic process was had. We should follow the plan. The proposal is not within the plan. The area has rural infrastructure, well water, septic, and two lane roads, many unpaid. The infrastructure is not equipped to deal with suburban sprawl.

[03:28:05] That is a fact that remains constant today. Cat Harbin Drive is simply not equipped to facilitate the traffic that will be brought and wrought on it from the development that includes townhouses. Townhouses off of Cat Harbin. Yes, there are other developments off of Cat Harbin. We've heard that. I think that is also irrelevant. We're talking about adding 1,400-plus more houses as of today.

[03:28:25] There is a line we can draw and say, enough is enough. One development does not determine the right for another. I urge the board to support the statements made several weeks ago, and let's take a breath, as Supervisor Bode said. Let's follow the plan and stop with piecemeal amendments. Let's let Supervisor Stewart lead a vision of how Western Gainesville should look.

[03:28:42] Let's follow staff that recommends not implementing the CPA for all the reasons we know so well. Western Gainesville is beautiful. We should protect that. It's an asset for Prince William County. I know several people who live in Fairfax and D.C. and other crowded areas who know Gainesville for its beauty, not for its sprawl.

[03:28:59] Sure, it's growing, but it's also up to us to manage that growth, not throw the white towel in and say, us just develop the whole thing. We need to balance open space, forested areas, and scenic roads with growth. That is done through a comprehensive plan. I'm not against growth. I'm against inappropriate and unwise decisions that are humongously impactful on a community and on future generations and are eliminated by following the plan. Those mistakes are eliminated by following the plan. Supervisors, follow our plan. Show the community we should believe in agreed upon debate and established processes. Put an end to the chaos. Follow of Prince William County's comprehensive plan that represents us all, not one that only serves

[03:29:37] Cat Harp and Valley Estates. Please vote no to this and other CPAs. Thank you, Mr. Foti. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Nina Dow. Please proceed, Ms. Dow. Good afternoon, County Board members. I am Nina Dow, and I'm a proud resident of Gainesville District for 24 years.

[03:29:58] I want to urge you to deny the initiation of the CPA for Cat Harp and Valley Estates. The resolution before you today conveniently ignores the smart growth promises made to our community in the Comprehensive Plan 2040 and the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, both of which explicitly pledge to keep development density near transit and jobs, not sprawl into our rural buffers.

[03:30:25] I ask you today, will you honor these promises? I hope so. I also hope that you will view this resolution holistically, taking into account the cumulative effect of this with the already approved 375-unit Smith Crossing development just down the road, which hasn't even broken ground yet.

[03:30:46] The disruption and environmental strain of that construction project will be significant enough. So why are we rushing to pile another 292 acres of development right on top of it? And let's be honest, shifting this property to a conservation residential designation doesn't change the fact that it is still a large-scale permanent conversion of currently protected land.

[03:31:13] It's just more housing sprawl. Decisions about development and intensive land use don't reveal their consequences overnight. They are manifested over years and decades. This land parcel is a crucial groundwater recharge zone sitting on an environmental resource protection overlay. Paving it over with more roads and more rooftops will continue to harm our watershed. Irreversible damage that we cannot simply engineer our way out of later.

[03:31:45] It is time to stop prioritizing developer convenience and short-term profits over our community's future. Keep our promises. Please keep our rule buffers intact. Protect our water and vote no on the initiation of this amendment. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Dow. Our next speaker, please. Our next speaker is David Peterson. Mr. Peterson, you may proceed. Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and county supervisors. Thank you for sharing your working session today and listening to Prince William County's residents. I'm David Peterson from the Gainesville District.

[03:32:24] I'm a member of the Prince William Historical Commission. However, the following observations and comments are strictly my own as a resident of the Gainesville District and do not reflect any position of the Historical Commission. After reading the CPA applications for Manassas Preserve and Cat Harpen Valley Estates and then reading the Planning Office evaluations, I respectfully request that you vote no on initiating both CPAs.

[03:32:52] Please let me review two out of many important considerations regarding these applications. With regards to historical considerations and rural character, the eastern half of the proposed Manassas Preserve sits within the Manassas Balfield Historic District, as amended 2004.

[03:33:10] This area is listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places because here the battleground is sufficiently intact to allow vistas not unlike those observed by the generals and the soldiers who fought there. The battlefield retains integrity of location, setting, feeling, and association with the historic events that occurred on the property.

[03:33:34] If allowed to move forward, Manassas Preserve development will diminish the cultural and historical integrity of the western Manassas Battlefield Historic District. In addition, this development runs counter to the 2040 Comp Plan Land Use Policy 11's guidance about mitigating adverse impacts on landscape features and archaeological and historic sites.

[03:33:58] With respect to Cat Harpen Valley Estates, this area is primarily designated agriculture and forestry, intended to support rural character, low-density development, and natural resource protection. In regards to environmental considerations, these proposed developments will also damage the upper Bull Run watershed.

[03:34:22] Manassas Preserve's western boundary includes approximately one-half mile of Little Bull Run. Cat Harpin Valley Estates' northern boundary includes approximately one-half mile of Lick Branch Creek. Per the USGS, between 1985 and 2025, Prince William County gained 27 square miles of impervious cover, approximately 13% of the county area.

[03:34:45] According to the USGS, areas with this degree of impervious surface area experience negative impacts to watershed quality. In summary, I would just like to say that I respectfully request and ask that you vote no, do not initiate CPAs for these proposals.

[03:35:09] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Peterson. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Donna Gallant. You may proceed, Ms. Gallant. Can you guys hear me? We hear you, Donna. Wonderful.

[03:35:25] Good afternoon, members of the board. My name is Donna Gallant. I live in the Brentsville District. It's been a bit since I've been there. First, I would be remiss if I do not call out Supervisor Vega. Supervisor Vega, I want to thank you for the comments that you made and the support of the county staff for the tremendous job that they did on evaluating this project.

[03:35:45] And also, I think the one that hit me the most was Supervisor Bodie. Two weeks ago, you stated that a holistic approach and chance for the district to step back and plan responsibly for growth is what's needed. So I've listened to a lot of the speakers, and for those that are wanting to sell their property, I don't begrudge them the ability to sell their property.

[03:36:09] But what stops them from selling their property today, if life is so bad, then sell your property and move. They are selling their property for the almighty dollar from predatory developers that continue to go after every residential community for either data or high-density housing.

[03:36:30] it has got to stop. I have heard people talk about we need housing, and I'm going to challenge this board to evaluate that. Do we really need housing? Because I don't know if there's a holistic view on the housing that's been approved, not only in the western part of the county, but also in the eastern part of the county. The county in totality over the last year has approved over 7,388 homes.

[03:36:57] Just in western Prince William County, there are 3,405 homes that have been approved. If you don't think the impact of 3,405 homes in this area will have a crippling effect, we are surely living in the twilight zone.

[03:37:18] One trip per day per house in one year is 177,000 trips. Most people have to have two working incomes to live anywhere in Northern Virginia. That equates to 354,000 trips per day.

[03:37:35] Our infrastructure, as you heard from the firefighter, having the firefighter suppression and the support for this, it's not there. It's going to take time. When you have to expand your fire service, it takes money. We have roads that are single lane roads.

[03:37:52] You know, when I listened to the Dulles South, the traffic was terrible on the road. so we need data centers. Now we want to move to high-density housing. It doesn't change the infrastructure challenges that we as a community and we as a county are faced with. It is time to pause and take a breath, deny both Manassas Preserve and Cat Harbin. We have a comprehensive plan. It's our guiding principle document. Deny and live by the plan that was established in the Thank you, Ms. Gallant. Your time, unfortunately, has expired. Thank you.

[03:38:27] Who's our next speaker? The speaker is Elvin Gabriel. Please proceed. Mr. Gabriel, is he still there, Chris?

[03:38:51] Still here. I'm asking him to unmute. Okay, Mr. Gabriel, if you're speaking where you're not hearing you.

[03:39:08] Sir, you need to press unmute as I ask you to, if you can, please. There you go. I already did it twice. Please proceed.

[03:39:27] You did it. So what? Can you hear me? Yes, sir. Mr. Gribble, please proceed. My name is Alvin Gribble.

[03:39:43] I live in the Gainesville District, and I'm opposed to the CPA for the Cat Harper Estates. To put things in perspective, I guess simple research to see how many people we're talking about with this expansion to approximately 1,400 units.

[03:40:03] It could be a different number, but the average household size in Prince William County is three people. The average number of cars per household is two cars. So if you look at, for example, if there are 1,400 units and we have an average of three people, that's 1,400 people.

[03:40:21] If we have an average of two people, that's 2,800. If we use 1,400 times two cars, that's 2,800 cars. To me, it's pretty simple if you put it in that perspective. It's a substantial impact, no less than 3,000 people.

[03:40:39] Anyway, what this brings to mind is, this is instant ready-made congestion, which typically is an evolution over time, not something that we put in place tomorrow. So, and we know what follows typically is something else.

[03:40:56] So they're gonna build strip malls on Slotty Road to support this. For comparisons in perspective, Ocala subdivision has 254 homes on 410 acres. If you look at that average household of three people, you've got 785 people.

[03:41:16] You've got 500 cars. This Pat Harpin Valley change is at least five times that. Haymarket population is 1,600. Gainesville, 4,700 people on 10 square miles.

[03:41:34] There are 6,400 acres. That's just, for me, a simple way to understand the magnitude. The other thing is the impact, which I will talk about a little bit later, But obviously, the Planning Commission, there's their role.

[03:41:50] And they've done a great job, I think. Developer, what do we know about this developer? It seems like he's using the same playbook as digital gateway people. People have said, what is this guy's, I say guy, what is this company's, what is their history in building?

[03:42:09] Do they have a history of litigation when they're a poet? Also, is this a bait-and-switch proposal? They're proposing 1,400 units, but at some point they might settle for half that. So, you know, maybe appear more reasonable or cooperative, make themselves a good citizen.

[03:42:33] Affordable homes. I have no reason to believe that these homes are any cheaper than anything else. There's no proof of that. What is the developer's selling point? Mr. Grable, thank you for your comments. Your time has expired. Who's our next speaker? our next speaker is christopher grove please proceed mr grove thank you uh hi um board of county supervisors my name is chris grove from gainesville district i ask you to deny the manassa preserve and cataharbon valley estates cpa initiations um as recommended by the planning

[03:43:10] staff and echoed by many of our fellow citizens this does not follow the 2040 comp plan um it's certainly going to add too much to our roads. I'd much rather put development in areas where there's existing infrastructure and the ability to support it without overburdening our side of the county even more. Frankly, I don't think these assemblages would even be in play if we never had, if we didn't have the Princeton Digital Gateway breathing down their necks for so many

[03:43:47] years. So let's take a pause. Let's take a reset. That development pressure from the gateway side is not there. Dullesoft, thank you, is not there. So let's let LSI do a 180 and get the heck out of Cat Harpin and, you know, let's rethink these things and take a pause. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Grove. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Grayson Grove. Please proceed, Mr. Grove.

[03:44:18] Good afternoon, Chair Jefferson and Supervisors. My name is Grayson Grove and I live in the Gainesville District. I would like to respectfully ask that you do not initiate the Manassas Preserve CPA or the Kattaharpen Valley CPA. I travel on Kattaharpen Road often and the intersection of Sudley Road and Kattaharpen Road is already dangerous. I cannot imagine how dangerous it would be with years of construction traffic and all the new cars added.

[03:44:45] You will have to make new infrastructure improvements to Kent Harpin Road and probably Southern Road, too. That will take private property from residents who live there and will cost Prince William County millions of dollars. Please vote no to initiate the CPA for Manassas Preserve also.

[03:45:01] Featherbed Lane is a gravel road that is barely wide enough to hold two car widths. The intersection at either end of the roads are dangerous, and the intersection at Route 29 is parked property on three sides, and the fourth corner is a historic landmark.

[03:45:17] The intersection at Sudley Road would also be affected, and if you were to improve that intersection, you would be taking property from the Manassas Battlefield to the north and Sudley United Methodist Church to the east or private property to the west, not to mention all the property alongside either side of Feather Bend.

[03:45:38] Please respect the staff reports for both of these projects because they are incompatible with the surrounding areas and do not initiate. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Grove. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Nils Buell.

[03:45:54] Please proceed, Mr. Buell. Greetings, Matt and chair and supervisors. My name is Nils Buell. I live in Cat Harpin from the Gainesville District, and I'm asking you to vote no on both CPAs for the Manassas Preserve and Cat Harpin Valley Estates.

[03:46:11] This is really more directed toward the predatory nature of the developers. My mother lives in the area, and she's 80-some years old, and she's not the only senior person that's been intimidated by the predatory actions of the developers, claiming, we will build around you.

[03:46:28] And that's happened in General Tremel, Dulles Cloud South, and the list goes on. If this moves forward, the developers are going to be given license to continue to act in this manner and just frighten people. There are some aspects people want to cash in, and I understand that.

[03:46:44] And as a speaker before me said, nobody's preventing them from doing that. If they want to sell their land, that's fine. But the staff has already recommended that this is not compatible with the surrounding land use. The cost to implement sewer, water, and electricity are going to be astronomical.

[03:47:00] It just simply doesn't make sense. I think we should look at where it does make sense, and here is not there. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you, Mr. Boo. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Liam Burke. Please proceed.

[03:47:16] Liam? Good evening. Thank you for your time. My name is Liam Burke, and I'm from Gainesville District, and I'm a homeowner in Cat Harp in Virginia. I, as well, was one of the residents that received the letters from Corey Stewart and companies asking to buy my property, which I ignored.

[03:47:36] I love this area. I'm asking you to deny any type of amendment to either the Cat Harp in Valley Estate and the Manassas Preserve. And there's nothing, I mean, there's no infrastructure.

[03:47:52] I love the battlefield. I run over 1,000 miles a year throughout the battlefield trails. I would not want housing right next to it. Never mind what it's going to do to the wildlife, you know, our well water. And as far as the Cat Harpen estates, the roads can't, you know, sustain 14,000 trips around here.

[03:48:17] Traffic is bad enough, and I just love this area. So I'm just asking you to vote no. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Burke. Who's our next speaker? Our next speaker is Colin Turner. Please proceed, Mr. Turner. Good afternoon, Chair and members of the board.

[03:48:36] My name is Colin Turner, Manassas City resident. First, I want to thank Supervisor Stewart for requesting that the Bennett School contract be removed from the consent agenda. That was the right decision. Placing it on the consent agenda in the first place was the wrong one.

[03:48:54] The county's rules of procedure reserve the consent agenda for routine, non-controversial matters. There is nothing routine or non-controversial about taking formal steps towards demolishing the 117-year-old Bennett School. That decision made by Chair Jefferson in consultation with County Executive Chris Shorter sent a clear message.

[03:49:15] Keep it moving. Keep it quiet. Keep it off the public agenda. Supervisor Vega praised staff for being thorough, yet staff and this board refuse to acknowledge a basic fact documented on the county's own website. there are at least two recorded burials on the Bennett School site.

[03:49:33] They're not rumors. County staff still have not explained what happens if the Commonwealth determines those graves cannot be removed. Over the past several months, I met with many of you and left believing this board would have an honest public conversation about the future of the Bennett School.

[03:49:52] Instead, the public had been told over and over that demolition was already decided. The public record tells a different story. The capital improvement program that you all passed funded a judicial center expansion. It never included an explicit vote to demolish the Bennett School.

[03:50:10] In fact, the adopted plans continue to depict the building remaining in place. Yet today, the board approved a contract that assumes demolition before those fundamental questions have been answered. And while those plans move forward, the unknown Civil War soldiers buried on this site have still not been publicly acknowledged.

[03:50:31] For more than a century, the Bennett School has stood over those graves as a lasting memorial. Today, on the 165th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas, that omission is especially striking. Before you design a new memorial, the public deserves an answer to one question.

[03:50:50] What will happen to the unknown soldiers' graves? This isn't just one resident's concern. Every relevant preservation board in both the city and the county has urged the Board of Supervisors to slow down. Preservation Virginia listed the school on its most endangered historic places list.

[03:51:08] Yet when they asked for a supervised site visit, that request was denied. Today's vote does not end this conversation. It raises new questions that deserve answers. Because once this building is gone, there's no second chance.

[03:51:24] No future board can rebuild it. No memorial can replace it. The county and city deserve answers and a real discussion. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Scherner. Do we have any other speakers, Chris? we have no more speakers thank you all right thank you very much back to you madam chair all right thank you so very much so i just want to let everyone know we are going to have a couple changes in our agenda due to time um we are going to run into the seven o'clock meeting and i would like to stay as close to the seven o'clock meeting as we can so we are going to move supervisors time and our closed meeting to the end of our seven o'clock meeting so our seven o'clock meeting we're

[03:52:03] going to begin that. Hopefully as close a time as we can. We're going to do a commendation that was scheduled for earlier today. Then we're going to get into 14A. We will do public comment time, which is agenda item B. Then we will go back to supervisor's time and close session. So I want to make that announcement so people who will be here understand what we are doing. I'm going to go to agenda item number A. That's the public hearings. But I do have some notes I'd like to announce at the top of this

[03:52:33] for items 8e 8f and 8i we have new proper conditions dated for july 21st 2026 so i would like to reflect that that these will have each of these new proper conditions dated july 21st 2026 before i get started with the public hearings i want to see if anyone on the day has had anything here that they wanted to pull off or had questions about all right we'll save all of our comments for

[03:53:11] after we get into the motion so we have one person who is signed up i'm not going to let everyone have a chance to sit now i have one person again signed up um miss hilda bark did you want to speak on this did you want to speak they don't want else want to speak on these public hearings if not

[03:53:42] no okay thank you um so people can go ahead and take their seats i have one person um signed up now melody are you looking to speak on all of them or just how many did you want so you have

[03:54:07] three sorry so you want to speak on six of them uh it is eight okay i just wanted to no the reason why i'm asking is because you have three minutes for each of them and i just want to make sure that we set the timer appropriately yes okay so i we don't have a timer for that 15 so the clerk can do

[03:54:42] 15 and 3 i'm also going to put on a timer so they'll probably be a little off of each other but i just want to make sure that we keep appropriate time because no one loves us as much as you do right now so no worries go to the microphone again you know the drill yep i do wait hold on i'm sorry yes i am i'm sorry um so with that we are moving on to agenda item eight um and that is eight a through eight i again for three of them for eight e eight f and eight i

[03:55:18] that's what proper amendments dated uh july 21st 2026 so with that i'm opening the public hearing i have one person who has signed up to speak who would like to speak on six items you may begin okay i did not do anything on a b and c so is there anybody before me or can i go to ad go girl you're it okay okay cool so uh again for the record i'm melody miller i live in neabsco i run on the west end of the county in noakesville um the thing i wanted to say about the brisa rezoning proposal um and i think we've heard a lot today about uh the vision for prince william county and

[03:55:55] the comp plan uh and smart growth in particular uh but the for northwood bridge the revitalization and the smart growth really can't come at the expense of environmental health, the health of the residents, and common sense land use. I would like to ask the board to mandate that the developer address this particular project's severe environmental deficiencies and to deny the requested waivers on the perimeter landscape buffers.

[03:56:22] When the staff evaluated this project against the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, It really did pass every area except for the environmental plan where the staff very explicitly found that this proposal is highly inconsistent with our county's environmental goals.

[03:56:39] So putting a lot of, they're really putting 373 residential units in a sardine can of six acres. So I'm not sure that the shoehorn is included in the plan, but they are asking for an 80% reduction in the buffers.

[03:56:55] and instead of maintaining our standard which is 30 to 50 foot buffers they want to take them down to eight to ten foot strips and i saw that there was um some amendments to this and i i haven't i haven't gotten a chance to go through the amendments that came in this morning and uh so but an eight to to just put it in perspective an eight to ten foot buffer that's that's no room there's no tree canopy there's no natural shade there's no watershed protection eight to ten feet is something that you address with a weed whacker that is not even a canopy of a single tree um i also want the board to understand that that is a buffer is green infrastructure right especially

[03:57:30] in an area like brisa where you have heavy commercial and industrial operations you depend on the green infrastructure to pull that particulate side of the air to buffer the noise to buffer the trucks that go by on route one i mean there's like nobody wants to live and breathe that stuff and if you're going to take the buffer down to 10 feet you are absolutely not going to protect the residents who are already there or the residents that you're building for against surrounding industrial activity. So by gutting the buffers, we're really setting up the future occupants for poor air quality and a lot of noise pollution while simultaneously straining our local

[03:58:08] watershed as there will be really no green infrastructure to capture the particulates. So kind of high density without adequate green infrastructure isn't really modern urban planning, but just kind of poorly planned over development. So I'm going to urge you on this particular, I'm going to ask you on this particular amendment to really balance smart development with environmental stewardship and hold them accountable to the standards that we've set, require them to redesign this with adequate environmental mitigation and deny them the requested landscape buffer waivers.

[03:58:40] So thank you for that one. And then if you guys are okay, I will move on to the next one. Is that cool? Okay, cool. So now we talk about the Baptist church and I'm probably going to, I'm going to bounce because I thought it would be three separate items. So I'm going to be a little bit more scattered than I usually am.

[03:58:59] The cell tower. So I saw that there was an amendment this morning on the cell tower one, and I haven't really had a chance to parse that through. So ultimately, this proposal, again, with a buffer, is asking for a 75% reduction in the buffer setback.

[03:59:17] I don't know what a lot of these developers have against buffers, but man, it's the first target. The revision that they posted this morning, I did see that the required buffer, according to DCSM is 390 feet and they've asked for 285 of that to be waived okay which puts basically every single planned amenity in that community in the fall zone of that tower so I personally I mean my kid's 19 but I wouldn't put my kid in a playground right under a cell tower but I mean cool and while the setback may actually only sound like a technicality it really modifies this

[03:59:51] particular one which is 8E really modifies it's the key to being able to do the heavy density so these three, A, E, F, and G, are really useless without each other, right? Like you can't do the development unless you pass the other two special use permits. And I think they really count on the special use permits appearing very innocuous without a lot of people recognizing that they facilitate much deeper changes than are evident on the surface. From a planning perspective,

[04:00:26] the staff and the planning commission have noticed, have noted that approving this allows the existing cell tower to remain operational, and it preserves reliable cellular coverage to the community, and it also facilitates some infrastructure upgrades that would happen in the development. But for county residents, that really doesn't win when you weigh it against some really clear local trade-offs, right? So the shrinking the buffers brings the infrastructure really, really close to the residential lot lines, not only with aesthetic and property value concerns, but it really sets a rather troubling precedent regarding zoning setbacks that the county is

[04:01:00] already really having a struggle with. The buffer waiver, which back in the day was meant to be a very rare exception, is now almost guaranteed on every single planning proposal that comes before this county. So I encourage you to think about the precedent that we're actively setting.

[04:01:17] The first initial special use also shifts the maintenance traffic patterns much closer to existing homes, puts traffic kind of right in their front yard. And we don't talk about the environmental health hazards a lot in Prince William County, but there were 38 studies in 2022 that found a significant link between living in close proximity to cell towers led to higher rates of sleep disturbances, headaches, anxiety, memory problems, all of which is mitigated by buffers, right? They exist for a reason for better quality of life. HUD, if anybody's familiar with the U.S. Department of Housing, classifies cell towers as environmental hazards and nuisances,

[04:01:55] and they say that you can decrease nearby home property values by up to 20 percent due to not only aesthetics but buyer health concerns so that's just something for you to think about when you're looking at this uh special use permit so if you deny the special use permit the builder does not have to scrap their plans they just have to simply redo them to accommodate the existing buffers they have to actually redo them to be aligned with the dcsm which is there for a purpose right so i'm asking you to decide whether reducing the buffer protections to allow the developer to get bigger density and more money uh balances out with protecting our residents in our neighborhoods and keeping development aligned with the standards that we've already set

[04:02:34] so still the same triangle baptist church uh they have a they have a proposal uh this is 8f to rezone the ball field um and there's a couple and i'll be really quick with this one because it's very short um there's a loss of open grapes green space with the removal of the ball field even though it's open grassy field, even though it's old, it still acts as a filter for the watershed that will be lost if you put impermeable surfaces on it. If you build on it, you are still

[04:03:09] dinging the watershed. They're going to move the daycare to the other side, much closer to the residence. So you're going to concentrate the noise and activity to the other side, closer to residences. I know a lot of people still work from home. Again, with no buffer, there is nothing to block the recreational noise from an active daycare from people who work out of their homes.

[04:03:35] That could just be a nuisance to neighbors. I don't know if anybody's ever been in a room with 85 children. I can assure you it's not easy to ignore them. Playground safety hasn't been addressed. Parking lot proximity and traffic interaction. The new official play area is right next to the parking area and right next to the church driveway. And I can tell you that anybody less than four feet tall coming out from between two cars is a vehicular accident risk. We are going to put a lot of kids at risk by not having that visibility area. So I also understand the

[04:04:10] tax-based benefit that this would bring to Prince William. So I'm not saying don't approve the housing. I'm saying we need to really look at the waivers that they're asking for because they take to a significant divergence from the comp plan and from the DCSM.

[04:04:29] There is a density issue. There is a utilities issue. There is not enough kind of utilities in that area. It's projected to generate 55 students. The two schools that are there, Dumfries Elementary and Forestbrook High, are already operating above 100% capacity.

[04:04:48] And the developer has withdrawn their proffer for school capacity upgrades. My favorite thing besides trees is emergency services. So the emergency services in that area, which is station three, also again, above capacity, that station is at 4,000. Currently they're running 4,400 calls a year. That's without the development. So lastly, back to my favorite thing, which is the trees, that whole thing is 10 acres of mature hardwood, all nine specimen trees, 4.5 acres of protected wetlands, and nobody

[04:05:25] has done an endangered species test for that. The northern long-eared bat, if anybody's familiar, is one of Virginia's threatened species, which has habitat there. So you're going to have some significant environmental effects. So I just think that this project in particular needs a little bit of a closer look and needs the developer to do a better job of bringing it into compliance with our comp plan and with our DCSM.

[04:05:49] And then I got three minutes after this, right? So I still got seven minutes. So quick like a bunny, we're going to go to Statler Place. For anybody keeping track, that's 8H and 8I. And so do you want me to identify myself again?

[04:06:04] I didn't ask. I'm sorry. I'm still good. I'm sorry. You can keep going. I have, you have seven minutes and 36 seconds. Got it. Okay, cool. So the CPA for Sadler Place, which is in Brentsville district, and I'm in Brentsville all the time. If you evaluate each of these 8i and 8h alone, they don't really work, right? 8i is legally defective because there's a five-acre chunk of it that remains as an industrial, and 8h looks just like kind of a speculative map change. But combined, they do a really good job of resolving the legal conflict

[04:06:41] with the county by binding that map to a very strict architectural design. They encourage public right-of-way dedications along Noseville Road, and they have a 50-foot battlefield viewshed protection barrier that puts, I think, 300, don't quote me on that number, but I think it was 300 new trees. So, and from an economic perspective, I think the county staff verified that this development will not compromise the county's broader industrial goals from a public facility standpoint staff confirmed that the local schools maintain adequate capacity i think brentsville is actually under capacity um even though the developer offered absolutely nothing on the

[04:07:17] school's front however the project does bring over capacity to public safety resources station 25 is already operating over safe workload thresholds that's one of my home stations i'm at 5 and 25 and most of this falls outside their mandatory response window that's not even counting any of the development that's going in along the Noakesville road at the Vinhill corridor that's that's absolutely separate from all of the building that's going on in Vinhill which is also five and twenty fives too um so uh as a fun side fact uh for those of you not in the fire department the tighter grouping waiver that this developer uh requested that to increase their density 20 percent over standard not only reduces open spatial separation uh but that raises

[04:07:56] emergency access concerns uh I don't know if you ever tried to drive a fire truck in a driveway where they got traffic on both sides but I can assure you that people know how to file the claims with their insurance company so why I urge the board to remand these back for better compliance again I'm going to recommend that you remand this back to the developer and tell them to do a better job the community residents in that area I think have legitimate concerns over localized traffic I think and super I agree you can correct me I think Linton Hall and 28 is actually an F intersection I think that's rated F I've run three accidents in it in the last like 10 days so but i'm pretty sure it's a rated f intersection um they have some concerns with turn lane layouts

[04:08:35] uh they have compounding friction with friction with a lot of the ongoing data center there's a data center on park gate so approving this amendment kind of permanently removes acreage that would otherwise support kind of future light manufacturing flex spaces local job generation i understand that the job loss estimate is minor i think it's less than 300 jobs but in this economy i think every job counts um secondly more gravely approving these items carries some pretty severe environmental and operational flaws that I think deserve attention, especially in light of the absolutely light speed pace of development that we're currently

[04:09:12] doing in Prince William County. This project between 8-H and 8, they require 97% site disturbance, which is only for, I'm not a math major, but 3% tree safe area, right? The county staff actually warned that the clearing limits that are proposed in this will directly negatively impact the critical root zones of remaining trees and it will cause the death the premature death of the remaining trees within three to seven years so you can take that 97 and put it up 100 percent so the 100 loss of tree canopy with all that entails lack of watershed filtration impact on

[04:09:50] drinking water loss of heat island mitigation effects there's a lot of concrete already in that area. Loss of clean air capacity. There's a lot of traffic on Linton Hall. There's a lot of traffic on 28. There's about to be a lot of traffic on Vint Hill. All of these things which directly impact resident quality of life and they are irreparably lost with 100% clear cut. These guys have also requested drastic setback reductions, just massive waivers, some shrinking the rear yards of these homes down to five feet. They asked for zoning modifications on the front side and rear setbacks which would make private yards virtually unknown uh would impact the tree growth

[04:10:29] and root systems and they requested waivers to eliminate the landscape buffers uh parks trails parking lots etc between the abutting properties uh your staff actively opposed this by the way warning that those yards completely eliminate a resident's ability to use their own driveway as a functioning parking space and would force all of the overflow vehicles onto street shoulders and create traffic hazards so um i do ask that the board just kind of just reject these massive design waivers and demand a project layout that really respects our watershed that respects our

[04:11:05] natural canopy and that respects our public safety function we do have measures in place the dcsm the comp plan that take all of these things into consideration and so i i don't disagree that we need the housing i don't disagree that this area is good for development what i disagree with is the absolute twister level things that the developer is asking the county to do so that they can maximize their profit so uh i i also fun fact would ask that you ask for the tree replacement requirement to be 10 years post county arborist certification rather than two there's a line in

[04:11:43] their proposal that says two years when you reforest the tree failure rate is three to five years You will not know if a tree has succeeded for five years. So putting a two-year cap means that they can plant it and walk away and have absolutely no obligation to make sure that it's planted correctly or that it grows.

[04:12:02] So I would ask that you reject the waivers and that you have them obey the DCSM. Thank you so much for your time. All right, thank you. This is our version of, I guess, a filibuster. Supervisor Gordy, is there anyone online? Chris, do we have anybody online for public hearing?

[04:12:22] Good evening. we do not. Thank you very much. Thank you. All right. So I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearings for 8A through 8I. And again, 8E, 8F, and 8I have proper conditions dated July 21st, 2026. I see, I'm sorry, Supervisor Boat, I see you in your career. Did you have any questions?

[04:12:47] I did, Madam Chair. Just one. It's a general question for planning staff. Okay. Planning can come forward, please. Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just wanted to acknowledge a lot of Ms. Miller's concerns, especially in regards to waivers.

[04:13:03] So just wanted to broad brush, high level, Alex. I don't want to need to spend you a bunch of time on it. But could you just explain sort of where we sit vis-a-vis waivers and the comprehensive zoning ordinance update and the DCSM? Because the comprehensive plan was referenced for quite some time.

[04:13:21] And right now we know that the zoning ordinance doesn't comport to that. And so a lot of these waivers that are being requested on a lot of these projects to her point are requested a lot. But there's a reason behind that and sort of what staff is trying to do to sort of marry those two things together. Tanya Washington, Director of the Planning Office.

[04:13:39] To respond to your question, Supervisor Bodie, obviously for every waiver request, staff has to evaluate it on its own sort of merits and in the context of the specific proposal. But just to speak kind of more broadly to what you were asking about, there are some waiver requests that are submitted to the county that are tied to helping a project implement comprehensive plan policies, but the Zoning Ordinance, the standards in the Zoning Ordinance, may not be fully up-to-date to fully reflect those policies.

[04:14:11] And so we do receive not all, but some waiver requests that are intended to address that issue. And as I've shared previously with the comprehensive zoning ordinance update, one of the things that one of our big objectives for that project is to update the zoning ordinance and the development standards to fully implement to support the comprehensive plan with the goal of reducing the waiver requests that are intended to address that particular issue.

[04:14:42] Appreciate that. So again, to be clear, each one on its own merits, but generally there are quite a few of these waivers that get seen a lot that folks are requesting because it allows them to then better implement to the comprehensive plan versus just maximizing density or whatever it is. Yes, that is the case for some of them, yes.

[04:14:58] Thank you so much. All right, thank you very much. I don't see any more questions, so I'd like to go ahead and ask for a motion for 8A through 8I again with 8E, 8F, and 8I with proffers dated July 21st, 2026.

[04:15:15] Move for approval. Second. All right, any further discussion? Supervisor Bode. Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. Just quickly to go through a couple of these. 8B for the photo monitoring systems. Really appreciate the work that transportation staff continues to do on this.

[04:15:32] And I'm looking forward to us finally rolling that system out. I know that some of my colleagues have had privacy concerns around how the data will be used. I know that unlike other states, the Commonwealth has very strict legal requirements on and guardrails in place to do that.

[04:15:52] And also just wanted to remind folks that, you know, the photo enforcement, whether it's the speed zones or the red light cameras, our transportation team has looked at this for a long time and has really designed these to enhance safety, not to maximize profit for the county. So I know that sometimes folks have issues around surveillance or, you know, is the county using this as another revenue stream?

[04:16:12] Both those cases are not the case. So I wanted to say that. The towing service agreements, I appreciate the PD staff working with the towing folks on this one. I understand completely the thought process behind modernizing language.

[04:16:29] I did have some initial concerns that my staff sort of flagged with PD, Especially as it retains a four-hour minimum for the rotator special equipment fee. But overall, I understand the need to sort of modernize and put more real strict standards out there so folks aren't, you know, sort of ambiguous.

[04:16:46] Finally, on both Brisa and Stadler, wanted to commend both Supervisors Gordy and LaCroix for their work on both those cases. Stadler especially, I know that Supervisors Gordy, we had a lot of conversations back last year about the impact that Bristow campus would have on forthcoming residential, well, now that's here, right? So we see an activity center where we're going to actually be deploying real good housing right across from a major employment and amenity center. So I wanted to say thank you for that and your forward vision on that. Supervisor LaCroix, absolutely love what you're doing with Brisa.

[04:17:21] It's a great redevelopment opportunity in one of the densest and most transit-oriented parts of the county, and I think it's a very good fit. So I wanted to commend you as well. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Bailey, then Gordy. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Just wanted to thank, acknowledge and thank staff and the developer for the great work that we collectively have done on this Triangle Baptist Church.

[04:17:45] Some of the issues that were mentioned earlier have been addressed, and so I'm very thankful for the time put in. And I just wanted to recognize and thank my partner in the neighborhood, former Supervisor Ms. Hildebarg. Thank you for being here this evening.

[04:18:02] This is her church, and I really appreciate the insight and the guidance that you've given to us in terms of just partnering together and showing us how community is driven in this way. And so just thank you.

[04:18:18] This is going to be a wonderful asset to the Triangle Small Area Plan as we move forward with that. And so it will also enhance the participation and the support of concerns that we have with child care and to the church.

[04:18:37] And so we are very grateful for how this project has grown and developed in the community with the new nuances that we have in the community. So thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Gordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate all the work that our planning staff has done on the Stadler place.

[04:19:00] I just want to point, I want to make a couple of comments in relation to the comments we made earlier, particularly about fire response times. We have two fire stations that will be built that are going to help address the response times in this area. One, it's the new, it was 30, now it's 28, station 28 on Wellington Road.

[04:19:20] and a new fire station on Venn Hill Road. So we are already getting ahead of that issue and working on that to help manage those response times. As it relates to the comprehensive plan amendment, the site that we're changing the comp plan on is a very difficult site.

[04:19:38] It has horrible topography, very steep, and number two, it is a big rock. So to do any industrial-type development on this site would be tremendously expensive. Additionally, it's right next to Youth for Tomorrow.

[04:19:54] We want to keep that industrial development further away from YFT. And so this comprehensive plan amendment reduces the intensity. It creates a better use for the site that's compatible with the site, both from a topographical as well as from a surrounding entity point of view.

[04:20:15] So, again, I appreciate all the work that's done here. This is the Bristow Activity Center looking at, you know, eventually this becoming a place that we are making a more walkable, transit-oriented community to try to reduce some of that traffic off the road, off of 28, off of Lenton Hall.

[04:20:33] And those are things that we're working with OmniRide to help deploy in the future. So, again, appreciate all hard work and look forward to this being a successful project going forward. Thank you. Supervisor LeCroix. Well, I want to thank you for giving me the credit for Breeza, but really the credit is due to Vanessa making it a better place and making sure that they don't bring just anything into Woodbridge.

[04:21:03] So I really do appreciate. And, of course, you have to start with a really good organization and people that are willing to work with you. And I've just had such an awesome experience with this. And my planning commissioner, Brian Landrum, working with Vanessa, was just music to my ears.

[04:21:23] So thank you so much. Oh, and I do want to also say every word out of Hilda Barg's mouth is like a golden nugget of just institutional wonderfulness. And so it is my honor to watch you when you work.

[04:21:42] It's great. All right. Thank you so very much. And, you know, thank you to our former Woodbridge supervisor, Hilda Bark, for joining us today. I know that Triangle Baptist Church and seeing this through the end has meant a lot to you. And I'm glad that we have finally been able to make it here today.

[04:21:59] So thank you for your advocacy. Thank you for working together with my office to continue to move this forward. I do also want to echo what Supervisor Bodie said about photo monitoring systems. I know a lot of people get nervous. This is something that people are fearful of because there is an opportunity for misuse.

[04:22:17] But that's not what we're looking at today. We're looking to keep residents safe. And, yes, BRISA is going to be an exciting development in North Woodbridge. So we have a lot to look forward to. With that, I'd like to go ahead and call for the votes. Aye. Thank you, sir.

[04:22:35] Vote unanimous. All right. Thank you very much. We are going to move now to county executive time. All right. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board.

[04:22:51] I will go ahead and jump in for directives. There were three directives issued, as you recall, last week. One, there was a directive for staff to review and evaluate angled parking, also known as nose-in parking, and cul-de-sacs throughout the county, and bring back recommendations to the board.

[04:23:10] This directive was assigned to DTCC and the police department. Staff was also directed to review the county code and DCSM for the establishment of a tree canopy fund and bring back recommendations to the board. This directive was assigned to the Department of Public Works.

[04:23:27] The board also directed me to bring a proposal or proposed resolution authorizing the use of up to an additional $48,000 in funding to expand the county's TNVR program through partnerships with qualified community organizations that can provide trap, neuter, vaccinate, and release services.

[04:23:51] This directive was assigned to Animal Services and the Office of Management and Budget. There was one directive closed since our last meeting, and that was the update from the planning office regarding the workload and zoning ordinance update to the board, which happened, obviously, last week.

[04:24:11] I sent the board a message also last week. The 2025 data center tax revenue report is now complete and will be posted on the county's website soon. As you know, this report compiles tax revenues generated by data centers located in the county, and it aims to enhance transparency and support strategic planning by highlighting revenue contributions.

[04:24:37] I'd like to just acknowledge and thank our CFO, Leslie Weldon, the Finance Department's Treasury Management, Real Estate Assessments, and our Tax Administration Division for all of their efforts in compiling the information. All right, so in terms of kudos, Madam Chair, each year the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties does a digital survey.

[04:25:04] That digital survey produces really a just acknowledgement of all of the counties, jurisdictions around the country who are doing just phenomenal work from an IT perspective to enhance government operations and to enhance the residents' experience with government.

[04:25:23] For this year, and for counties the size of, with populations of 500,000 to 1 million, Prince William County placed number one for the nation. And the chair was able to accept this award, thank you Madam Chair, on our behalf in New Orleans at the NACO conference last week.

[04:25:54] And just wanted to acknowledge DOIT, acknowledge our Deputy County Executive, Dr. Alicia Hart, who is also acting as the Director of DOIT, and just all of the work that they do to make an award like this possible. I also want to just acknowledge, as we did earlier at the start of the meeting, our Department of Parks and Recreation.

[04:26:14] This is Parks and Recreation Month. They've been celebrating all month. It is well-deserved here in Prince William County. quality of life around our parks and recreation is phenomenal because of them and because of the work that they do. So I just want to acknowledge the great work. Finally, Madam Chair, I wanted to invite Christina Wynn to the podium. We got some really exciting news last week around an economic development project, and I wanted to have Christina provide a quick update. Thank you, Mr. Shorter.

[04:26:47] Christina Nguyen, Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Chair and members of the Board. I wanted to take a moment to just recognize yesterday's announcement from Governor Spanberger regarding Hepburn & Sons, LLC. One of the unique things about working with state economic development projects is that the Board often takes action before we're able to publicly share the results.

[04:27:10] On June 23rd, the Board approved the land sale that made yesterday's announcement possible. And I wanted to thank you for your continued support and vision. Yesterday's announcement was a great way to kick off fiscal year 27 and reflects our deliberate strategy to diversify Prince William County's economy by attracting innovation-driven employers and expanding our portfolio of high-quality jobs.

[04:27:37] The Hepburn & Sons project is the first phase of this 16.8-acre Innovation Gateway campus just north of Nova Live within Innovation Park. This has been an intentional use of county-owned land and implementation of the small area plan to create the type of employment center needed to grow Innovation Park and the Nexus 234 Innovation District.

[04:28:02] As you know, one of our strategic priorities is an intentional economic diversification. By recruiting companies in sectors such as defense tech, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and AI-enabled technologies, we are creating a more resilient economy, one that is less dependent on any single industry and better positioned for long-term growth.

[04:28:28] The first building will include approximately 27,000 square feet of Class A office space and bring 80 high-quality jobs to Prince William County.

[04:28:55] It will also feature a 2,300-square-foot conference center that Hepburn Family will be making available for the community and innovation ecosystem events. Projects like these are more than just one single building.

[04:29:12] Every anchor employer strengthens our innovation ecosystem, making Prince William County more competitive for the next company, the next investment, and the next generation of talent. So, again, thank you. Thank you for hearing me.

[04:29:29] And thank you for your continued support of economic development and tourism. Thank you, Christina, and thank you to the entire economic development and tourism team. They are our biggest champions and played a big, big part in this work. I wanted to make sure that Christina came up and gave the board this news and to the community.

[04:29:49] This is a wonderful announcement. So thank you, Christina. This is amazing work. I'm going to go to Supervisor Keena, stand up. Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. I guess standing up was a little too much for you, Christina, but all right.

[04:30:07] Supervisor Gordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, really kudos goes to Christina and her team for this. You know, this is very special to me personally because I've known the Hepburns for 15 years.

[04:30:22] Our offices were right next to each other, and I remember when they started. And I went to the ribbon cutting, and it was just four of them. And now here they are. They're expanding. They do business with the U.S. Navy, you know, doing work over at Wallops Island on the eastern shore.

[04:30:44] And so to have, you know, Prince William County be part of a dynamic Navy program that the Hepburns are involved in, particularly with our surface warfare programs, I mean, this is, you know, as a Navy guy, this is very special to me also from that perspective.

[04:31:02] But, again, we could not have gotten them, you know, to Prince William County without the hard work of our economic development. And thank you for all that work and look forward to more announcements to come. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:31:19] Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations. Tom, congratulations. Christina, you rock. You know, you just rock. And this is an example of what partnerships and community looks like with business.

[04:31:35] as well as partnership with our state entity it's big and so to the citizens congratulations as well because this is homegrown stuff and i think this is awesome it's absolutely awesome and it's innovative where it's where it stands in innovation park so this is big for us and and we can't make it small because it's big for us you know it shows that we are the second largest county and the state of Virginia, and the 10th diverse.

[04:32:07] So I'm so proud to be a part of this and to salute you, my Navy guy from the Marine Corps. All right. Thank you. Supervisor Vega. I just want to thank the county executive and the entire communications team.

[04:32:24] I believe that today's meeting is the first meeting that is live on Facebook. That was a request of mine. In the name of transparency, accountability, and accessibility, I thought that making these meetings available to the general public via Facebook was important, so I certainly want to thank you and the team.

[04:32:41] I know that you all have been doing test trials for a few weeks now, I think. It would pop up on my feed. I don't know if it was something with the algorithm or what, but I felt like the county, you all wanted me to know that it was in the works. And so certainly I appreciate the work, and I'm really excited.

[04:32:59] Folks have been engaging on Facebook, and many of you didn't know it, But just make sure to always smile. Thank you. I'm being cheesy. All right. Anyone else? Anything else? If not, thank you so very much. We're going to move on to agenda item number 10, and that is county attorney time.

[04:33:17] Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. This afternoon in closed session, we will have consultation and discussion with legal counsel and briefings by staff members pertaining to the acquisitions of real property for public purpose with the accompanying legal advice from legal counsel and briefings by staff members pertaining to probable litigation and regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel regarding land acquisition of property interest for right-of-way for property located at 17932 Fraley Boulevard in the town of Dumfries, the Potomac District, owned by BCL Associates LLC for the Route 1 Fraley Boulevard transportation project, where such

[04:33:55] consultation or briefing in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position, negotiating strategy, or litigating posture of the public body. And this item is appropriate for closed session pursuant to 2.2-3711A-378 of the Code of Virginia. Move for approval.

[04:34:11] Second. It's been properly moved and seconded. Let's go ahead and take our votes. Aye. Thank you. Vote unanimous. All right. I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Shorter again because I think we're at the moment where everyone has been waiting for, and that is agency time.

[04:34:32] Yes. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So we're going to have the Office of Planning come up This is item 11A and 11B, CPAs for Manassas Preserve and for Cat Harp and Valley Estates. And with that, I will turn it over to the Planning Office.

[04:34:54] Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the Board.

[04:35:18] Ahmad Behzad with Planning Office, Countywide Division, presenting you the comprehensive plan amendment request for the Manassas Preserve. This is a request to change the long-range land use designation for 12 parcels, totaling approximately 256 acres in the Gainesville Magisterial District.

[04:35:39] The property is located in the northwestern part of the county. The existing long-range land use designation for the property is agriculture and forestry and also parks and open space. These two maps tell the whole story why staff is not recommending initiation of the CPA.

[04:36:00] First of all, one of the main reasons is the location of this project. If you look at the right map, this site is located right next to the Manassas National Battlefield Park, which is a county-registered historic site.

[04:36:16] And within our comprehensive plan, we do have the cultural resource chapter within which the Action Strategy 4.4 says that supports and recognizes agriculture parks and open space as an appropriate land use designation for the properties surrounding the battlefield and also within the bounds of the battlefield.

[04:36:39] Also the other issue with this initiation request is its compatibility with the northern parcels. If we look at the existing long range land use designation, those are designated as agriculture forestry and again parks and open space. The other issue is the access and adequacy of infrastructure in terms of transportation, sewer and water. The existing access to the site is via the feather bit lane, which according to the staff from Department of Transportation and Capital

[04:37:15] Construction, they don't have any right of way on that lane and they cannot expand on that. But the other issue with this proposal is the density. Right now, based on the existing long-range land use designation, it's one dwelling unit per 10 acres.

[04:37:35] With this proposal, it will be six dwelling units per acre, totaling like 1,530 dwelling units. that's why the the existing zoning designation for this subject parcel property is agriculture also which is intended to preserve agriculture land and open space and natural resources through low intensity users but if we allow this project we will have higher intensity

[04:38:07] use in this area therefore staff recommends that the board not initiate comprehensive plan amendment CPA 2026-00016 Manassas Preserves for the reasons mentioned.

[04:38:25] With that, I will conclude my presentation and happy to answer if you have any questions. Thank you. All right, folks, this is our opportunity to ask any questions. If we have none, we can contain any comments and discussions within the motion. I don't see anyone with questions, so I want to see if anyone wanted to make a motion to move this forward.

[04:38:52] Madam Chair. Supervisor Vega. I make the motion to recommend CPA initiation for CPA 2026-0016, Manassas Preserve. I move it forward for approval. Second. So it's been properly moved and seconded.

[04:39:10] Any discussion? Supervisor Gordy. I just wanted to clarify, the resolution that we had before us is a recommendation of denial, so I'm assuming that we're going to change the resolution. Yes, it's going to have to be changed because Supervisor Vega made a recommendation to approve.

[04:39:31] Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Stewart. So here we are again, another CPA to do something that the comp plan recommends and staff recommends that we do not do.

[04:39:51] I am still very inspired by everybody's lauding and congratulations of staff two meetings ago on how well they did when it came to addressing Dulles South and the assertion that we shouldn't be putting more work on an already heavily burdened planning process.

[04:40:17] This is Frankenstein development. It's nonconforming, and it takes away from a sense of place. while I do believe that there are amazing things that can be in this space, I don't think this is one of them, especially for a community of people who are 55 and older. You know, one of the speakers said, let's get the study done so that we can make an informed decision. And the truth is, we're

[04:40:54] already informed. And I want to bring up again, like I was disturbed, not just today, but over the past several weeks, with some of the language and some of the behaviors around this project.

[04:41:12] I want to just reiterate that these are our neighbors that we're talking about. And these are people that if, God forbid, something happened in your home, you might need to run to their home. And there have been, you know, things said about people.

[04:41:29] There have been drones flown by people's homes, things of that nature, trespassing. And let's not forget who we are. And when we stand up at the beginning of this meeting, excuse me, and we talk about liberty and justice for all.

[04:41:48] You know, liberty for me is being able to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't impede somebody else's ability to do what they want. All right, I'm a no to this. However, I'm a no and. And what I mean is that we have to get everybody to the table and look at doing something in this area that our grandchildren can be proud of in 50 years.

[04:42:13] We can't just random Lego piece this together. It doesn't work like that. Land use doesn't work like that. Planning doesn't work like that. building a sense of place. It's the antithesis of building a sense of place. And, you know, again, people look at this land, they see it wide open, data centers are homes. And when I say homes, I mean, like, maximum density homes. And that, again, oh, we've got to put something there. No, you don't. What's already there is what belongs there. We're talking about water flows to the

[04:42:49] Occoquan, things that 8 million people are depending on, right? Without water, that's it for the species. We're done. I want you to let that sink in. We can do something, but we all have to come to the table to put something together, as my colleague said about taking a pause and really looking at this and putting together something special. And we have the opportunity to do that. But we really need to work together. And we can't vilify each other.

[04:43:23] We can't point fingers and have this vitriolic attitude towards our neighbors. That's not what we're about as Prince William County. That's not what we're about as Gainesville. That's not what we're supposed to be about in a country whose first word is united. So, you know, I appreciate the staff i appreciate um you know the work that you've done um we do really need to protect the

[04:43:55] watershed we can't put down hard surfaces with that comes salt um and this is not compatible with our comp plan or long-range plans and again it just doesn't match so i'm gonna i'm gonna be a no for this and i want everybody to thoughtfully consider what we're doing here and how this is going to reverberate into the future in such a way that doesn't hit right. Thanks, Madam Chair.

[04:44:26] Supervisor Cordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, first of all, I want to thank everyone who came out today. It has been a long afternoon. I know there's a lot of emotions flying high and a lot of futures at play in all of this. And I can empathize with those of you who have received the letters because i got one my neighborhood had to go through this we turned it down or they did i immediately turned it down didn't have a choice but i still would have turned it down um the the challenge that we have before us is and i've said this before from this dais and uh and i've actually

[04:45:05] said it to the developers um i don't like this process it is highly divisive it pits neighbors against neighbors and then when we do piecemeal development like this in this format and in this means. And in this way, we are not bringing about a sense of unity within our community.

[04:45:24] I look at this project and the one thing that stands out to me is mobility. It doesn't exist here. There's no plan for it. As Ahmad said, transportation, there is no plan to get people in and out of this area to this level of density without having a significant adverse impact on the Manassas battlefield. And I have driven through here. I just drove through there last week.

[04:45:50] And I can tell you, unless we're planning to put a six-lane highway through the Manassas battlefield, I don't know how we're going to manage all of this traffic that we're talking about here. Some people have asked, you know, we talk about the need for housing. Well, let me just say, we have 18,804 homes waiting to be built in the pipeline to be built in Prince William County right now.

[04:46:14] And today, we just approved 656 and potentially another 300 tonight. That's almost 1,000 homes we've approved in two votes today. We have a plan, we're working the plan, and the plan is working.

[04:46:32] The plan is working because what we're doing is we've taken this holistic plan called a comprehensive plan that has everything about it tied together. Mobility, sewer, electrical, housing, all these things are at work and play, and it comes together in strategy.

[04:46:52] We have a strategic plan that aligns to this comprehensive plan, And I don't see these projects as aligning to either one of them. And when we look at the area that we're talking about here, we're talking about an area that in the comp plan, it would focus on transition out of the suburban density into something much more into a rural transect is what we call them.

[04:47:16] And so the struggle, the part that I struggle with is we literally are just allowing a suburban, highly dense suburban development to be plopped right in the middle of the rural area with no means of creating the environment to sustain it beyond its borders.

[04:47:38] There's no built mobility plan attached to this. And oh, by the way, as I understand it, there will be an additional tax applied to these homes to pay for any upgrades within the area. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I've been told.

[04:47:55] So not only do you pay your regular residential taxes, now you'll have to pay an additional tax for a special taxing district to be applied on top of this because the developer does not want to pay for the infrastructure. Our policy is growth pays for growth.

[04:48:13] It should pay for itself, and this one doesn't do it. And as a result, I cannot support it. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Supervisor Vega. Thank you, Madam Chair. First off, I want to start by thanking everybody, those that are for the project and those that are against the project.

[04:48:28] I also want to thank county staff, and I want to thank the applicant as well. Some of my comments for this CPA request are going to be similar to the comments that I'm going to make for the other CPA request. We are the second largest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[04:48:46] That is significant, and it is important. We have businesses that want to establish their roots in this county. We have people that want to move into this county. And I just want to let folks know both here in Chambers and those watching at home that we're at a crossroads.

[04:49:02] I've been very consistent with my position that while I may not like a project, it is my duty and my obligation to make the project better. I want to be very clear. I know what I say and in the context in which I say it. My statements are not blanket statements. They're not.

[04:49:22] I've been consistent in my position that I judge every project individually and by its own merits. And I maintain that position here today. This is an opportunity for us to initiate, yes, a study of this area. This is not an approval of this process.

[04:49:39] And I know what my comments have been in the past in regards to CPAs, but this is very different and this is why. You have to be willing to engage and you have to be willing to have those conversations. And I don't feel that that has played out in regards to this request.

[04:49:56] I have taken it upon myself to be more active than I ever have with any other project to ensure that throughout this process, the final zoning application is one where everybody is going to have a seat at the table. The coalition champions three R's. What are the three R's? Reinvestment, reimagination, and redevelopment. It is my position here today, my firm belief, that we can, through the CPA initiation, champion the three R's while bringing all stakeholders to the table.

[04:50:33] Supervisor Stewart, I thank you for your comments about unity, about respect, and about loving our neighbors. This is a land use matter, and we have to see it through those lens. Supervisor Gordy, I also appreciate your comments about the position that this process puts people in, but this is the process, and if we don't like it, at some point we have to be very serious about how we change said process. I've been in this seat for almost eight years now, and I've learned so much and I have yet to learn a lot. Governing is not easy. And because we are a growing county, because

[04:51:09] businesses want to come here, because our community is growing, change is inevitable. And sometimes that change is not pretty. Sometimes that change makes people uncomfortable. But we also have needs, needs that we have to fulfill. And it is my job to make sure that all voices are heard. And I encourage everyone, wherever you fall on this issue, whether you support it or whether you're against it, this is a process where we will continue to have dialogue. I want to make myself very clear. The applicants are here. I am not giving my seal of approval to anything. I'm going

[04:51:47] to continue to be actively involved in this process, engaged, and for those that are part of the coalition and for members of the community that are for, we can continue to have a conversation collaboratively, collaboratively, because change is going to keep coming. Growth is going to keep coming because we are Prince William County with so much potential. And I want to ensure that we propel this county into the future in the strongest position possible while preserving our natural beauty, our natural character with the policies that we implement and with the decisions that we

[04:52:21] make. And so for those reasons, I moved this CPA initiation forward for approval. And for the reason stated, I will be supporting this initiation, and I will have more to say for the other CPA initiation request here shortly. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor LaCroix. Well, what she said, I had the fortunate, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on the road trip with Yesley.

[04:52:56] She is a powerful, powerful leader, and she drug me everywhere, everywhere. You know, I went to everyone's neighborhood anybody who said come by my house or come check out um this road and go down this gravel road and that gravel road and and i went and we discussed it so that we could have an independent thought process on this whole thing and we went across the street to the

[04:53:28] different neighborhoods uh that were right across the street from cat harpen and we were just again And making sure that we covered every single road you were talking about, everything about the battlefield.

[04:53:47] We went to, where are they? Laura's house. We were in the field across the way just looking at your house and trying to figure out the proximity to where they want to build at your house. So we're taking this very, very, very seriously.

[04:54:08] And this is just a CPA initiation. And a CPA initiation doesn't mean that I'm going to sign off on everything. Because I have talked to the applicants about what it is that they are, you know, the density.

[04:54:27] And I've been nonstop talking about the density. And so in both of these matters, they have made concessions and lowered the density just to get it through the CPA initiation to get people to study.

[04:54:45] And that doesn't mean it's going to end up like that. And, of course, there's going to have to be War of Works. You know, both sides are right. You've got to do something about those roads. Absolutely. So, you know, we're fighting over two trues.

[04:55:03] So the county has to step it up. I mean, I'm just sitting here as part of the county, but we've got to step it up with some of the government services that we provide for these projects to go forward. So that's all I want to say.

[04:55:20] All right, Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. They say it. I am not to make a joke or anything. I am very much, I really appreciate what Supervisor Vegas said.

[04:55:39] I really do, and she and I don't agree on a lot, but we work together to get to where we need to be. And I think I'm going to support this because we're not where we need to be with this, and we need to do the initiation and have the courage to get to where we need to be with this.

[04:56:00] And we do need to have tough conversations, all of us, and we don't need to point the finger. we need to collaborate for no other reason than it's not the west side and the east side. It's our side. And I keep saying that. And yes, I did vote for Digital Gateway. So keep beating me up with it. It's okay. It's done. Like somebody said earlier today, it's done. So how can we make the done better together? I think that's critical. I think in talking with Supervisor Stewart,

[04:56:36] there's some conversations that he's got to have with his vision for his district we've had those kind of those conversations and and and we we need to partner with him to create that for his district he's we're green but he's greener and i don't mean that in a negative sense i mean that it's he does have a vision so what does it look like i said george did you share that with us did you share that with the developer did you share that with you know some of you he may have shared it but we got to come together and make the right decision this has nothing to do with us

[04:57:14] disagreeing or disrespecting county staff because they know how we feel about them they are smart important and kind they know what they're doing they made the determination for a reason so how it usually goes is let's let's and when we give them direction they're going to go back and say okay what do we need to do to make this happen for the community right now it's ripe it's ripe It's ready to move forward, but what does that look like collectively?

[04:57:47] And so I agree with what my colleagues have said. I'm going to support this because I want to see what my colleague is going to bring forward because I know he has a vision. He wouldn't ran for office if he didn't.

[04:58:03] And to what Supervisor Vega said, this is not easy, so that's why we've got to come together and make the decision and not point the finger and beat each other up. That's not how Prince William County is. It's evident by what Christina just announced.

[04:58:20] People want to be here, not just us. So are we going to be hospitable with that, or are we going to push them away so that we can pass something vibrant to the next generation? That's what this is about. So I just wanted to say that, and Supervisor Stewart, I trust your vision.

[04:58:43] Each one of us have a vision. Madam Chair has a vision for the county collectively, but we have a vision for our districts. And it's old stuff and it's new stuff. It's mostly old stuff that we're trying to clean out for the next generation.

[04:59:00] And we can't ignore that. We cannot ignore that. Everybody wants to live in a very pristine way. So just thank you for indulging my conversation. But that's why I'm going to support it, to initiate, not to decide, to initiate what the end is going to be.

[04:59:22] Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, I was going to jump in. Then I see other people starting to add themselves to Q. So I'm going to say a few words. And I want to address some of the comments that were made. Yes, we do have a housing shortage. We have a crisis. But when you're in a crisis situation, you should step back and pause.

[04:59:41] You should think about what is the right course moving forward. And I've heard a lot about other development. And I want to go over to Vent Hill as an example. Vent Hill was coordinated with the developers working along that corridor.

[04:59:57] It's not as dense as this project's, and Supervisor Gordy had to go back and do a small, you know, ask for a small area plan after things were already in the works, and that's what I fear here.

[05:00:13] I'm not anti-development, but I feel like everything is still very piecemeal. This was done in reaction to the digital gateway, and I know that there are other assemblages in the area, But I would like for the board, our playing department, our economic development, to have a chance to look at everything together, not having proposals coming to us already baked, so to speak.

[05:00:41] And I know Supervisor Vega wants to continue to work with this. Others have also said they want to continue to work on this. I would have rathered us to take a breath, to pause, perhaps to create a master plan for this area about what it could look like holistically and not having different CPAs come before us one after the other. That's what I prefer. And as for people who are saying, well, when there's opportunity, you have to seize it. I don't necessarily think that this is going to go away

[05:01:14] even if we collectively said no to the CPA. I guess my question is why the rush? Why the rush? why not give us more time to look holistically at the area some people said this is addressed as a real need it puts housing where it is needed you know I don't think we want to be the county that says no the doors to the end is closed this person also mentioned this was Jill Browning sometimes the needs of the community outweigh the comprehensive plan the comprehensive plan needs to be updated in my you know I know it's not very old but I don't think it really captures

[05:01:54] a vision for who we are as a county and how we really want to grow. I don't think it was as intentional as it could have been. And that's something for me, I would like to have the opportunity to work on at the appropriate time. I would really like to look at the county, have the conversations, decide how we want to grow, what is going to be our identity.

[05:02:17] I don't think that we've had the time for that. I'm going to, I have more to say. I'm going to wait till we get to the other project, but for me, I'm a no. I am going to be a no on this. Now, I'm willing to work with you, Supervisor Vega and others, on how to make this more harmonious, but I just think that we needed more time to look at this entire area, and the mobility piece is a big one. That is a big issue for me, because these roads are subpar. They're not ruled. They're subpar.

[05:02:49] That's a difference, and even with having some road improvements associated with some of the projects we're going to look at it's it's simply it's not enough we've got to be more thoughtful about how we move forward supervisor boating yeah thank you madam chair wanted to ditto some of the comments of my colleagues wanted to thank everyone who came out whether whatever side you're on on this on the cpas wanted to thank planning staff for looking at the initial take on this and really wanted to uh um thank the conversation so far um i uh appreciate a lot of what supervisor

[05:03:25] as a Gordy said, you know, when we have these, uh, uh, uh, initiations that come as CPAs, as assemblages, um, there's a lot that sort of, uh, comes into it before we've even had a chance to look at it. Um, we know that to get these assemblages together, there, there, there are contracts that are likely put into place and what have you, and thoughts or at least considerations on, on financial aspects of it. To me, that, um, creates an implied promise when the board initiates it. And I think that as Zuraz or Vegas said, that shouldn't be an implied promise that somehow if we initiate a CPA, that this board isn't going to, by default of that, approve the

[05:04:05] CPA when it comes back before us and approve a subsequent rezoning. I mentioned this sort of tongue in cheek two weeks ago, but I will sort of say it again more forcefully and publicly. Of the original four from the last term, two of us, Sue Herzog and myself, are on record with supporting previous CPA initiations, but then voting in subsequent projects when they've come before us.

[05:04:32] They were different projects, but we both have that. So I just say that to the folks out there, that just because we're on the hook for saying, yes, we want to have a study, we want to initiate it, doesn't mean that your votes are counted in our favor when something comes back before us. I wanted to just sort of share that. I also wanted to sort of push, since we're talking about this, to staff to say, hey, as you look at this, if this goes through for initiation, don't look at the RN-3 as it currently stands in the comp plan as the presumed outcome.

[05:05:02] This sits, Manassas Preserve sits in a very unique part of the county. The folks for and against have all said that in various ways. No matter how you sit, this is a very unique part of the county. It's a very unique part of this part of the region here.

[05:05:20] You know, I drove this, too. Sometimes I drive at the invitation with residents who have invited me there. Sometimes I don't. With this one, I didn't because in my experience, whether you're riding with someone for or you're riding with someone against something, they show you vastly different things of the same area because they obviously are predetermined in one situation or not.

[05:05:40] So sometimes, like with this one, I drive by myself just to get my independent look at sort of what people are seeing and how they're viewing their community. I drove in from Sudley, so southbound on Feather Bend, and it gets really rough and very rural very fast.

[05:05:57] And then right when you get into General Trimble's, it's sort of a dividing line where suddenly things are improved a little bit in terms of infrastructure. And I joke, but it was the truth. As I turned right onto General Trimble's, there was, I think, horse droppings or some kind of animal droppings literally right in the middle of the road to sort of just orient you on where this area is.

[05:06:17] So it's very unique. So we have an opportunity here on both sides to either preserve it or at least look at something doing very different. And I challenge staff, and I challenge the applicant if we do move forward to this initiation, don't do the standard sort of cookie-cutter, I like to call it human warehousing, which is just put a bunch of townhouses, single-family homes, and call it a day.

[05:06:37] Really look at things like, being like Supervisor Gordy said, a real transition neighborhood, right? Have a look at open space, parks, conservation, about rural and transitional neighborhood alternatives. Protect the battlefield. I saw the old railroad parking lot right across the street there.

[05:06:56] And really look at a real realistic path to infrastructure. And at the end of the day, with this, I will just say that as we continue to have conversations around these CPAs, I agree with everything that folks, especially the chair and as our stewarders said, if we have, it sounds like upwards of 15 or something like that, assemblies that are coming before us, we have to talk about what it looks like to look at it holistically.

[05:07:17] I said that to Mr. Ward when we discussed it, and I will just say there is precedent for the board to initiate CPA initiations and then later roll it into a much larger holistic view. So just because we're initiating it today and we may not do that doesn't mean that that couldn't be rolled into a much larger, more holistic view, and I support doing that.

[05:07:37] Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Anchory. Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I just got to say I'm very sorry that I'm not there in that room because I need to be there, but I'm stuck because of a flight. So let me just say, I said last week that this board was compromised, and I'm going to explain that a little more now.

[05:07:56] We are here to govern. I appreciate every citizen that comes out, makes a comment, shares their concern. We have 5,000 staff, and we thank staff all the time because they're there doing the work and a great job of that. We put them in compromising positions when we sit here and we don't govern.

[05:08:12] I don't believe what I'm hearing right now is a lot of governing because this is stuff that we could be talking about individually with ourselves. This decision and why I second that motion to bring this forward is because we have been going down this for a while. There was this whole discussion about even data centers.

[05:08:29] Let's go back. Let me just refresh your memories on this. We don't want data centers, but we're okay with homes. We look at it now. We've got an opportunity for homes. We can do more. We know that transit is an issue there, but you know what? Something has to give. You're going to build the homes in brain transit or put transit and build the homes.

[05:08:46] It's going to happen. It's got to happen. We've got to figure that out, and that's where we are right now. I don't want to belabor this because I know it's been a very long afternoon already, and we've got more to do, but I do support this initiation of a CPA. I will say further that through that process to Supervisor Gordy's point about it, taxing in that area, that is something that we need to work with that developer on and see what that looks like to fix and make sure we can figure that part out.

[05:09:11] I know there's a discussion to be had. There's a lot we can do better, but together we have to do that. This board can't be one-off, and we've got to figure that out, and we can't wait until four days to have this discussion. So these are things that could have been happening behind the scene a long time ago.

[05:09:26] We had this discussion when we deferred this to today, and here we are now before it. So, you know, well, I know this is not CVE, but that's going to be coming up here next. So it goes in the same category. So those are my comments. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, Supervisor Stewart and LaCroix.

[05:09:44] Thank you, Madam Chair. So I've heard a lot inside of this discussion, and I still say the same thing. We're putting a huge cart before the horse right now. The first thing that we have to do first is do the groundwater study.

[05:10:02] What we already know, like we already know this, that this is an area that feeds the Occoquan. We know that already, but we still have to get granular inside of that, right? We also do first have to do a small area plan.

[05:10:20] And like I said, I have spoken to people in both of these CPAs about coming to the table and being equal partners on what this looks like. There has been a conversation that has been started. I know that an invitation has come out via email. And I know, but there are folks that have come to my office, folks that I have visited going out, folks I speak to almost every day on the phone and constantly text with who are for the CPA.

[05:10:47] And what I need to do is to get the residents of this district of Gainesville together, along with the developer and with anyone else that wants to be there, right? To really sort this out, no matter which way the CPA goes, that can still happen, right?

[05:11:06] And it's something that needs to happen. We have one shot at this, just one shot of this to get this right in a 50-year plan, right? We can't play this like a game of checkers, one or two moves.

[05:11:22] But no, we have to think about the long game. This is not even in a long-range plan. But we have to think about our neighbors in three separate entities, Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., and their drinking water, right? That's essential for life.

[05:11:38] We also have to think about what we're doing with the neighbors that get left behind. And I've said this before, you know, when you buy something, you don't want to move people into a different community without having them have to call a U-Haul truck.

[05:11:57] They bought it, it was one way, and then all of a sudden the goalpost gets moved on them. And the way our CPA is set up, if we go down this road, we're going to be moving goalposts, and we really have to think about that.

[05:12:12] That's something that really has to be taken seriously. Changing the comp plan is something that should also be taken with great care. A lot of work, a lot of, you know, and it's a new comp plan.

[05:12:29] It's only four years old. So I am going to be looking, and I'm going to be hosting these meetings at my office. I might need some more chairs, but, you know, the more the merrier. And there are folks from both of these CPAs who I've spoken to who, you know, I've said it when you were in my office before, and I'm going to implore you again to please come to these meetings so that we can really put our heads together and think about what we're creating for our futures.

[05:12:58] Thank you, Madam Chair. though however I am I am I am not for initiating the CPA oh okay cool cool all right let's go ahead and take our votes supervisor angry aye motion passes five to three supervisors Stewart and

[05:13:34] Gordy and chair Jefferson voting nay all right I'm going to ask the people please maintain decorum as we get the next um I'm calling up I guess Chris you want to call up who's next 11b sure Madam Chair, members of the board with item 11B.

[05:13:55] This is also CPA, Cat Harpin Valley Estates, and I'll turn the podium over to planning.

[05:14:14] Madam Chair, board members, Eric Griffiths of Planning Office, back again to talk to you about Cat Harpin Valley Estates.

[05:14:41] And when we last left off in May, the proposal that was before you was a comprehensive plan amendment change to land use to RN3. You requested the decision be deferred to today for a second proposal.

[05:15:00] That second proposal came in. It's a request essentially for RN2. So, you know, again, nothing else has really changed. Same project area, same 292 acres, really just access from Cat Harpen Road.

[05:15:20] And staff still has concerns regarding this, and for that reason we're not recommending that the CPA be initiated. Among our concerns is the fact that it's similar to what we talked about in May.

[05:15:40] When we look at the comprehensive plan, we have to look about what's around the area, and what's around the area is a lot of AF land. And RN2 district doesn't really fit well within that context at all.

[05:15:57] But what we are still, you know, it's not that we're against development. We think that if there is a way to move forward with a possible proposal, it would be CRES 1C. And the reason for that is, again, it matches better with the agricultural AF land.

[05:16:18] But there is also the C-Res 1C land to the south. And C-Res is designed to better protect environmental features. And we do have a lick branch there as well that we need to be aware of. Again, when you look at the zoning, the semi-rural 1C is more cluster development.

[05:16:39] That's more akin to the C-Res. Now, as far as the numbers, and this is probably one of the things that you're most interested in, you know, what is the difference between RN2 and RN3, and really the main difference is density, and when we're talking about RN2, we're talking about a range from one dwelling units per acre to four dwelling units per acre, and that translates to the numbers that

[05:17:11] we have there, 238 on the low end, 956 on the high end. The caveat being that we've removed 40 environmental acres and 12 employment acres. There is a 10% opportunity to have employment.

[05:17:28] The likelihood that the rezoning probably won't involve that. So you're talking a little bit higher density allowable with that. Now, with the RN3, by comparison, you're talking density range of, you know, at the low end around the same, at the 956 to about 2700. So comparably different ranges, but one thing that should be aware of is that, you know, from the traffic numbers that

[05:18:02] we've seen, you know, in projections is that the rezoning is likely going to bring in a density at the highest capacity range for this particular proposal. You know, again, so we're not in favor of moving this forward for the reasons already stated, incompatible with the surrounding land use. We think that this will still, you know, relate to significant transportation environmental impact and certainly smart growth principles.

[05:18:36] You know, development like this really should be more centered in activity centers. We do recommend CRES 1C as an option. I want to be clear, you know, before I end it, that is just a recommendation.

[05:18:52] The request before you is the to take action on is the RN2. And with that, I'll open up for questions. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions? All right.

[05:19:09] Doesn't seem like there any. Thank you so very much. All right. I'd like to get a motion for this one. Madam Chair. Yes. So I'll be changing it since I'm going to be moving forward. I move that we initiate comprehensive plan 2026-0003 at Harpin Valley Estates Forward for approval.

[05:19:31] Second. And I just want to be clear. Are you going with RN2 or are you going with the staff recommendation? Madam Chair, as it's listed, it is R and 2. Okay. And I'll have more to say about that during comments. All right. So we have a motion that's been properly seconded.

[05:19:51] Does anyone have any? Supervisor Vega? Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, I want to thank everyone. I'm not sure if I thanked staff the first go-around, but certainly I'd be remiss if I didn't thank you all for your work. Certainly, I also want to acknowledge the fact that in my follow-up conversations with the applicant, I was the one that requested the deferral so that we could have a further discussion and more opportunity to kind of get into the weeds of it.

[05:20:17] And the applicant did work with me in my request of going from RN3 to RN2. I think that that is a signal of willing to compromise and to listen to some of the concerns that supervisors have on the day. Like I said in my previous statements, you know, this is just to initiate the study.

[05:20:36] I would argue that initiating today isn't rushing a final decision. It is starting the necessary study so that we are enforced to make a rush decision later. If Supervisor Gordy and his, you know, Vent Hill projects was able to ask for a small area plan, you know, I don't see why it's not something that we could engage the applicant in as we continue to have further conversations.

[05:21:02] if i heard correctly supervisor steward that is something that you perhaps would be interested madam chair has mentioned a master plan but again this is the opportunity for all of us to come to the table to make our asks and to see where we land and i hope that it's somewhere along the middle so certainly want to thank uh you know folks for their advocacy for and uh those that are not um in favor uh you all being involved makes our county stronger and i think that that's important because an educated electorate is what we want um people that know what is going on but people that are proactive, not reactive, and I think that this is an opportunity for all of us

[05:21:37] to turn the page and to show that when we come together with an open mind and a genuine heart, we can actually put forth a project that we're all proud of, and so I'm very grateful for that opportunity. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Bodie? Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. A couple of unique comments to this one. You know, again, drove it, and you know, you go through there, And some of the folks who talked about it before talked about, you know, Piedmont, Oak Valley, some of the other existing neighborhoods that are already there.

[05:22:07] You know, this is just a five-minute drive away from the Harris Teeter shopping center just up the road or just down the road from this project sites. And, you know, one of the things that is interesting about the staff report for this one that I want to just sort of highlight is that it talked about how just across the street at Oak Valley in the 90s, it created a new zoning district which is the the uh semi-rule c district so before that there wasn't really a lot of clustering and some semi-rule residential zoning and what have you but in the 90s early 90s like i think it was 93 exactly they set up this new zoning district to

[05:22:46] accommodate the creation of oak valley um i highlight to say that the staff when given the right opportunity to really review and work with applicants can come up with some really creative things like all the way back in the year of our lord 1993 coming up with a rural cluster semi-rural cluster zoning district that worked for that district i think anyone that drives through we heard from folks from oak valley today they treasure that that neighborhood and what it can sort of provide for them i drove through that one as well it allowed for not only creation of various types of housing there but a large area where they could preserve open space and green

[05:23:21] space and a lot of the stuff that folks have talked about. And I view this, especially given Piedmont, Heritage Hunts, Oak Valley, what have you, as an area that's ripe for this transition. What's interesting in the comp plan is that we have RN2 in two different place types, in suburban and in transition neighborhoods. And so while the scale development, and I appreciate the presenter talking about this, of being proposed in a concurrent rezoning is much closer to the suburban style one we do have a a r in two that's in the transition neighborhood so we have the opportunity again to challenge staff to work with the applicant or the community both existing and the folks

[05:24:01] around this to really push for something that's unique knowing where this is um i would just say that uh we have various zoning districts around this that already sort of implement various ideas of conservation you know folks brought up lick branch that needs to be on top of mind as staff works through this with the developer if this goes through. Clustering, permanent conservation, there's an opportunity to have conservation easements in the places that we really want to preserve. You know, when I drove through here, it was striking to me that when you first turn on to the Cat Harp and Village, and I think Suarez or LaCroix talked about it earlier, you have these

[05:24:39] very large lots that are mostly clear-cut, frankly. You all lived it, you know what it is. Once you go farther back, though, it becomes very forced and very fast. To me, that presents an opportunity to have major trees saved in the back portion there to really allow for some conservation of tree canopy and some filtration and what have you. I also want to talk about contiguous open space and transition to respect nearby communities. You know, we have an opportunity to have some real good trail network here that connects to other neighborhoods around here, and that's a really good opportunity there. And the last thing I'll just say that, again, as I said before,

[05:25:18] initiating the CPA doesn't commit my vote to a subsequent adoption of a CPA or a rezoning that comes before us. If staff and the applicant really aren't able to see eye to eye and all these things that I sort of just outlined here, not a done deal, at least from me. So I really hope that this opens a conversation and doesn't really close it. And as was said, if we do move forward with a, it sounds like a small area plan or a master plan or what have you, there is an opportunity to absorb this into a much larger planning effort, which I support.

[05:25:50] Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, Supervisor Stewart. Thank you, Madam Chair. So a lot of what I said about the previous CPA bodes for this one, but I've been working on this since November.

[05:26:08] And, you know, when the developer first came to the office, you know, the question was asked about Cat Harpin Road, which is a very dangerous road. Anybody who drives that road knows the perils of Cat Harpin Road.

[05:26:24] And the developer was asked, are you ready to buy right-of-way from 234 Sudley Road all the way out to Heathcote? And no, because that would be too expensive for development.

[05:26:42] That was question number one. I've also spoken with some representatives from Cat Harbin Valley Estates that said that for them, C-Res is a non-starter. I've been in these conversations for the past several months, and to put this many homes, over a thousand homes in that space on that road, that road can't take one more house, let alone over a thousand.

[05:27:21] This is truly playing with fire. This is playing with people's lives. Two weeks ago, I went to a ribbon cutting. I think I mentioned this before. I went to a ribbon cutting at Cat Harpin Park, and I'm a spirited driver. I like to move. okay? And two people passed me cutting across the double yellow line. I had to check to see if I wasn't going in reverse. These guys were moving. And that's just the nature of that road. That was the middle of the day on a random Thursday. And this road cannot take the level of traffic that

[05:27:59] 1,400 homes will bring. It's going to create a mess. And I don't want any blood on my hands. So, I mean, we should look at something, but not like this.

[05:28:16] This is not the way that this needs to go down. So, again, you know, I'm just going to leave it at I'm going to be, you know, forming my own coalition of homeowners to come to my office so that we can sit down and talk.

[05:28:36] This needs to happen. And when I mean talk, I mean plan, but this is not the way to go about this. This is not smart growth. It's the antithesis of this.

[05:28:52] And, well, yeah, that's all I got to say about that. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, Supervisor. Ooh, looks like Ingrid is up, and then Gordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll be brief. Now is the time that, as you bring folks into the office to discuss this, make sure you bring these developers in as well.

[05:29:13] I think that's your key to this and having the real conversations about everything. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Gordy. Thank you, Madam Chair. My position remains the same as it was before. Again, piecemeal development, a lot of challenges. But I appreciate the discussion about what we tried to do on Venn Hill. But I do want to remind everybody that the seven developments on Venn Hill are not beholden to our small area plan, because they were filed before the small area plan was initiated.

[05:29:45] And so the advice and counsel I would give to my colleague from Gainesville is, you know, whatever you try to do, having folks to come into your office to have a conversation is not the same thing as a small area plan.

[05:30:01] And it will not have no force of law in terms of holding any developers accountable to whatever that plan looks like. And so if this if there is an initiative here to do something much more holistic in this area, then we need to follow that small area plan approach.

[05:30:22] But I'm looking at our planning staff. They are already overworked on small area plans. So I don't know what the timing of this could be and when it could ever because, I mean, we're still I mean, we're now a year and a half into the Venn Hill small area plan and still have a lot more work to do.

[05:30:39] So, and again, this is about what comes next to make sure that we are creating the environment that we want to maintain within the Vent Hill Corridor. So I think from an overarching holistic planning standpoint, if that's the direction you're going, there's some very technical and official things that you need to do other than just having a meeting in your office.

[05:31:07] Thank you, Madam Chair. all right I'm going to go to Supervisor Bailey and then I have a few comments thank you madam chair I appreciate what the what my colleague just said there is a process on how we do things and so the answer to staff being overworked is give them some more staff but I didn't say that I'm in the county execs pocket right now so I'm not gonna say anything but that is the answer to make to assure that we do get things done as we grow and that's a part of the decision-making process as well and so but I think you are right about you know having those concrete meetings in

[05:31:47] your office along with the developer and and saying no or saying what you want I think that's critical I look at this as an opportunity in initiating this it's an opportunity and it's an opportunity when I went out there it is absolutely beautiful it's absolutely beautiful But it's an opportunity for us to mail things as it relates to either the old comprehensive plan.

[05:32:17] Madam Chair says she wants to create a new one. Well, that's her vision, you know. But some things maybe we can keep, some things maybe we can't. I'm not speaking for anybody, but I'm saying it's an opportunity for us to mail agritourism along with conservation.

[05:32:33] When I looked at the battlefield, I looked at the opposite side of the battlefield when I went out there on Friday. And, you know, there's things that we can do to make it more inviting as people live out there or as we have tourists come in and the roads.

[05:32:51] Absolutely. We have the best transportation department in the state of Virginia. We really do, y'all. And they know how to help us with those roads. They do. But we need your input and what you want to see. But they are the subject matter experts on it.

[05:33:08] So this is opportunity for us to really support the Gainesville supervisor as we initiate those discussions. And so that's what it looks like when you talk about process and government and bringing the community in on a holistic conversation, not one-sided, but a holistic conversation.

[05:33:33] And so I agree with your approach. This is not how it's done, but there is a process in doing it. And so just want to put that out there. Thank you. I actually want to address something. Someone said, I believe her name is Wanda.

[05:33:52] It appears that those who join Assemblage just believe development is inevitable. Take the best deal that you can and get out. I might be paraphrasing again. I don't want people to feel like that. I really don't. I don't want people to feel like this is happening to them, that they have to hurry up and do something to move forward and not get stuck with a bad project.

[05:34:14] That's something that doesn't sit right with me. It doesn't sit right. I mean, I know how the vote on this is going to go, but I do want to say my piece. I agree 100% with my colleague, Supervisor Gordy, because he's going through this.

[05:34:31] I think, I know this is hard. I know it's hard to put the genie in the bottle. And I'm planning, I'm sorry to do this to you. I really am. I'm looking at you, Tony. I'm sorry. I am. I do think that there needs to be a small area plan for this.

[05:34:48] I think that it needs to be an open process. I think we need to hear from different stakeholders. I think we need to reimagine this area if that is the direction that the supervisor and record and others want to go in. I mean, it's obvious that there is a lot of movement in the area.

[05:35:06] It's obvious that there are a lot of assemblages that are possibly going to be coming before us. I think we need to look at this area holistically. Should it all be housing? Are there industries that we can attract here that are not data centers?

[05:35:24] Are there? But that's a Christina Wynn question. She's done excellent work. That's a Christina Wynn question. She hasn't had the chance to weigh in on this. The board really hasn't had our chance as a whole to put our stamp on this.

[05:35:40] So this is why I'm a no. I don't want to put the cart before the horse. And I feel that that's what we're doing yet again. And we're going to have more piecemeal development because of it. That is what my fear is. I had planned to have town halls in the fall talking about Prince William, talking about growth, talking about our vision for it.

[05:36:01] Because who are we? What is our identity? what makes prince william county unique what is it that we want to preserve or not and that's a question not for a few but for the entire county to weigh in to decide who we are who we want to be and i do worry that we are getting ahead of ourselves yet again that is a concern of mine because i'm not just looking at now and what we need today but what is this area going to look like in 10 years and are we going to fix the issues that we know are there mobility is an issue We still have people who are unwell and septic.

[05:36:36] That's a concern for neighboring jurisdictions. I've talked to people who are afraid their wells may run dry. We've got to address that. I understand the desire to want to move forward.

[05:36:53] And Mark, I don't give you credit often. Okay, so just please record this and save it for prosperity. Because it may not happen again, but I don't know. You asked me a question. You did say, well, they're seeing the development across the county. Of course, they're going to want to jump in. know, or they want to be more proactive. Again, it gets back to that, and it was a great question, made me think about it, but it gets back to the people feeling that they need to sell and get out. I would rather have a solid plan. I would rather have something that is board-led, that is led in conjunction with our staff, so that we better understand this area as a whole.

[05:37:32] And so for those reasons, I am a no. But I know the votes are against me. It is what it is. But I think as a community as a county that we can do better and i know that you're going to be working on this supervisor vega and i will be pestering you about it because there are things that i want to see and i want to make sure that we're addressing everything as holistically as we can

[05:37:57] so with that let's go ahead and take our votes all right motion passes six to two supervisors stewart and gordy voting nay oops i made a mistake i'm sorry i wasn't paying attention let's do that again no you didn't yes i did nope i'm trying to move this meeting y'all no offense let's go

[05:38:28] sorry that's what happens when you don't pay attention even though you're chair hopefully you still recorded my yes you're still a yes all right i'm sorry everyone no hopes up high i'm a no this is why i have to speak so that way motion passes five to three supervisors gordy and stewart and chair jefferson voting nay thank you all right so i'm going to ask that people please move quickly out of the board chambers i'm going to give us we are already running late we're running into the seven o'clock i'm giving us 10 minutes and i really do mean 10 minutes

[05:39:06] we're going to take 10 minutes we are going to start when we get back with the commendation and then we are going to move into the seven o'clock agenda then we will do supervisor's time we will do closed session i'm sorry we'll do i'm sorry we'll do seven o'clock land use public comment. Guys, do not leave yet. I want to go through this. We're going to do a commendation. We are going to roll into the 7 o'clock. Then we are going to do public comment supervisor's time closed meeting.

[05:39:42] Thank you. 10 minutes.

[05:40:10] Alright, everyone. We have a commendation. Hold on. That's item 5C. We're doing it in the evening. And we're actually going to do things a little bit differently. After Supervisor LaCroix reads the summary and she had a chance to attend and their performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.

[05:40:30] We're actually going to have a short performance. So Supervisor LaCroix. And I want to say first that they run solely on donations. Wink, wink, nod.

[05:40:48] One of the great beauties of art is the way it can mean something different to every viewer. But art isn't always accessible in the ways we expect. Individuals with sensory issues may have a hard time enjoying art when loud noises, bright lights, and other potential overwhelming sensations take them out of the moment, making the experience stressful instead of fun.

[05:41:12] Heart House Inclusive Productions was founded in 2017 by Eva Thorpe with the vision of creating a welcoming theater community where individuals with disabilities and those without disabilities perform, create, and grow together through the performing arts, along with educational experiences and sensory-friendly performances.

[05:41:35] The Prince William Board of County Supervisors hereby commends Hart House Inclusive Productions for its outstanding contributions to the Prince William County community and its unwavering commitment to create inclusive opportunities through the performing arts.

[05:41:53] The Board of County Supervisors also extends its sincere appreciation to the leadership, volunteers, performers, families, and community partners whose dedication continues to enrich the lives of countless residents and inspire audiences throughout our region.

[05:42:10] And with that, we are going to be honored by them singing a song to us. Hello, my name is Eva Hanson, and I am the founder and current president of Heart House Inclusive Productions.

[05:42:27] The board and the cast and I would like to sincerely thank you for this recognition and thanks Supervisor Lacroix for bringing attention to our company. As you said, we were started in 2017 when my brother with Down syndrome graduated from high school and he was met with no performing opportunities.

[05:42:44] We operate with the mission to create theater for inclusion and integration for individuals with disabilities. We just completed our fifth show, Jesus Christ Superstar, and some of our cast will be singing the song Simon Zealots. So, thank you.

[05:43:38] thank you so very much for that musical interlude so because our last meeting ran

[05:46:37] shorter i'm just going to remind everyone we've done the commendation we are going to go straight into our evening agenda we will do public comment time and after public comment time we're going to Go back to supervisor's time, closed session, and adjourned. So with that, we are on to 14A.

[05:46:57] And I would like to invite the applicant up to present. Good evening, Chair Jefferson and members of the board. I don't know how I can top the singing, but my name is Jonel Cameron with Walsh, Kaluchi, Lubelai, and Walsh.

[05:47:13] Here tonight on behalf of the applicant, Bonaventure, I have a whole team here with me this evening. Nashua Hassanley and J.P. Highland are with Bonaventure. We also have the civil engineer, Chris Lemon here, as well as Les Atkins, our traffic consultant, and Anna, our environmental consultant.

[05:47:31] So we're able to answer any questions that you all may have after the presentation. I also have Star Nyan and Bindi Taylor with Walsh Colucci here. And as a roadmap, I'm going to walk through the proposal with you all, and then I'll end the presentation walking through changes that were made between the first submission to the Planning Commission and then changes that were made from the Planning Commission to the board based on feedback that was heard at the Planning Commission public hearing. So the property is located here on River Ridge Boulevard. So for reference,

[05:48:05] trying to be fancy today, it'll work. Here is Route 1. Here is River Ridge Boulevard. The property is 17.3 acres in size. It's not working today. The property is currently zoned B1 general business. In B1, the maximum lot coverage is 85 percent, and the minimum open space required is 15 percent. It is currently allowed to have up to 270,000 square feet of

[05:48:44] commercial uses on the property today. It is comprehensively planned mixed-use 3. PMR is an implementing zoning district in mixed-use 3, and multifamily is a primary use. MU3 recommends four to 12 dwelling units per acre and 30 percent open space. This slide is a contextual exhibit to show you how the property fits in with the surrounding area. So there are townhomes and multifamily in this area here. There's a commercial shopping center here. The fire station is in this

[05:49:21] location here. There are multifamily buildings in this location here and then single family detached here, a school here, and then townhomes in these areas back here. This slide shows the proposal of the property. The applicant is seeking a rezoning to PMR, plan mixed residential, with 300 multifamily for rent units. The applicant is proposing 10 percent of the units be made affordable. That means five percent of the units made available to people up to 80 percent AMI

[05:49:56] and 5% of the units made available to people up to 120% AMI. With this proposal, the applicant is proposing over 40% of the site as open space, which also includes amenities that I will walk through with you in a few slides ahead. And as part of the proposal, the applicant is proposing two access points, one access point here, that's a shared interpersonal connection with the fire station, and an access point here.

[05:50:23] Both of these access points are full access access points. This slide here shows an open space exhibit. So as I previously mentioned, over 40% of the site is open space, which is approximately two acres. As part of the proposal, the applicant is providing a 50-foot buffer adjacent to the fire station in this area here.

[05:50:45] There is a utility easement that runs generally like this in this area, so the applicant does have a proffer that in the event the utility holder has to remove those plantings in order to service that utility, that the applicant would replant in that area subject to the utility holder's approval.

[05:51:04] The applicant is also proposing a 50-foot undisturbed buffer adjacent to the single-family detached units here, and then in this area here, it is actually more than 50 feet of undisturbed area, and the applicant is proposing supplemental plantings in these areas here that amount to 100 feet in total between the undisturbed buffer area and the supplemental planting area.

[05:51:32] The applicant is also proposing a fence. In doing a site visit with the community, the community asks that instead of the fence be at the property line here, that the fence be at the edge of the undisturbed area. So we do have a proffer that requires that the fence is at the edge of the 50-foot undisturbed buffer, so it would generally be in the area here.

[05:51:53] And with these buffers, the applicant is proposing 70 feet more than what is required adjacent to the single-family detached unit, so only 30 feet is required today. The buffer areas total a little over three acres in size, and the applicant has also proffered that 60% of the plantings within the buffer area adjacent to the single-family detached and the landscaping along River Ridge be evergreen plantings.

[05:52:21] and then the next few slides I'll briefly go over with you the amenities. So these are courtyard amenities that are shown in the design guidelines. There's an outdoor pool area that will also have a courtyard and amenities, a dog park and an indoor dog wash area. A playground is proposed as part of this application as well and is proffered and then there are indoor amenities that would be provided for the residents as well. The applicant was required to conduct a traffic impact analysis

[05:52:56] and analyze the intersections that are shown on the screen the traffic impact analysis looks at the existing traffic today the traffic in the future without the development that includes a two percent growth rate per year and then the traffic impact analysis also requires the applicant to look at what is the traffic in the future with that growth rate as well as with the trips that would be generated by this application and in doing that the traffic impact analysis is also reviewed by both VDOT and the county. Here the traffic impact analysis determined that the proposal will not degrade the levels of service that exist today on the property and as I mentioned

[05:53:36] previously the access points are here and here. The applicant has proffered that this outermost lane on River Ridge Boulevard will be converted to a right turn lane only. The applicant is also required to construct a right turn lane into the site access here with this proposal the applicant is seeking a reduction in the parking ratio by six percent this reduction was reviewed by county transportation and they support that as well the applicant through this project has actually continued to add parking spaces our first submission application had a reduction of 24.1

[05:54:15] percent at the planning commission public hearing it was a 12 percent reduction and then after meeting with supervisor la croix and the residents that reduction decreased to a six percent reduction this slide here shows the pedestrian network so as part of this proposal the applicant is providing a sidewalk among the frontage of the property that will connect to the existing sidewalks on river ridge the applicant is also providing internal sidewalks throughout the site to be able to get to the amenities and the sidewalk that will be on River Ridge. One of the weaknesses in

[05:54:49] the staff report pertains to the lack of sidewalk along this travelway here. Due to the topography of this site, it's a hill. So the applicant is unable to do a sidewalk. It would not meet ADA requirements. And as part of this proposal, the applicant did provide design guidelines.

[05:55:08] They have proffered to the design guidelines which show these building elevations. We also provided building renderings for you all to be able to see what it would look like internal to the site and then in the next few slides i'll walk through some view sheds what we heard at the planning commission was that it would be nice if the planning commissioners and the community were able to see what visually somebody would be able to see if they're riding down river ridge or if they're within the community and so the applicant did provide view shed analyses and we had these rendered um both in the summer and in the winter so this is east on river ridge boulevard

[05:55:47] the building will be to your right this would be east on river ridge boulevard in the winter this is west on river ridge boulevard and then west on river ridge boulevard in the winter and that's if you're looking from this area here and then we did it a little bit further down on river ridge so this is west again and then this would be in the winter and then we also did it from Chavoyt Hill, cul-de-sac, which would be this area here. And so this shows what the building would look like. The building is about 245 feet from the property line and about 272 feet

[05:56:25] away from the nearest home. And this is what it would look like in the winter. And the next few slides, we'll review with you the changes that were made from the first submission to where we are today. So the applicant has always had 300 units. The pool was originally located inside of the courtyard here. With the first submission, we were providing a 30-foot buffer in this area here with a 70-foot supplemental planting area. However, a majority of the site was planned to be cleared and graded, and so this area here was the only area that was undisturbed. The applicant did have

[05:57:04] a meeting with the community and made revisions as we went along the process from the first submission. At this time, we were also doing 450 parking spaces, which was a 24.1% reduction. And then this is the exhibit from the PC. And so at the Planning Commission public hearing, the applicant increased the buffer, the undisturbed buffer area. So we were doing a 30-foot undisturbed buffer area and a 70-foot supplemental planting area, as well as a fence along the property line and the pool was relocated outside of the building in this area here the applicant

[05:57:42] increased the number of parking spaces so we were now at 462 parking spaces which was a 12 percent reduction and then this is the the board of county supervisors illustrative so this is the plan that you all see in the staff report with this plan again increased the undisturbed buffer area from 30 feet to 50 feet along this property line and in some areas it's more than 50 feet so in this area here it's more than 50 feet and then are providing supplemental planting areas that would equal essentially 100 feet from the property line to the end of the landscaping. We also extended

[05:58:21] that supplemental planting area further down. One of the comments from the community was to relocate the fence from the property line to the edge of the 50-foot buffer so you do see that in the proffer statement that was in the staff report and this slide here is a summary so we also increased at the last submission parking spaces to 493 parking spaces which was a six percent reduction and that concludes my presentation with the positive recommendation of approval from planning staff we recommend we request that the board also approve this application and

[05:59:01] we can answer any questions that you all may have all right thank you so very much does anyone have any questions for the applicant all right I don't see any so thank you I'd like to call the staff for it please I'm sorry hold on I'm sorry let me go ahead and explain the process to everyone so that we are clear I do apologize we have a lot of new faces what happens is the applicant presents then the board we have a chance to ask them questions after that the county will give their side we have a chance to ask them questions then i'm going to open the public hearing so if you want to speak make sure you sign up on those sheets in the back

[05:59:40] i will call you up you will have three minutes to talk unless you're the hoa president or within association you get up to five minutes only one person will have that opportunity to speak you will go to the back you'll say your name your registeral district which i assume is woodbridge but you need to say it anyways and up there that screen up there will tell you how much time you have I will ask I know that these cases can get passionate I will ask for decorum no clapping no shouting no anything allow people to have their time to speak so with that we are going to staff and they will do

[06:00:19] their presentation thank you so much hello everyone good evening my name is Kobra Babai, a case planner of a Tainat River Oaks application.

[06:00:35] We are going to review the rezoning application. This is a request for rezoning of 17.28 acres from B1, general business, to PMR, plant mixed residential, to allow for development of 300 multifamily units.

[06:00:55] The property is located south of the River Ridge Boulevard, and the Richmond Highway is located in west side of the proposed development the zoning of application is b1 general business and the long-range land use of the application is mu3 the applicant request to rezone of the b12 mu3 in mu3 the target land use is for development of for residential and non-residential with primary uses for single family attacks single family detached multi-family

[06:01:33] office, and retail, and the implementing zoning district with MU3 is PMR, office, PMD, R16, and R30. The target residential density in MU3 is between 4 to 12 dwelling units per acre, and the minimum requirement open space in MU3 is around 20%, and with PMR is 30%.

[06:02:01] With this application, the applicant requests to rezoning from B1 to PMR for development of residential with primary uses for multifamily. This is a request for changing to PMR.

[06:02:18] The provided density is 17.36 dwelling units per acre, and the provided open space is more than 40%. So the rezoning and comprehensive plan are consistent with this application, but the proposed residential density is higher than maximum 12 dwelling units per acre that's recommended by MU3.

[06:02:47] Please, let's have a review on character of the application. This is rezoning and residential development. We have one central building at fourth floor with 300 rental units.

[06:03:04] 140 of the units will be one-bedroom units and 160 of them for two or more than bedroom units. 30 of the units will be for affordable dwelling units and the application and future development will be contained active and passive amenities.

[06:03:23] On May 20, 2026, the Planning Commission, after hearing the public, staff, and also applicant, recommended the application. And after Planning Commission, the applicant started to more work on the application and tried the best to provide two items.

[06:03:48] I would like to highlight the two items. That is kind of the improvement application and enhance the application. The applicant, with changing the location of the playground and dock park, and also with edit in configuration and layout of the plan, increased the number of the parking space from 462 to 493.

[06:04:17] It means the 12% reduction in parking space, it reduced to 6%. And the other item is related to increasing the buffer area. The applicant can increase the requirement 30 feet buffer from the adjacent residentials property on the east to 50.

[06:04:43] In this slide, I'm going to have a quick review on key point of the application or string of the application. As the applicant mentioned, the proposed development on the property is contained of the amenity package, indoor and outdoor.

[06:05:03] The application is contained of the grilling area, gaming space, pool area, clubhouse, fitness center, business center, community meeting space, theater room, package center, And also, the applications, with this application, the applicant proposed to provide the dog park area and also playground area.

[06:05:28] The other key point of the application is related to 60 bicycle parking space and three EV charger stations. Applicant prefers for construction of bus shelter, bus pull-off area, and also monetary contribution to use for bus shelter on River Ridge Boulevard.

[06:05:49] Applicant tries to provide the walkable and accessibility for future residents that is encouraged by MU3. And so the applicant prefers to provide the visible crosswalk for the residents for the accessibility to commercial area and adjacent property.

[06:06:11] The other key point of the application is related to interparcel connection to fire station. We have a fire station in west of the property and applicant prefers to provide the interparcel connection with the property and fire station's area.

[06:06:31] As I mentioned earlier, the applicant prefers to dedicate 10% of the application or three of the units as the affordable dwelling units. And the applicant provides more than 30% requirement, open space to 40%, and all the requirements and standards for stormwater management meet by the applicant.

[06:06:56] And the last key point of the application is related to availability of space for students generated by this project. The weakness of application, as I mentioned, the applicant, after planning commission, tried to provide more parking open space.

[06:07:18] But we see the application and proposed development still need to have 32 parking space. But after planning commission, the 12% of the lack of the parking space reduced at 6%.

[06:07:39] And the other weakness of application is related to the density. The MU3, the maximum density, residential density in MU3 is 12 dwelling units per acre. But with this application is around the 15.36.

[06:08:00] Respectfully, staff recommend the Board of County Supervisors approve rezoning REZ 2025-00023 attained at River Oaks application subject to proper dated July 17, 2026 for following reason.

[06:08:21] Consistency between zoning and long-range land use and the proposed development is aligned with surrounding land use and the character of the area and the applicant meet the county housing policy with providing 10 or 30 dwelling units as a affordable dwelling units thank you so much my pleasure to answer your question or cancer all right thank you so very much supervisor boating thank you madam chair thank you cobra for the presentation for your work on this application my question is to you and then to the applicant um you mentioned near

[06:08:59] the end there because uh that you all are overall recommending approval partly because of the 10% set aside for affordable housing could you talk a little bit about the the allocation there and then i'll have a question for the applicant after you talk about the mix between the different amis for the affordable housing uh the applicant prefers to provide the 10 of the dwelling units for affordable that is is around the 30 units and all the units will be rental so for i think

[06:09:30] the applicant can answer for details about it yeah 5 is around the sorry for the affordable mix it's 5 is made available to people earning up to 80 ami and 5 is made available for people earning up to 120 ami virginia is part of the washington metro region and so when you do the ami you do it

[06:10:03] based on the HUD numbers, and right now it's approximately $163,900 is the AMI for the region, and then the four-person household, and I can get you the exact number, but I think it ranges for your 80% AMI, it's based on a four-person household.

[06:10:21] That ranges, I believe, between $93,000 and $96,000 for your annual income, and then for the 120 you would um multiply the 96 300 by 1.2 percent so i think at that rate it is between 185 and 195 000 appreciate that and i just wanted to set that context there then my small follow-up is you know knowing that the housing market is changing what have you uh i would assume the applicant has done a performance or look at a market analysis of those price points and they

[06:10:55] didn't see any sort of barriers to getting those marketed and if they improved correct yes just wanted to make sure thank you you're welcome my second question is in regards to traffic so I'm going to go probably back to staff for a second good evening members of the board my name is Bryce Barrett Department of Transportation and Capital Construction thank you Bryce for coming down you know one of the things that folks are probably going to talk about during the public hearing but

[06:11:28] want to talk about a little bit is traffic and traffic counts right now this property is zone b1 for for business for commercial what have you can you talk a little bit a little bit about the difference between what the traffic count would be if it done by right versus what we're looking at here i have a slide i have a slide to that if that would be helpful for you all sorry so we had

[06:12:02] our traffic consultant sorry i messed that up um look at some options for what would it be by right and then what would that trip generation be so we actually did assuming and again remember I had mentioned that we can have up to 270,000 square feet of commercial uses on the property today based on the B1 and what we looked at is what would we be able to do reasonably and looked at a shopping center so if we had a 75,000 square foot shopping center it would be 10 less a.m.

[06:12:37] peak hour trips, 272 less p.m. peak hour trips, and then 3,679 less daily trips if we were to do something by right on the site. I appreciate that. And my last question, Madam Chair, thank you. Bryce, you look like you're just good with what she said. My last question is parking. You know, again, folks have sort of brought up parking as an issue in this neighborhood. They sent us, I think this came from the neighborhood. Can you talk about parking as it pertains to this project?

[06:13:06] Absolutely. So when you're seeking any waivers or modifications for transportation requirements, you're required to submit an application and provide a justification. So specifically for this project, the applicant looked at one of their projects and actually did a traffic count during the peak hours to determine what are their traffic needs.

[06:13:28] And they also looked at their portfolio as a whole. And basically what they found is 1.5 parking spaces per unit across their portfolio in Virginia is actually adequate parking spaces and probably a little bit more because that takes into consideration the worst case scenario.

[06:13:48] It's Super Bowl Sunday. Somebody is having a birthday party. And what we're providing now at the 6% reduction is a 1.64 parking space per unit. And I do know what we hear a lot of just generally is for some of these developments, the HOA prohibits you from having work vehicles.

[06:14:10] And so oftentimes, because it can't be within the development, it's within adjacent streets. From a multifamily perspective, they don't prohibit that. And so if you drive a taxi cab or you're a plumber and it has the name of the plumbing company on your vehicle, you are still able to park on the site.

[06:14:31] We're actually, we're also a little over a mile and a half from the nearest VRE, and we are providing both additional bicycle parking spaces, so 30 are required, we're providing 60, and then we are also providing the bus pad and the money for OmniRide to actually construct the bus shelter themselves.

[06:14:50] You're welcome. Hold on, I'm going to, I know that, again, emotions are high, but I'm going to ask for no outbursts. Don't go anywhere, Janelle, because I want to talk more about this. You know, obviously the topography is a little hard, but again, I want to stick with that people are worried about additional parking in their neighborhood.

[06:15:10] So there's fence, correct? Can you talk a little bit more about that? Yes. So when we met originally with, when we had our community meeting, we did have two community meetings. When we had, and the folks on Chavoy Hill, unfortunately, did not get notice of that first community meeting.

[06:15:25] And when we were made aware of that, we made sure we sent out notices to all of those folks. It was about 95 homes. We did an additional meeting two weeks later. And at that meeting, what we heard were concerns that this neighborhood to the south is parking in their development.

[06:15:41] And so what we agreed to do is to do a fence. At the time, it was along the property line. We have moved that over since to prohibit people from walking on their property or parking and then walking over. But from a topography perspective, because it's basically a hill, we don't think that the residents would do that anyways.

[06:16:01] And then just from a Bonaventure perspective, they own and manage their own properties. And so they are incentivized to make sure that they have enough parking on site. Because if you don't have enough parking on site, you move the year your lease is up.

[06:16:17] So they're also able to regulate that as well through the process. I want to talk a little bit more about sidewalks and accessibility. Because there's only one sidewalk kind of connecting to the main road, correct? There are multiple sidewalks, and I want to go back.

[06:16:32] Sorry to make you all dizzy. No, I'm talking about from your project. So from our project, there is a sidewalk. There are sidewalks around the development, and then specifically we have a sidewalk on this side of the road that connects over and then comes down, and it will connect to the existing sidewalks on River Ridge.

[06:16:51] I'm sorry, go on. There's not a sidewalk on this site, and I have an exhibit. Again, making you all dizzy, and I apologize. This is the site topography exhibit, so this gives you an idea of the existing grades on the site. And so we're 100, 110 as you get towards River Ridge, and then you go up basically to a hill.

[06:17:11] So it's 190 in the middle, and then it drops back down. So although there will be clearing and grading and some equalization, there's still going to be a hill at the end of the day. And so we did not have a sidewalk on this side because it essentially would be if a kid is walking to school, for example, they would be sliding down a hill to school.

[06:17:32] So really focusing folks to use this area here to be able to connect to the sidewalk. And again, someone had given us this to show us what traffic is like. Do you have an estimate of how far, if I took the sidewalk up to River Ridge and walked over to, like, Chavoyt, the intersection of Chavoyt, Cassbrook, and Cleve Hill, do you roughly...

[06:17:56] I can measure that for you super quick. I can pull out my computer and do that. All right. Thank you very much. While she does that, does anyone else have any additional questions? No, I'll let you get back to me on that after the public hearing. So, again, what I'm going to do now, there's no one else in queue.

[06:18:14] Did you have anything else? Okay. So since there's no one else in queue, I'm going to go ahead and open the public hearing for 14A. We are, again, going to start with people who have signed up to speak in person. After that, we get people who have signed up remote. Do we have anyone who has signed up?

[06:18:30] So while she's getting the sheet for us, again, when I call your name, I will do my best. You will go to the back, start by stating your name where the magisterial district where you reside, and you will be looking up at the timer, and that will let you know how much time you have.

[06:18:57] And again, I ask that we maintain decorum. And make sure you also adjust the mic so that we can hear you. So the first person I have is Paul Recklau, Giancarlo Perez, Kathy Perez, Lawrence Howard, and Luen Steele.

[06:19:20] So if all of you can go and line up in the back.

[06:19:38] All right, you may proceed. Okay, supervisors and everyone gathered here tonight. My name is Paul Recklau, and I'm here representing the River Oaks Community Association Board of Directors and our residents. I have lived in River Oaks on Cassbrook Lane since 1999 and have served on the Association's Board of Directors for the past 25 years. We do not support approval of this rezoning application, which is painfully obvious here. We understand that property owners have certain development rights and we are not opposed to development in accordance with the current zoning requirements. However, simply approving a rezoning request along with very significant

[06:20:15] waivers for the rezone parcel is not reasonable. Most importantly, the plant density is significantly higher than the rezoning allows and the number of parking spaces is six percent lower than the rezoning requires. We are especially concerned about the lack of adequate parking. We have struggled with parking issues for years in Rebrokes and additional housing without adequate parking will make matters worse. Our single-family residential area is the only relatively close non-restricted parking location for nearby townhomes, apartments, and this new proposed apartment building. We already have significant blind quarters and narrowed traveled lanes on our

[06:20:51] single-family streets, especially at morning, night, and weekend times, primarily due to non-resident parking. Even with the 493 parking spaces proposed, this is 1.64 spaces per apartment. Average Prince William County vehicle registrations are the highest in the area at 2.6 per family.

[06:21:10] Parking studies provided by the developer were from Newport News. I did a quick Google search of vehicle registrations for that area, and their average is two vehicles per family, A significant difference from our 2.6. The planning staff indicates that the developer is providing a high visibility crosswalk, bus shelter, and bicycle storage, thereby reducing the need for vehicles and parking spaces.

[06:21:33] Not sure how much research went into this, but people here usually have more than one vehicle per family, sometimes significantly more. Local bus service and the purportive walkability of our area do not reduce the need for adequate parking. At a minimum, we expect the developer to guarantee they will provide parking for all vehicles owned or operated by their residents, including work trucks and vans.

[06:21:56] Regarding traffic concerns, our section of Richmond Highway is still two lanes either way and already over capacity. I'm quite certain I will not see it widen in my lifetime, as the only thing I see in the near horizon is a study. It is simply too soon to add more dense housing developments to this area at this time.

[06:22:14] The final area of concern, directly impacting the residents on the west side of Shevoit Hill Court, would be the loss of the forest and wildlife in their backyards. This is unfortunate, but we remain concerned about the lack of specificity for the fence to be constructed on or near their property lines.

[06:22:31] We have had past experiences with occasional inconsiderate trespassers cutting through residents' yards, regardless of the terrain, and would like to see a substantial fence, ideally higher than six foot, constructed at the boundary of this development.

[06:22:47] Thank you for the time. Please do not grant this rezoning request. And since I think I still have additional time, you need to consider who you're representing. Are you representing a developer and a landowner, or are you representing the thousands of residents in River Oaks?

[06:23:03] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Okay, the time, okay. All right, folks, hold on. we have, we're one person short up there. We're trying to do our best. I'm going to start timing everyone. Okay. I'm going to start on my phone timing everyone. This is not, you know, please bear with us. We're down a person. You know this melody. We're not, this isn't in on anything. So

[06:23:33] please. Okay. I didn't see that. Next speaker. Okay. My name is Catherine Perez and I'm a resident of River Oaks in the single family housing. We have seen the parking is the biggest concern that we have along with the natural area. The parking concerns we have, you're proposing 300 units. On average, and only half of them are single-family units. If you have two people per

[06:24:08] unit in the single family, and then you have two people in your more than one-bedroom apartments, this simply stated, the math is not mathing. You have 300 units. If you have two people in each of those units that drive, that's 600 vehicles. And that's not even allowing for commercial vehicles for the people that do have a commercial vehicle. Currently, you're only allowing, you don't have enough spaces for two vehicles per unit. And then you're talking two

[06:24:47] and three bedroom units where you have teenagers who may have another vehicle. So add another to that. So that is 450, well, excuse me, 600 plus another 150. That's 750 potential vehicles along with commercial vehicles. We are not worried about them as worried walking through the woods if a fence is constructed high enough. Walking through and down the hills is not the issue.

[06:25:16] The issue is you have people that come and park within the neighborhood on the neighborhood streets. People drive them over, follow their vehicles, park the vehicles, and then take off. The walking traffic for people parking and walking to the units is not the biggest issue with the parking.

[06:25:35] We have people parking, there's no visibility on the corners. People parking literally within five feet of fire hydrants. You have people parking on corners, on a curved corner with a vehicle across. They're not being ticketed.

[06:25:52] The minimum allowable is that they can be tagged. It takes 10 days from them being tagged for them to allow to be towed. It doesn't work that way. You also have the foot traffic, the people coming through that simply stated the traffic is too much making the turns.

[06:26:13] The traffic is too much parking the vehicles in the neighborhoods. It is not allowing for the people that have the single family residence, that have people visiting. There are times when we have family visiting and we're in the middle of the block and we do not have space for them to park.

[06:26:33] We've had people block into our driveways. We've had people park narrow enough that you cannot pass. It is unsafe for children. It is unsafe for people driving. And it is disrespectful. Next speaker, please.

[06:26:54] Hi, good evening. My name is Giancarlo Perez, Casbrook Lane. We, you just hear my wife talking about the parking. That is an incredible problem. People from other places not living in our area parking the vehicle.

[06:27:12] And now we don't have, even on front of our houses, no space for friends or family coming to visit. Vehicles that remain the whole week and nobody do nothing about it. And then they come with other vehicles to pick up the vehicle.

[06:27:30] This is a problem that is happening. We live in this area for 11 years, more or less, and we see how it's happening in the development. More houses close to the river, more vehicles driving, and driving at a high speed that is supposed to be at 25 miles per hour, and they don't respect it, and they keep driving.

[06:27:51] Coming from the townhouse, people that don't live in our area. When we purchase our home, it's because we saw the value increasing with the time, with the new development. We now, the place that is going to develop apartments that are affordable for less money, what are we going to have right there?

[06:28:17] We have people that they don't have the money to buy a house and leave how many people in one apartment and they have vehicles. She mentioned about the parking, the traffic. This is a constant problem that is not getting solved.

[06:28:35] Walking in our yard from that area to our houses, walking between in the middle of the night, kids, teenagers that they don't respect, that is what is going to happen, all right? Really, I understand our people around.

[06:28:54] We don't agree with this. our development is for living, not for what we're going to have right there. Thank you very much. Next speaker, please. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen on board. Thank you for listening to our concerns. I've only got two concerns. The first is, my name is Luann Stile, and I live at

[06:29:24] 2890 Chavoid Hill Court, and the proposed dog park is right behind my house. Now, I go to bed at 8 o'clock at night, and I just don't want to hear dogs barking. I don't know whether you can move the dog park or put a time limit on the dog park. And the other part is, the next thing I want to talk about is when my husband and I bought the home 15 years ago, we bought it for two reasons,

[06:29:58] the beautiful sun porch and the beautiful woods behind our property. So when we sit in our sun porch at night or in the morning we look out it's very peaceful we hear the birds singing we we have our neighbor Dave and Wani Uribe feeding the deer every day and you got the foxes out there you got the and on our deck we've got beautiful um hummingbird feeders and that would all be lost

[06:30:32] if the woods was taken away from us um there's a little bird that sings in the trees behind our house every evening where I sit on the deck. And I like to think, that is my husband checking in on me. He died a year ago very suddenly. And if you take that away from me, I won't hear that anymore.

[06:30:56] If you take the woods away. So I just would like to keep the woods if you can. Thank you. All right. Before I call up the next group, I have Matt Steele, Judy Hopper, Cassie, I think Cassie Lake Robinson, or Callie Robinson, Melody Miller, and Neil Cobb, or Crob.

[06:31:31] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

[06:31:47] For the record, my name is Dr. Lawrence Howard, and I am a nearly 30-year resident of Chavoid Hill Court in Woodbridge, which directly borders this site. I'm emphatically against this rezoning. Now, I assume that you've already decided to approve it, since you're holding this hearing even though the county's planning commission denied the request in May.

[06:32:08] If you go against the Planning Commission, though, at least deny the many requested waivers. What's the point in the county having rules if they are waived upon demand? This project relies on too many waivers of the county's own rules and regulations, which highlights that this is not a feasible project for this particular parcel of land.

[06:32:31] Now, I don't deny the right of any current owner to sell or the right of any prospective buyer to develop. Bonaventure, however, demands seven exceptions to the county's rules simply so that they can make more money. Most importantly are two, more units and fewer parking spaces first. They want an exception to the county's rules on density, asking for 300 units instead of the 207 limit based on the parcel size. That's 45% above the maximum. This is a sloped, 17-acre, oddly shaped piece of

[06:33:08] land, not at all suitable for a building of this size. It's an unusual shape, and the slope has indeed kept it from being used for 30 years. Second, Bonaventure wants an exception to the county's rules on parking. We've already heard that. They want to provide only 493 parking spaces, which is the 1.6 spaces per household. The county currently requires two spaces per household, yet the county's own Department of Transportation found, and published last month on the website, that the county has an average of 2.6 vehicles per household, the highest rate in the region.

[06:33:45] So the reality is that the builder needs to provide 780 spaces for the 300 requested units, but they propose only 493. Now, their renters will have more cars than planned parking spaces. We all know that. Sure, they'll get a sticker for one car in one spot. Just where does Bonaventure think those other cars are going to go. If you allow Bonaventure to provide insufficient parking spaces, it becomes a safety issue, especially for the children in our communities, and that will be

[06:34:18] on you, the supervisors. Our streets are already jam-packed with excess cars from the townhouses nearby, and the intersections are dangerous. You can see this picture from this past Sunday morning. It should be clear to anyone who pauses to think for even a moment that this parcel simply does not support what Bonaventure proposes. It is too small. So I can't help but wonder, if you decide to approve the developer's waiver request tonight, why? Campaign contributions, personal friendships, a soft spot for developers. I'm here to tell you that this plan stinks. The math doesn't matter.

[06:34:56] Thank you very much. Next speaker. All right, folks, we're not doing this. Again, we're going to maintain decorum because I can clear the board chambers. We're not going to have any signs. You're not going to argue with staff. We're not going to have any outbursts.

[06:35:13] I'm going to say this for the last time, because if we do, I will clear the board chambers. I've never had to do that in my three and a half years on the deus. Please, let's not be the first. Next speaker, please.

[06:35:39] Good evening. My name is Matthew Stileman, a resident of River Oaks. Tonight, you're being asked to approve a 300-unit apartment building that is designed, creates unresolved risk to the public safety, infrastructure, and long-term well-being of our neighborhood.

[06:36:03] your vote will directly impact thousands of residents. According to Prince William's own data, households here average 2.6 vehicles, the highest in the region. Yet this project only provides 493 1.6 parking spaces, 32 fewer than the 525 required by code, betting that residents will walk or take the bus.

[06:36:28] But roughly 65% of the commuters here drive alone, and the transit ridership is minimal. Overflow parking will spill on the River Ridge Boulevard directly in front of the fire station, creating a bottleneck for emergency vehicles. And this shortfall isn't happening in a vacuum.

[06:36:45] The counties even admitted to doing a study on the problem. The parking complaints rose from 5,800 to 5,900 last year alone, and citations climbed from 1,300 to 1,400, part of a five-year climb. That's the environment into which this project wants to add a documented 32-space shortfall.

[06:37:05] Granting a parking waiver here doesn't solve the problem. It adds directly to it. This is not a technicality. It is violating local standards and regulations put in place for public safety. And if the board approves it, you will be held responsible for that choice. Can you guarantee it won't happen? The proposed density is 17.36 units per acre, nearly 45% higher than the 12 units per acre recommended in the comprehensive plan. The intensity places undue strain on roads, schools, and utilities. Why is the board considering a density that so clearly exceeds

[06:37:43] limits, establishing limits? This isn't Bonaventure's first generating these concerns. In Virginia Beach, residents raised nearly identical objections, traffic, infrastructure, neighborhood character against Bonaventure's proposed attain at farmhouse project. Also, the Better Business Bureau also shows patterns of Bonaventure failing to respond to complaints in both Alexandria and Virginia Beach, and in a recent interview, the CEO described the company's model directly. It builds four-story surface park properties in suburban locations. That is a business model built around minimizing

[06:38:20] parking cost, not meeting community need. How do we know that you'll answer our complaints in the future? My preference tonight is that the committee votes no on this project, but if you choose to move forward anyway i ask that you require a binding parking management plan and commission on independent traffic study um done for uh before any approval if you approve this project as proposed just know the community will help you accountable for any emergency response delays or

[06:38:55] infrastructure failures that result please thank you for your time my name is judy hopper i have lived on Savoyt Hill Court for 29 years. I love my community and I love it as is. Change is hard and I understand that change is also inevitable. And I just want to say that I'm not opposed to

[06:39:31] a structure being built. I'm just opposed to a structure that needs so many waivers to be built there. 300 apartments, that is, as we know, more dense than is allowed, which is one of the waivers.

[06:39:52] Why not less apartments? 200, 225, I think, was the top. That would be better. It would be less parking. It wouldn't be as tall a structure. It wouldn't be so cumbersome in taking away our our trees and our land that we love so much i just why are the why are the rules there the rules are there because that's what was needed if if they need so many waivers i just don't see that

[06:40:27] it should happen so many waivers i think somebody said there was seven that's a lot of waivers for one piece of land um and i also heard that uh when they clear cut an area they were going to plant all evergreens. They're taking down our oaks. They're taking down our sturdy, our strong trees.

[06:40:53] Why not go, if you're taking down our oaks, why not plant our oaks back? If you want to do some evergreens, mix some evergreens in there, but don't give us all the cheap evergreens and you're taking down our nice oak trees. Plant the oak trees back. And about the parking, yeah, it's horrendous.

[06:41:13] it is uh i've had my son actually got into an accident over there and um it's every morning i feel like i'm fighting for my life to get out just to go to work uh i have to creep out halfway into the into the main roadway to see around all the cars and i did notice that since our last meeting that there were no parking signs put up that's great for that corner but all it did was push the cars further up the street, and further up the street across from us.

[06:41:49] So, I mean, parking is a problem. I see people walking from the apartments over to get their cars every morning when I go to work. They're walking over there. So, oh, shoot.

[06:42:08] Okay, thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. My name is Callie Lake Robinson. I'm a resident on Shevoit Hill Court. My apologies that this is going to sound redundant, but it is the same concerns.

[06:42:30] All of us look at the same concerns. And I know, I say, you're going to hear over and over that Bonaventure plans beautiful communities. An example would be a claim at Belmont Bay.

[06:42:47] They are beautiful, but that scenario, our scenario of the 17 wooded acres is completely different. Excuse me. It's completely different than, say, what they have at Belmont Bay.

[06:43:05] And that layout, it's not ideal for such a massive and dense project. An example is Bonaventure requesting waivers, like everyone else has said. My apologies if we sound like broken records.

[06:43:23] Waivers, even for providing a sidewalk, a compliant sidewalk to River Bridge Boulevard because of the topography. Yes, I know all of us are saying the same thing.

[06:43:42] It's repeat. That land has been vacant for a very long time because it is not ideal. The 300 units are in excess, we believe, of what was initially recommended by the Planning Commission themselves.

[06:44:08] 207 is what was recommended with the max of 241 because of it being such a dense project. My apologies. What we're asking, like all the other residents have said, please uphold your own standard, your own rules, your own guidelines.

[06:44:36] Please. That's all we're asking, along with planting some other trees besides the evergreens. They don't do very well in snow and sleet. Anyway, if the rezoning is granted, again, please follow, stay with your own guidelines, your own rules.

[06:45:03] And just a little tidbit I'll throw in there. For us being threatened with a data center being built in that 17 acres, if the rezoning doesn't get approved, that's messed up. Thank you for your time.

[06:45:21] All right. Thank you. Next speaker. Before you start the clock, I did want to apologize for any offense. I didn't know how to let you guys know that the timer wasn't going. So I apologize. I know it's been a long day. Okay.

[06:45:36] That's in my face. My name is Melody Miller. I'm in Neabsco. I do not live in your community, but I'm going to skip over a lot of the concerns that you've heard from the residents. I have all the same things about parking and traffic density and everything. So I'll get to the two things that I really haven't heard.

[06:45:53] The first thing is the public infrastructure in that area is actually really stretched in. Station 23, I know Supervisor Greer said we have more fire stations proposed to be built, but they're not here yet. And the people to staff them aren't here yet. Station 23 is already, they have a 6,000 annual incident benchmark, and they are already well beyond it.

[06:46:14] So super busy roads, super busy firehouses generally do not play well together. I mean, it's like a self-generating business model. Also, I saw in the amendment that they want to put an interparcel road. I would highly recommend, I know this is a site plan thing, but I would highly recommend making that emergency vehicle only.

[06:46:32] The general public generally does not understand how large vehicles work and how limited sight lines are. So putting a method for the community to use the fire station as a cut through is a disaster waiting for happening. I didn't see any proffers for school capital contributions, although you're going to add a lot of kids with that level of density, which we've already talked about being 45% above the max.

[06:46:57] And at the risk of getting a nickname like the tree lady, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the mature chestnut oaks. I know everybody says you shouldn't cut them down, that they're beautiful. I fully agree. We've talked about the watershed a million times before. You guys have heard me evangelize about the watershed.

[06:47:14] But I want to just point out that chestnut oaks actually operate a little differently than most trees. They tend to really prefer garbage soil, like really just infertile soil that's very fine, very prone to landslides. They tend to grow on really sloped areas, and they have very, very dense, very fibrous, very tiny, extensive root systems, which is why they're so good for erosion control. So if you are going to cut all those trees down and replace them with evergreens, even if you're going to cut them down and leave some of them behind, I don't see anything in this

[06:47:51] proposal that's major earthworks or soil amendment, topsoil preservation, enrichment. I don't see anything of that and you're going to take away the thing that is holding all of those slopes together so the first time we get a thunderstorm like we have outside right now uh you're going to have challenges in that site and that may be why it hasn't been developed to your point for 30 years um so there's a there's it just the steep gradient plus the removal of that particular type of tree without replacing that particular type of tree just poses a really big a really high ecological risk that i don't see uh addressed um are they also tree responsibilities two years

[06:48:28] rather than 10 which is nothing um so just given the sheer number of development proposals facing the county right now there's absolutely nothing in this proposal that i see that's worth the cost of forcing the over density parking deficits thank you so much thank you before i get to the next speaker i have a henry i believe henry caonias yep so you can go to the back and patricia harman all right you may begin uh neil crib we've lived in uh river oaks on sheboy hill court for

[06:49:05] 23 years i'm going to take a little different tact on this um you've heard what my fellow residents have said about this project so i don't want to rehash a lot of that stuff really i see two issues here there's one that's rezoning and then there's this project that's associated with it the two are linked but they don't have to be clearly rezoning that area when you read the county's plan is is it aligns with the county's plan for that land use over time at a longer term that's one issue if if that's what you want to reason that fine then you've got the project that bonaventure is proposing when you look at the density and all the things that have been said

[06:49:40] and you look at this project and you look at the policies that have to be relaxed by the county to make this thing go the way they want it to go and then you look at the pictures that were shown of what the site line is going to look like if you live in a house that's affected by the actual building itself when you look at that and you take that into consideration that those 300 units doing, just that alone ought to cause you pause and make you ask yourself, if this was me, how would I feel about that? So I would say to you that if you want, if it's the desire of the board to rezone this area from B1 to residential, okay. And if it's their desire to put something on that

[06:50:20] property, okay. But just make sure it fits within the guidelines that the county has established for doing such an effort and live within those. In other words, grant the rezoning, grant the project but don't give the waivers i'll leave it at that next speaker please good evening everyone my name is henry quinones i i moved to river oaks in february four months ago so i'm not tracking all the concerns that my neighbors are because of the short time that i've been there

[06:51:00] but i support all of them so when i bought the house i was told that this development is being planned for my surprise so my house is right behind this site to me the first thing that i want to mention is that a 50 feet buffer is too short so this development is too close to our neighbor neighborhood sorry uh another thing is that we have to consider the natural resources so taking away all those trees that vegetation to me so i have an autistic child that he loves

[06:51:37] sitting in my deck you know to look at that vegetation that relaxes him so he feels really good and i know if this vegetation is taken away so it's not going to be good for him um so again And so I don't have too much to say because of the short time that I've been there, but I 500% support all that my neighbors are saying about traffic, parking, and all that they mention here.

[06:52:09] That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker. Good evening. My name is Patricia Harmon. I don't live in River Oaks, though I have family there.

[06:52:25] I don't even live in Prince William County, although I served here for 30 years as a police officer. I'm here tonight because in my retirement, I accepted a position and a claim at Belmont Bay, as my sister referred to. And it's a luxury senior living community in Woodbridge built and operated by Bonaventure.

[06:52:45] That's why I'm here. Ms. LaCroix and Chairman Jefferson have both been to this Bonaventure property and can attest to the firsthand quality of the product. While I'm not a real estate expert, I have spent most of my life in service to Prince William County, and I know that housing options and affordability have always been a challenge.

[06:53:05] Forty years ago, when I patrolled the streets of South Woodbridge, many families struggled with housing options then, and that continues today. The River Oaks proposal presents an opportunity for the county to provide a much-needed housing in an area where demand continues to outpace supply. The project will bring a professionally managed high-quality apartment community for young professionals and others who want to work in the county but find housing options limited.

[06:53:30] Bonaventure has a proven track record of being a responsible community partner and neighbor. They support local businesses, hire local vendors, create employment opportunities, and main strong relationships with neighboring property owners. At a claim at Belmont Bay, not River Oaks, but same management, we have excellent relationships with our neighbors, and that includes townhomes, single-family homes, and apartment complexes.

[06:53:56] I understand that with new development comes concern. This has always been true. I respect those concerns, and I know you do too. My hope is that you'll find a way to address the concerns of the River Oak community while weighing the substantial benefits of this proposal and find a way to approve the project.

[06:54:13] Prince William County deserves a well-planned, high-quality development that reflects the standards of this county. Based on firsthand experience, Bonaventure delivers exactly that. They're the kind of partner Prince William County should welcome and encourage. Thank you for your time. All right, thank you so very much.

[06:54:30] I do not have anyone else signed up to speak in person. I'm going to turn over to Supervisor Gordy to see if there is anyone who signed up to speak virtually. Okay, do we have anybody online for virtual public comment or public hearing? Good evening. We do not have anybody online for public hearings.

[06:54:47] thanks so much Chris all right thank you so very much I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing for 14a and I'm going to ask staff or actually when start the applicant if you have anything that you've heard that you want to address and also if you have the distance between the exit to walk on the sidewalk and the cross streets that were mentioned the distance was about a

[06:55:17] half a mile along the front edge of the property and then just cutting a little bit over so chair jefferson if we started like right at this corner here and then came down here and then cut just to this street here we're at about a half a mile all right thank you very much you're welcome um and i tried to categorize the comments um so i'll start with the dog park um generally they do have hours

[06:55:53] of operation um that's set by their management company for dog park so it's not all hours of the evening the fire station is not over capacity as part of the application process the application gets submitted by the applicant and then it gets sent out to various agencies the fire department is one of those agencies that provides comments and as outlined in the staff report the fire department commented on what their capacity numbers were as well as their number of calls and they do have capacity here as far as the shared access the fire department did review that as well and we will continue coordination with the fire department during the site plan process

[06:56:32] for schools the schools do have capacity so normally when you all see a monetary contribution for schools it's in instances where the schools don't have capacity and there's a planned new school coming in the pipeline but here Prince William County Public Schools did review the application when they review the application they provide a report that looks at the students that would be generated and then each school to confirm whether or not there is capacity and as outlined in the staff report this school board did agree that there was capacity for this number of students and then from a density perspective I just wanted to hit on that really quick while we are over the

[06:57:12] density and the mixed use designation we are similar densities to what is zoned around us So these properties here are currently zoned R-16, and then these properties here also R-16, so that's about 16 dwelling units per acre.

[06:57:30] The property to the south is not proffered, so they would be able to also use the affordable dwelling unit incentive to be able to get excess density. From the environmental standpoint, I just wanted to hit on that.

[06:57:46] There were a couple of comments specifically as it relates to the removal of the trees as well as the tree planting. So the applicant, as part of site plan, and when you review this, the county has plant unit requirements and plant mixture requirements of different species.

[06:58:04] So we are not planning to plant 100% evergreens, but what we were looking to do is 60% adjacent to the residential in order to provide year-round screening. The DCSM, so the county's design and constructions manual, only requires 30 feet of buffering in between the single-family detached and multifamily.

[06:58:27] And here we're providing 50 feet of undisturbed buffer with an additional 50-foot supplemental planting area. so 100 feet in total of buffering which is 70 feet more than the county requirement and then we talked earlier about traffic and parking and while the applicant does not think that that is an issue and i think i hit the comments and i am happy to answer any additional questions chair jefferson i actually would like staff to address the waivers you know why there's so many

[06:59:02] waivers. So, my name is Khabar Babayi, case planner of application. Before I explain anything about the requested waiver by the applicant, we should consider the situation of this application.

[06:59:23] The application has a problem as a topography and highest. So, the number of the waivers that requested by the applicant, one of the waiver is related to the one type of the house, the PM or normally require at the minimum required to type up the house but they provided one type of the house as a multi-family supported by the applicant the applicant would like to following the provided 10% affordable dwelling units the applicant supported one type of the house with quality in

[06:59:59] design. And the other waivers of the application is related to the utility to run parallel. As the applicant explained, this is in Westside and the applicant mentioned they will be removed all the utility after taking the agreement and some of the configuration in the application during the land development and construction.

[07:00:31] The waiver for parking space approved by the staff of transportation, they can explain about what's the reason for approval. And I can ask and talk about the requirement minimum request for reduction in setback.

[07:00:51] So, this is request just because of the topography and problem in the design of the application. We had lots of comments and, you know, communication with the applicant and also engineer.

[07:01:08] And we understand it's not possible. And following and respecting to conservation of the green space area and national open space And also, any against comment from the fire department staff going to approve and accept the waivers because we believe they have not any negative impact on the application.

[07:01:36] And again, this is just request because of the topography and situation of the application. And also, final of the site plan should be approved by the fire department and also public works. All right. I'm not sure how to best ask this question, but we hear about waivers all the time. There's a lot of waivers. How normal, unusual, whatever is it for applicants to request waivers?

[07:02:10] Good evening. Alex Venegas from the planning office. Our plan districts were designed for the understanding that some applications would need waivers. You know, originally our zoning ordinance was around a suburban kind of development.

[07:02:28] Well, these planned districts, such as the PMR, was envisioned as having a little different set of standards, which, you know, could be achieved through the waiver process.

[07:02:44] For instance, you know, we do want a more walkable community in areas that are more urbanized and not necessarily just suburban where you have these set standards, the plan districts were envisioned as an opportunity to create a more urbanized, more walkable community.

[07:03:04] And therefore, we understood that there would be a need for waivers. All right. Thank you very much. I don't have anything else. Supervisor Bode. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for that. Just to go off that bead, a couple different questions I have.

[07:03:23] I don't know if it's you, Alex, or Cobra, who wants to answer this. So knowing this sits us on the northern east edge of the Southbridge small area plan, can you talk a little bit more about the thought behind, especially as we look through these small areas, because they're supposed to be designed to be more walkable, what have you, the thought process behind having these more compact development patterns?

[07:03:47] Right. So Route 1 is, of course, a major corridor and a major opportunity for transit along the Route 1 corridor, also the VRE station, proximity to VRE station.

[07:04:02] So we want in these activity centers to encourage new infill development like this that has walkability and have a mix of uses so that there's retail and services and and residents all in the and jobs all in the same same area appreciate that and to go thank you for that david and to go back to parking for a second just sort of questions on where we're going in terms of policy this likely for both bryce and some other folks um knowing that again this sits in a an activity center can you talk about a little bit about the impending changes

[07:04:42] the dcsm around parking reductions yeah so we're actively working on a dcsm update to section 600 which is the section related to our transportation systems. As part of that, there are reductions being considered for mixed-use development and more urban and denser developments than what our existing DCSM standards are.

[07:05:03] Now, that section hasn't been adopted. There's a lot of moving parts, and we're still monitoring that situation. There's legislative changes. We also recently were funded a parking study through, I believe it's the TLC program, to kind of look at, you know, parking demands in Prince William County because, you know, regionally as a whole, the demand for parking has been going down. But as a couple of the residents did state earlier, Prince William County does have a higher than, you know, average for the region vehicle ownership. Part of our effort, you know, from a transportation perspective is to find ways to

[07:05:39] encourage and advocate for utilization of other modes of transportation rather than just driving cars. So making sure that in conjunction with any type of parking reduction or things of that nature, investing in the transit that's in the neighborhood, making sure that there's walkability in the form of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. So those are pretty much our primary considerations when it comes to kind of looking at parking. But to circle back to your original question, you know, we're actively working on a DCSM update that is potentially looking at also reducing some of our parking standards. Thank you. And in this area, Bryce,

[07:06:19] knowing again, rough draft, we haven't seen it yet. We haven't adopted it yet. What would you guys be proposing a reduction of the reduction or should be an increase in the reduction in this area and if so what what range were you guys looking at can you restate the question sorry proposed for the dcm a reduction in the parking requirements are you guys looking at this area since it is an activity center what have you and if you are as part of that policy change what is that reduction yeah so the the most recent draft was primarily targeting the mixed use districts in the comprehensive plan so this is an mu3 area so it potentially could be one of those areas that

[07:06:56] would be targeted for lower parking standards than the current. And do you know by about how much based on the transect we're in right now? I would have to go back and look at that. But basically you would be still considering a reduction in the parking here? Potentially.

[07:07:12] With the current draft of the DCSM, we were considering some by-right reductions. The existing DCSM and the proposed DCSM still allow the flexibility for parking waiver requests as long as you provide adequate justification, which is the situation that this applicant has come forward with based on our current DCSM standards.

[07:07:31] Appreciate it. And my last question is sort of looking broader on what's going on on the state level, knowing there's a lot of elections that was passed in Richmond that went into effect earlier this month, but for some of these parking reductions still around the horizon, can you talk about that a little bit in context? Yeah, so there are some recent legislative changes that have gone through that are effective July 1.

[07:07:52] Our department is still, you know, sitting down and looking at what the impacts of those potential changes are. But in general, it was a reduction in multifamily and single-family attached residential parking rates when they're in close proximity to high-quality or enhanced transit facilities.

[07:08:09] Thank you. All right. Supervisor Ingrid. Thank you, Madam Chair. Hey, Bryce, I think it might, you may be able to answer this, or maybe Alex, But if this was a buy-right property, could they clear-cut this entire property?

[07:08:25] I would defer that to one of the land-use planners. Thank you. Okay, thanks. David McGettigan from the planning office. Yeah, on the buy-right, they would be able to clear the whole property.

[07:08:45] They'd still have to meet buffers and replant things, but if the grading required it, they would be able to do that by right. All right. Thanks, Nate. All right. Supervisor Bailey. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm interested in the sidewalks.

[07:09:03] I mean, I know back in the day when we were building, there was not a lot of sidewalks around the properties that we were constructing. So the additional sidewalks, as you were saying, that were going into the other amenities, Is that like an upgrade, so to speak, with where we were back in the day with the sidewalks to make sure that it is walkable according to the comprehensive plan?

[07:09:31] Yeah, you know, we always advocate for more walkability, more pedestrian connectivity. The applicant is providing sidewalks along the frontage of River Heritage Boulevard. They're providing a new pedestrian connection from their development. We did state in the staff report that there is one weakness, is that the Eastern Access Road didn't have a sidewalk connection.

[07:09:53] Our primary consideration with that is that if anyone is looking to travel east to the community center or school or just wanted to walk through the neighborhoods and things like that, they're still going to do it, whether or not there's a pedestrian facility there. What we're trying to avoid is them potentially walking in the road.

[07:10:10] The applicant submitted a request for a waiver to the TCSM typical section for that street to not have sidewalks or for it to be optional. We are not comfortable making a recommendation on that waiver at this time because the applicant's justification as to why they can't do it is the grading.

[07:10:29] As the applicant kind of said earlier, there's going to be some grading that's going to be done as far as bringing the site level in order for them to actually build it. So it's hard for us to say whether the grade would be appropriate or not. So we're essentially deferring our determination on that waiver until site plan, at which point the applicant can give us a grading plan to show us what the actual grade along that access road will be, the finished grade of the site.

[07:10:54] So that's something you've got to revisit. So they'll have to go through the waiver process during site plan review. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Thank you so very much. Does anyone else have any questions?

[07:11:11] Supervisor Stewart. As it relates to that grading, is that for both foot, like pedestrian, and vehicular traffic? So the DCSM standard was to provide a sidewalk on both sides of TS1.

[07:11:33] The applicant is asking for flexibility to have those sidewalks be optional. Their justification was that the grades were too steep to meet ADA compliance, and so it would essentially not be a safe pedestrian facility. In order for us to confirm that, we're essentially waiting until the applicant can provide a grading plan, which typically can be done at the site plan review time frame.

[07:11:55] That was going to be my question, was about ADA compliance. And as far as the grade, because I know there's federal statutes around that. So that was the whole reason why I asked that. But thank you. All right.

[07:12:12] Any additional questions? If not, I'd like to entertain Supervisor LaCroix. All right. I'm sorry, would you like to move this? Yes, I'd like to move this forward.

[07:12:28] Okay. Second. It's been probably moved and seconded. Supervisor LaCroix. Well, the first thing I'd like to say is, like I said earlier today, two things can be correct at the same time and exist at the same time.

[07:12:45] I learned that this was a problem because I didn't think this was a problem at this stage of the planning commission. and so we got my team out there to look at the property, and we got on our boots, and we went up this topography, and it is straight up and down and very cliffity, and it's going to be amazingly expensive to clear the property and to build something, and it was a miserable day,

[07:13:21] and i i blame him um so um but what they're saying is true um i also have the rare um perspective and i think i shared it with some people that i live in belmont bay and a stone's throw away i mean i can see it out my front door is a claim and of course i know patricia and she's fabulous everybody loves her but she runs a tight ship over there and they are very very good neighbors

[07:13:56] but one of the questions that I had to see is what what they were saying what the neighbors were saying is it true and it is true you have a parking problem major parking problem so and it is it's right now and as you showed us it's it's happening right now and it's because of the people i mean vdot should be clearing out those trucks for sure let me just say that out loud um yeah

[07:14:27] but having said that that's from the the the uh center across the street people dropping off their cars and going and also they have um a hud apartment and there's a real problem there because people are crossing through so the question in my mind was are we doing enough to keep people from crossing over and causing more trouble.

[07:14:55] And I believe that this group has been trying really hard to buffer it, to keep the natural buffer so that when you look out your back, when you sit and have coffee on your porch, you'll see the natural foliage. And I think that they will be good neighbors.

[07:15:14] I did walk from the fire station to the yards, and it was about a half a mile. so it would be very difficult for uh the people of this building to actually go over i mean unless they want to hop a fence and walk through the woods and um yeah well at any rate so i just wanted to make sure that what the applicant was doing would be enough to even you know address some of your concerns and i do believe that they have gone above and beyond to try to still build

[07:15:50] this on this terrible property. I mean, it's going to be a fortune to grade and get it going, but it's going to be a lot nicer than I think that the neighborhood is expecting. That's all I want to say. All right. Does anyone else have any comments they want to make regarding this application? Supervisor Vega. Thank you, Madam Chair. My comments are going to be addressed to the residents, considering the fact that many of you, it's your first time here. I certainly want

[07:16:25] to thank you all for coming and for speaking. The chair had to kind of explain to you all this process and so thanks for being understanding. I know that when it's the first time it could be a little confusing and perhaps challenging. One of the speakers mentioned that the planning commission had recommended denial. The reason why I want to talk about that is because oftentimes folks are under the impression that just because the planning commission recommends denial that that's the end all be all. However, that is just another process. It's another process for the applicant to get it right and to try to mitigate concerns that are raised by the community so that when it comes to

[07:17:01] the Board of County Supervisors, us, they have addressed, if not all, but most of the issues that have been raised during this entire process. So I just wanted to get that out there for those that perhaps don't know. I know that a lot of times folks have asked me, well, why does the Planning Commission make this recommendation? And then, you know, county staff or the Board votes a certain way it's it's another form of checks and balances if you will i also i want to thank supervisor la croix for her hard work she's been in constant contact with my office keeping me informed throughout the process and so i want to thank staff as well along as um the applicant so

[07:17:38] that's all i have madam chair thank you all right i actually wasn't planning to say anything but i'm just going to say a few things first of all i haven't heard any threats about a data center come in expo i haven't heard that anyone who's fallen to sport knows how i feel about data centers near homes near schools near sensitive cultural and historic resources um waivers are something that we have unfortunately there's something that we have we have to be flexible with our zoning but more to the point you know our zoning doesn't match our comprehensive plan and that's a long

[07:18:14] that's a problem we have and so we have a lot of applications coming before us with numerous waivers so unfortunately that's something that we have the parking is a concern but i don't see the people going from this community over into your community i don't see that i think it's going to be too much of a challenge but i hear you on the parking because i live in montclair and we have that issue too we have a lot of of work vehicles and other vehicles parked on the vdot roads and that's something i've tried to work with the community to mitigate but those are vdot roads

[07:18:47] we don't control them they have their own restrictions at the end of the day our planning team did recommend this for approval and in our previous meeting that went long we had two comprehensive plan amendments that i didn't vote for i didn't think that they were appropriate for that parcel i didn't think they were appropriate for that area i feel differently about this i do think where this is situated along a transit corridor i do think that this project works i know it's hard because the parking issue is real. I know that this, for a lot of people,

[07:19:27] gives them heartburn. Even without, what is it, 32 or 36 missing parking spaces, I don't think that that is going to ally the fears that I'm hearing from people. I don't, and I'm sorry. I will be voting for this proposal. I know that, Gina, you've done a lot of work. You've gone out there. You dealt with some ticks. You got deep. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and call for

[07:19:55] the vote all right vote unanimous all right thank you so very much we are going to now move on to agenda item again i just want to remind everyone we've had to make changes to the schedule because we're running long we're going to have public comment time and then after that supervisor's

[07:20:25] time then we will go into closed session after that we will adjourn the meeting all right everyone

[07:22:01] we are now going into agenda item number 15 that is public comment time i don't see her but Patricia Harmon. She might have Patricia Harmon. All right, Tom, do we have anyone available online?

[07:22:18] All right. Do we have anybody for public comment time virtually? Good evening. We do not have anybody for public comment time virtually. Chris, you're my hero. Thank you so much. All right, thank you very much. We are going to move on to Supervisor's Time. Supervisor Angry, if you would like to go first.

[07:22:35] Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll just get right to it. So July 15th, you know, as the VACO president, I've been traveling around the state to all the regions and just learned a lot about other counties, their challenges, and also what connects us.

[07:22:51] So I had the opportunity to speak at the Region 8 meeting. I want to also thank Supervisor Bailey because she did the hard lifting and gave the remarks for the county. And so thank you for that. That was a really good session. Also, between July 16th and the 21st, I had the privilege of attending the NACO annual conference with my colleague there, George Stewart, and Chair DeCentra Jefferson.

[07:23:17] That was a really good conference. That's really what got me stuck here in New Jersey right now as we flew out of there and I came here for a connection. We never do that, okay? One request I'm going to make for that, if we can just talk as a board at the county. When we, when we set the schedule for next year, all the events, if we could look at and those particular conferences and build our board meeting, or maybe just move times around that.

[07:23:44] These are important conferences that we do need to represent the county at, because we were noticing a lot that's going on with a lot of general assemblies really taking away local authority for local elected leaders and many unfunded mandates. I think it's an opportunity for us to share collective thoughts and concerns and find those solutions that work best for all of us.

[07:24:06] So I just ask that we look at that as we develop our schedules for next year. Looking ahead on July 28th and August 5th, I'm going to be going down to Regions 4 and Region 9, doing some VACO meetings down there, learning more about their issues and situations.

[07:24:24] On August 6th, we had the Prince William County Adult Recovery Court graduation. where I'll be the speaker for that group. It's another great opportunity to showcase what our courts are doing to really help our citizens through tough times and getting back to being productive citizens in our economy and in our streets.

[07:24:45] August 8th, I'm looking forward to the Prince William County Revolutionary War Memorial Dedication. That's going to be another great event. And then on August 12th, we have a Fire and Rescue Recruit Class 26-1. So congratulations. Right now, that's going to be a great graduation, no doubt.

[07:25:03] And then August 15th, we got the 2026 back-to-school community event at Freedom High School. Hope everybody can attend that with the parents and the teachers and have a great time. And then on August 29th, I'll be hosting my Neapso District Town Hall at DeSanto Community Hall, which is going to be really a culmination of everything going on around the district, just sharing all of the great things and then talking about public safety.

[07:25:28] So we'll have a lot of departments there just to give updates on everything and basically a question and answer period and then just a good time to have just talking with the constituents of the Neyap School District. So I'm going to share with that. That is all. Oh, and also, I will be, I know I'm missing my deadline tonight to appoint my PDR person, so I'm hoping that tomorrow will be okay that I can get that name to you all, to you, Mr. Shorter.

[07:25:53] You can, so you can make, I'm making my appointment tonight, I think suspect most of us are, so if you have the notice of intent, are you waiting to send over your resume, or what is the? Well, actually, no, I'm actually waiting to get confirmation for this person that they can actually do it, and I wasn't able to do that since I was flying all day and got caught up down here, so if I can just get that to you, hopefully by before noon tomorrow, I'll say, would that be okay?

[07:26:22] No, so a couple of things. You can send over the resume, but at our first September meeting, that's when you make the notice of intent. Oh, okay, okay. Hold on. Yes. Oh, I can't hear her, so I don't know what she's saying.

[07:26:44] Madam Chair, members of the board, the rules talk about a board member can work with the chair to get something on the agenda, so he could work with you to get that notice of intent on the agenda. Okay. We will do that. All right, well, thank you. Thank you for that. Thank you, Madam Chair. All right, we have to go back because I know – I'm sorry. I had to let Victor, our supervisor, Angry Goat, because he does want to eat.

[07:27:03] But we do have one thing, and that's to appoint Cindy Fox to the Board of Equalization. So, Kenny, would you like to give a motion for 12A? So moved. Second. It's been probably moved and seconded. Let's take our votes on that one real quick. Aye. 12A.

[07:27:24] Gordy seconded it. It was Bordy. Classic Bordy. I'm cheesy, y'all. Is there angry the appointment?

[07:27:45] Yes, ma'am. Yes, I am. Here we go. Vote unanimous. All right, so it's unanimous.

[07:28:13] soon yeah all right all right so i'm going to go over to supervisor vega thank you madam chair just want to give my notice of intent to appoint joe fontanella to the pdr committee my staff has already sent his resume also want to remind folks that our annual coals district back to school event is happening on august 1st we want to thank folks who have already stopped by the office and have donated supplies we are in a desperate need of book bags everybody's you know been very generous and kind with pencils, folders, composition notebooks, scissors, markers, crayons, everything in between except book bags.

[07:28:49] So if you're able to, please swing by our office and help us make this back to school event another memorable one. And the last thing that I wanted to share with you all is that today the chair and I participated in the very first steering committee for Route 28. I know that this is a long time coming, and I'm really excited that we're kicking things off.

[07:29:09] Both the chair and I stressed the urgency of the timing. It's been a long time coming for residents, and I used a gentleman that emails me at least once a week as he's sitting in traffic on Route 28 asking when we are going to get him moving. And so, you know, I wanted just to share with folks that we stressed the timing, and also I asked for consideration from the steering committee if we would possibly consider a public-private partnership that would ensure in expediting things and getting the construction started in a more timely manner while also being mindful of the cost.

[07:29:46] That is all I have. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to note that next month is Traffic Awareness Month, and people should not be doing distractive driving. So if he texts you from or emails you from Route 28 while sitting in traffic, please remind him. All right. Supervisor Bailey. Wow. Okay. Well, good morning.

[07:30:06] I mean, no, just wanted to thank Chair Angry for the VACO board for the opportunity to present and tell Region 8 on July 15th about Prince William County. It was an excellent, excellent meeting with our colleagues and just look forward to our summit coming up in August.

[07:30:29] And then on the 16th, I just want to thank Christina Wynn, the magic lady with the magic wand, for having a meeting at Potomac Shores with me to talk about specific future possibilities in Potomac Shores.

[07:30:45] And the project is just moving right along. And so I'm grateful for Christina coming up with her ingenuity and her creativity of what that looks like and making sure that that town center is there. And then I had a meeting on the 16th with former Mayor Justin Wilson, who is now the executive director for Nova Parks, talking about opportunities here in Prince William County.

[07:31:09] And it was an excellent meeting. And so I look forward to what that looks like in the future. On the 20th, yesterday, I was so excited at the meet and greet for Carolyn Hayes, who's the new executive director at the Hilton Performing Arts Center.

[07:31:30] Carolyn has been working with our Performing Arts Center for quite some time, and so she's the new Executive Director, and we are going to be in good hands with Carolyn Hayes, so congratulations. Notice of intent for the Architectural Review Board is I'd like to appoint Mr. Michael Kitchen to the Architectural Review Board, and my office will send over the resume to you momentarily tomorrow.

[07:31:57] And then I'd like to appoint Mr. Juan McPhail for the PDR committee effective tonight as my notice of intent. On the 25th, I'll be participating and acting in the closing ceremony for the 2026 Theater Projection of Robotics with KPAT.

[07:32:21] So I'm excited about that. And I want to offer my heartfelt condolences for the loss of Ms. Zella Sally Brown, one of the courageous four that integrated our school system. She passed away on June 30th at the ripe old and young age of 90.

[07:32:40] Ms. Brown dedicated 30 years of her life in serving in our PWC schools, and so we will miss her wisdom and her leadership. And I will be attending the life celebration for our very own Paul Ebert this weekend.

[07:32:57] Condolences to his family. And then we lost a jewel in the Potomac District, Ms. Peggy Curry. Peggy was the owner, but you would have thought she was. She was the waitress at the Montclair Family Restaurant, and I'm going to miss her tremendously.

[07:33:17] She was an encourager. She was a leader. She was an advocate for our community. And then on the fourth, National Night Out, I'll be participating with that on a ride-along with Captain Carter. And that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Thank you. All right, Jeannie, you're next.

[07:33:36] Sorry. First, I'd like to do my notice of intent to have Will Lawrence be on my PDR. And then second, I'd like to talk about, first of all, I want to say how amazing I thought it was today.

[07:33:54] I hope everybody enjoyed it with Heart Productions because I hearted them. Anyways, what I wanted to talk about, which I wanted to show to all my supervisor friends and my supervisor family, in Woodbridge we are working on a book, and it's called Welcome to Woodbridge Community Resource Guide.

[07:34:19] and we got it finished and it it talks about all the things that are available with the county and with everyone else for people that are in need so um what we did was when we were going a door to door talking to the businesses we found people that were food insecure and we found people that said well you know we applied with the county and and we didn't qualify but you know they're they're still needing food um for their five kids so you know we got them the food uh banks the the

[07:34:55] different pantries um because you know we also have in here everything having to do with the county in the woodbridge district and a little bit a little bit extending into other woodbridge but it is all only woodbridge so that nobody can say that they didn't know where to go and it has every single phone number and we've checked it we have you know call ahead and everything it's it's almost done um i kind of i want one more tweak to it before it becomes an actual book but i think it's going to be really helpful to the people that just don't know where to go

[07:35:32] and so we're going to be meeting with people in the apartments and we're going to be going to like totos it's also bilingual so we're we're really trying in the woodbridge district and uh you know my chief of staff worked with this with me and uh also brian landrum um worked with me with this and um the woodbridge uh family office is just such a great group of people all just trying to figure out how we can help this community and make a difference and I cannot be any prouder

[07:36:11] so I would love to show this to you but I'm going to send you each a copy when it's all done okay all right that's all thank you so much Supervisor Stewart I'd like to wish everybody a safe joyful and prosperous summer thank you Madam Chair all right Supervisor Gordy all right I want to give my notice of intent to appoint Jacob Alderman to serve on the PDR committee.

[07:36:50] Last week, I was honored to join with Supervisor Stewart and Mr. Shorter for the EMT graduation for this year. And what a great group of new EMTs that we have coming into our community.

[07:37:07] And so appreciate all the hard work that they've committed themselves to, as well as all the work, the trainers and all those that were a part of their education. I'm real excited. We already talked about Hepburn and Sons, but I'm also excited that we're going to be opening up a new Chipotle on Thursday at Stonewall, shops at Stonewall and a Honeygro at Virginia Gateway on Friday.

[07:37:31] Just continue to see new businesses coming into the Brentsville District. Real excited about that. And I do want to remind the community that on Thursday evening at 530 to 730, Dominion will be holding its open house regarding the Noakesville to Bristow transmission line at Patriot High School.

[07:37:54] Thank you, Madam Chair. All right. Thank you very much. Supervisor Bode. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to give my notice of intent to appoint Robert McLaughlin to the PDR committee. Do not have his resume yet. My office just received it earlier today.

[07:38:09] Won't be sure to get it off to the clerk, but wanted to get that done and out of the way. I want to just retouch on a couple of things my colleagues have already said. Thank you, Sir Ezra Bailey, for mentioning Ms. Zella Brown. It's important to note that when it comes to integration, this is not ancient history.

[07:38:27] We had someone, the last of the courageous four, who helped trailblaze in that, who just passed away. So just wanted to highlight that and appreciate you mentioning that. Paul was mentioned as well. There's been unfortunately a lot of sort of losses in the community recently.

[07:38:44] Of course, I hold my heart up to the families who are affected by that. Also wanted to hold up my heart to the family affected by the woman who was unfortunately hit over at the commuter lot in my district couple nights ago by that tragic traffic accident. Unfortunately, we continue to see folks get struck and fatalities around traffic safety issues. Sometimes it's just people speeding too much. Sometimes it's things that we can really do engineering around, but frankly, folks just need to, and we've talked about this before, just slow down, pay attention. No life is worth you getting

[07:39:21] home 30 seconds sooner. So I just wanted to highlight that. National Lighthouse, in a couple weeks that was mentioned as well looking forward to uh riding around with the police uh and meeting with community on that and lastly um a couple years ago people uh i know it's been in the horizon here for a while but we uh got through the board i appreciate the board's uh support on this a feasibility study for oxford oxford boathouse or at lake ridge marina um that has been a long standing uh issue that even goes uh to my my predecessor um they are busting at the seams at

[07:39:55] the oxford boathouse and the rowing programs and the crew program continue to grow at all the high schools and right now especially on the eastern end all that's sort of focused on lake ridge marina so we got the results from that feasibility study back a few months ago really great options we have before us but i'm going to be having a stakeholder meeting here in the next couple weeks but just wanted to remind and update the community on that and with that i hope everyone has a prosperous and peaceful august recess thank you madam chair all right everyone there is a lot of good stuff said i'm going to try to be quick i'm going to start my notices of intent first i'd like to appoint

[07:40:32] charlie grimes to the purchase of development rights committee his resume is on file and alan 14 to the tourism advisory board as the retail representative oh i'm going to be honest with you next month it's going to be a tough month for me i want to announce that my deputy chief of staff Alison Green Day is going to be moving to Pittsburgh. She has been with me since the beginning. She is actually going to stay on part time, but she's going to be working remotely. And I just had to say the people that you have around you is so very vitally important. She has someone

[07:41:10] who not only who I've watched grow, she's pushed me to grow and to be better. And I wanted to say that on the record because I want to know everyone to know how special Alison truly is. I also want to say that my community engagement manager, Marcelo Maldonado, is going to be graduating from Nova, and he is heading to George Washington in the fall. He will stay on with me also as well in a part-time capacity, kind of like a special events manager. But I'm sorry, this was the timer

[07:41:44] from other people. I'm going to miss him too. I mean, he is a great kid. And I say kid because he's a young man 21 I'm sorry you're still a child but I really have had amazing people not just who helped me but serve our community that is truly what they do so I I'm also going to post it on social media we're going to have a big you know like staff dinner staff lunch and you know I'll probably invite folks if they want to come by as well but I really I have two very special

[07:42:17] people and I can't wait to see where life takes them and what they do next and with that we are going to go into closed session certify the closed session so moved to certify second all right i'll give it to bailey so it's been probably moving to second it let's take our votes

[07:42:57] all right and we have something to report out supervisor bailey thank you ma'am chair ma'am chair i move to authorize settlement of the acquisition of property interest and uh on and across the property located at 17932 fraley boulevard dumfries virginia in the town of

[07:43:32] dumfries owned by bcl associates llc a virginia limited liability company in conjunction with the route one fraley boulevard project in the potomac district second all right it's been properly moved and seconded any discussion let's take our votes unanimous supervisor angry absent from vote move to adjourn second i don't know guys i don't know man all right all right let's go ahead and do

[07:44:07] our votes. I'm going to do this again. I want to do schools out for the summer. All right. I was planning to do schools out for the summer again. I haven't done that for a while. But the commercial is in the way. Goodbye, everyone. I will see you guys in September.

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