SETON’S SEASON A FAMILY AFFAIR: Manassas boys hoops squad excelling again. Page 10
January 29, 2020 | Vol. 19, No. 5 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
New planning commission gets to work No timeline yet on rural crescent debate By Daniel Berti
Times Staff Writer
The Prince William Planning Commission will add three new members to its roster this year, but there’s no word yet on when the panel will resume discussion on one of the county’s most consequential land-use debates: what to do about the 72,000 acres known as the “rural crescent.” The planning commission’s primary duty is to advise Prince William’s Board of County Supervisors on all things related to the county’s growth and development. That includes preparing and revising the county’s com-
prehensive plan, which is reviewed at least once every five years. The previous planning commission already approved several “small area plans” and other additions to be included in the new comprehensive plan, dubbed “Pathway to 2040,” but passed the baton on other issues, including the “rural area preservation plan,” which county staff proposed last fall. As proposed, the plan could add as many as 475 additional homes in the rural area while sending more than 3,400 “development rights” to more populated areas of the county – all in
Prince William County Planning Commission’s new roster:
At-Large: Don Taylor, re-appointed by Chair Ann Wheeler (D) Brentsville: Patti McKay, re-appointed by Supervisor Jeanine Lawson (R) Coles: Joseph Fontanella Jr., appointed by Supervisor Yesli Vega (R) Gainesville: Richard Berry, re-appointed by Supervisor Pete Candland (R) Neabsco: Bill Milne, appointed by Supervisor Victor Angry (D) Occoquan: Ron Yoho, appointed by Supervisor Kenny Boddye (D) Potomac: Juan McPhail, appointed by Supervisor Andrea Bailey, (D) Woodbridge: Cynthia Moses-Nedd, re-appointed by Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (D) an effort to provide incentives for landowners to preserve a possible 20,000 acres of open space in the rural area. Some area farmers and developers support parts of the plan that would permit cluster developments and sewer connections for new homes
in exchange for placing large tracts of land into conservation easements. Some residents, meanwhile, oppose those changes if they boost housing density in the rural area. See COMMISSION, page 2
Big changes proposed for Interstate 95 By Daniel Berti
Times Staff Writer
Calling in the ’Corps TIMES STAFF PHOTO/JILL PALERMO
Michael Donoto, a member of the Manassas National Battlefield Park’s National Park Service staff, left, with members of the AmeriCorps NCCC team: Lucas Sewell, Brook Haynes, Katerina Trapp, Maggie VanHeuklon, Jesse Kotnik and Matthew Robinson.
AmeriCorps team deployed to Manassas battlefield to renovate key staff building By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
The mission of Manassas National Battlefield Park is to help people learn about two pivotal Civil War battles: the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. But that can be a challenge when a key staff building falls into disrepair. That was the situation that prompted the National Park Service staff to
call on the AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps for help. The battlefield’s headquarters building on Pageland Lane had a problem with frequent flooding and needed new flooring, new drywall, an inside paint job and a drainage fix to keep water from pouring inside during heavy rains. Six AmeriCorps NCCC members arrived at the battlefield two weeks ago to tackle the work. INSIDE Business...............................................9 Calendar.............................................15 Classifieds...........................................17 Library Page.......................................13
Led by Park Service staff, the team of 19- through 23-year-olds have begun digging a trench outside the building to redirect stormwater and improve drainage. They’re also working inside to repair the damage so the park’s human, natural and cultural resources staff have a safe and dry place to work. See AMERICORPS, page 2 Lifestyle..............................................14 Obituaries...........................................16 Opinion.................................................6 Public Safety.........................................5 Sports.................................................10
The Virginia Department of Transportation is recommending up to $1.7 billion in road improvements to reduce traffic on Interstate 95 including reversible rush-hour lanes, lane extensions, interchange improvements and shoulder widenings. Those are just a few of the improvements identified in the interim I-95 Corridor Improvement Plan, which proposed strategies and improvements to relieve congestion along the entire I-95 corridor in Virginia. The study identified 11 Northern Virginia projects at the cost of $748 million, including “Red-X” lanes that would be open southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening between the Occoquan River and U.S. 17 near Fredericksburg. The Red-X lanes would be separate from the tolled Express Lanes, which run in the middle of I-95. The Red-X lanes would instead run along the shoulders of the road and would not be tolled. The new lanes would not conflict with the state’s agreement with Transurban, the private company that owns the Express Lanes, according to Ben Mannell, a See INTERSTATE 95, page 5
88 DULLES, VA