Prince William Times 05/16/2024

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BATTLEFIELD GIRLS LACROSSE: Bobcats win sixth straight district title. SPORTS, PAGES 15-16

May 16, 2024 | Vol. 23, No. 20 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $2.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Opposition doesn’t derail indoor sports center plan center. The goal is to attract regional events from But $140 million project indoor track meets to high school graduations to remains in limbo without business expos. the board has not yet decided whether to county board chair’s support go But through with building the proposed Prince By Jill Palermo Managing Editor

Prince William County will soon own a 22acre parcel at a key location along Interstate 95. But whether the land will eventually hold a $140 million indoor sports and events center is still up in the air. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted down a motion 5-3 to reverse their earlier decision to buy the land for $16 million. The board put a down payment on it last fall with plans to use it for a multi-purpose, indoor sports

William Sports and Event Center. That vote likely won’t come until September, and Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson, a key swing vote, said Tuesday she is not in favor of the plan in its current form. Jefferson said she favors the idea but is concerned about the cost. “With this particular project, despite projections and everything we have, I still have my doubts,” Jefferson said during the board’s May 14 meeting. “I mean, how many these projects actually make money?” See SPORTS CENTER, page 2

Early voters stand in line outside the Woodbridge DMV during the last day of early voting during the November 2022 election. TIMES STAFF PHOTO

Big changes coming to early voting

County to more satellite polling places for fewer days By Jill Palermo Managing Editor

Prince William County voters looking to cast early ballots ahead of the June 18 primary election now have three locations to choose from: the office of elections in Manassas, the Haymarket Gainesville Library and the Ferlazzo building in Woodbridge. But that will change this fall un-

der the new early voting rules the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved unanimously on Tuesday, May 14. The new rules will double the number of early voting locations across the county, boosting their numbers from three to six. But only the office of elections would be open for the full 45-day See VOTING, page 2

SENIOR LIVING: Still working after 80, pages 11-14

COURTESY PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

Prince William County is mulling a proposed $140 million sports and events center along I-95 in Woodbridge similar to this facility in Virginia Beach.

County hikes some Digital Gateway values, cuts others Complaints spark 2nd review; steep discounts remain By Peter Cary

Piedmont Journalism Foundation

After weeks of complaints, criticism and landowner appeals, the Prince William County assessor’s office on Monday revised its sky-high assessments of properties inside the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway. Roughly half the property valuations dropped, but half went up — the TIMES STAFF PHOTO result of the county eliminating $1 million homes assessed at $100: one discount but replacing it with Prince Digital Gateway area properties a new one. But even for those whose assess- were recently reassessed, but homes ments are now lower, there is no joy in the area are still valued at $100. The land, however, is now assessed at in Mudville. That’s because Digital Gateway-ar- $329,000 an acre, according to recent ea landowners’ assessments remain in changes made by the Prince William the millions, and their tax bills will be County assessor’s office. in the tens, or even hundreds, of thou- means his annual real estate tax bill, sands. For instance, Jon Brower’s 131 estimated at $416,000, will still be 13 acres on the north end of Pageland times higher than he paid last year. Lane, originally assessed at $50.2 million, was cut to $43.4 million. But that See GATEWAY, page 4

NOKESVILLE DAY is Saturday, page 9

88 DULLES, VA

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