Prince William Times 09/11/2019

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September 11, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 37 | 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.

County to file criminal complaint over new school Officials say staff violated occupancy permit By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

Prince William County officials say they will file a criminal complaint this week in connection with what they say was a violation of state building code after staff, students and parents entered the newly constructed John D. Jenkins Elementary School before the building received the necessary occupancy permits. Prince William County Building Official Eric Mays sent a letter to Prince William County Schools

PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD

The new school is named for the late Supervisor John D. Jenkins, a county leader praised for his support of local schools and students during his 36 years in office. Wednesday, Sept. 4 to inform them “the schools violated the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code when they illegally occupied the school on two different occasions.”

Wade Hugh, director of the county’s Department of Development Services, said Monday a criminal complaint against the school division is likely to be filed this week.

Violating the state’s building code is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,500. Prince William County Public Schools may appeal the decision to the Prince William Building Code Appeals Board within 30 days. But that option will not affect the county’s decision to file a criminal complaint, Hugh said.  Prince William County Schools declined to comment on whether they will appeal the county’s determination about the alleged violation of the school’s occupancy permit, according to Diana Gulotta, school division spokeswoman. Jason Grant, the county’s communication director, said the crim-

See COMPLAINT, page 4

Report: 30,000 new homes needed by 2030

PWC asked to boost home-building to match area job growth By Daniel Berti and Jill Palermo Times Staff Writers

Prince William County already has about 154,000 homes and is on track to add another 23,000 by 2030. But according to Washington’s regional planning group, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, that’s not enough. MWCOG, as the council is commonly known, says the Washington, D.C., region is forecast to add 413,000 new jobs by 2030 but only about 245,000 new homes. Using a formula for balancing the number of jobs and households, the planning group’s regional housing analysis says that number falls about 75,000 short of what the region needs. The group’s board of directors will vote Wednesday, Sept. 11, on a resolution that calls for its member localities, including Prince William County, to commit to building their share of the shortfall. Because Prince William is projected to account for about 10 percent of the new housing added in the region over the next decade, it’s asked to boost its planned new housing by 7,000 units between now and 2023, or by about 700 new homes a year. Since the county is already project-

COURTESY PHOTO

New housing already underway: Some of the recently completed condominiums at the Landing at Cannon Branch in Manassas. ed to add 23,000 new units by 2030, the increase amounts to 30,000 total -- or about 3,000 new homes a year. The amount is hardly unheard of. As recently as 2004, Prince William County issued 5,438 permits for new homes, according to county records. But the number of new homes built annually plummeted after the Great Recession and has yet to reach INSIDE Business.............................................13 Classified............................................17 Lifestyle..............................................14 Obituaries...........................................16

pre-recession numbers. In 2018, the most recent year for which records are available, the county added 1,456 new residential units. According to MWCOG, the region’s housing shortfall affects the area’s affordability and potentially undercuts its appeal to new companies and talent. It also results in workers living further from their jobs and strains the transportation system. Opinion.................................................7 Puzzle...................................................8 Real Estate..........................................15 Sports...................................................9

Goal: ‘Affordable,’ near mass transit

In addition to increasing the number of housing units, MWCOG is also recommending that local governments place 75% of future housing in activity centers or near high-capacity transit. Activity centers are defined as areas where there is a concentration of com-

See HOMES, page 2

86 WARRENTON, VA


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