Potomac Shores Town Center Approved

Pete Dolan and Jessica Pfeiffer worked with the Potomac Shores team to obtain Prince William County’s approval of a Town Center in Potomac Shores.

Potomac Shores is a community of approximately 1,885 acres located on the Potomac River within the Cherry Hill peninsula in Prince William County. It is a large planned community with residential (approved for up to 3,987 residential units), commercial, an existing Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, the 30-acre Ali Krieger Sports Complex, recreational amenities, and schools (including an elementary school and new 33-acre middle school). The community also features nearly two miles of shoreline and 1,000 acres of open space. Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh originally obtained County approval of a rezoning for the project in 2013. Since that time, home buyer interest has been strong and the Potomac Shores team recently reported the sale of its 1,000th new home in Potomac Shores.

The Town Center special use permit approval allows for changes to the planned Town Center while continuing the basic transit-oriented framework envisioned, with its grid pattern, tree-lined street layout, open spaces, and a proposed VRE station at the heart of the Town Center. The Town Center includes a commercial core with first floor retail and active uses, a variety of residential options (up to 1,833 homes), recreational spaces, and a river walk along the bluff of the Potomac River. The approval also accommodates a hotel with new phasing and design requirements, an elementary school site, and a new central park open space amenity.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the special use permit amendment unanimously on July 16, 2019. For more information read the Washington Business Journal article.

Recent Approvals in Prince William County

Learn about two recent approvals in Prince William County — a 56 executive-style home rezoning in the Brentsville Magisterial district, and a special use permit approval for the Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home.

Woodborne Preserve Rezoning

Pete Dolan and Jessica Pfeiffer worked with Equinox Investments on this rezoning from A-1, Agricultural, to SR-1, Semi-Rural Residential Cluster in the Brentsville Magisterial District. The rezoning allows for 56 homes to be constructed. The property, which is approximately 88 acres, is located along Thoroughfare Road between its intersections with Route 15 and Old Carolina Road. The proposal includes significant transportation improvements to Thoroughfare Road which, in parts, is a gravel road today. Other improvements which will prove to be a significant benefit to the community include a large conservation area encompassing nearly 40% of the site (34.2 acres), and more than a mile of trails and sidewalk connections both on-site and off-site. These amenities will continue the theme of environmental protection and public enjoyment along this western corridor of the County.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the rezoning on February 12, 2019. Numerous adjacent property owners, community members and Thoroughfare Road residents spoke in support of the rezoning.

Mountcastle Turch Special Use Permit Approval

Jonelle Cameron and Marian Harders worked with Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. (“Mountcastle Turch”) to obtain a special use permit to add a crematory to their Occoquan Road facility in Prince William County. Mountcastle Turch has been in operation at their Occoquan Road facility since 1963. Mountcastle Turch also operates a facility on Dale Boulevard which has handled the cremation services for both locations. Until recently, the Applicant only needed one crematory for both locations. However, the crematory services portion of the business has increased in the last few years. In fact, cremation is currently over 40% of the business.

On January 22, 2019, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors approved the special use permit. Approval of this special use permit application at the Occoquan Road location will allow for the Applicant to not only stay relevant in the cremation business but, more importantly, allow the Applicant to continue providing cremation services in the Prince William community.

Employee Spotlight – Jessica Pfeiffer

Source: Patti Burns
Source: Patti Burns

Growing up in Fairfax County, Land Use Planner Jessica Pfeiffer wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and attend Virginia Tech, not as a geography major, but to pursue a degree in education and history. A class in urban affairs and planning and an internship with the City of Alexandria changed the goal, but not the university.

Jessica’s father graduated from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment in 1971 and made a career with the federal government as a cartographer. She would do the same—attend and graduate from Tech, but not with a degree in geography, or even education, as planned. In order to fulfill a core curriculum requirement during her freshman year, Jessica took an introductory class in urban affairs and planning and, through that program, was offered an opportunity to do what was called the Washington Semester—a 12-week program involving an intensive schedule of course work and internships with a local government, the federal government, or a non-profit organization. Jessica went to work for the City of Alexandria’s Planning & Zoning office where she collected data and information for a study of the Washington Street Corridor, among other projects. She was asked to come back the following summer. Jessica graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004, earning a B.A. in public and urban affairs and political science. Soon after she was awarded a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, and joined The Land Lawyers in our Prince William office. Here’s more about our Land Use Planner.

TLL: In graduate school, you wrote your final paper on the economic and physical sustainability of lifestyle centers in comparison to regional malls. What changes in our lifestyles have you seen since you wrote that paper more than 10 years ago?

Jessica Pfeiffer: I have had the unique experience of researching lifestyle centers and working on existing malls choosing to redevelop as lifestyle centers, as well as undeveloped sites starting the process of developing. The greater the mix of uses in a lifestyle center with a strong residential component, the more successful they seem to be.

TLL: What do you enjoy most about your role as a planner?

JP: It is always satisfying to see our planning efforts completed and being used and enjoyed by the community. I especially enjoy the work we do with churches and am very proud of the long-lasting relationships we have built with our clients and government officials. When we all work together, it’s the community that benefits.

TLL: Tell us about the projects you are working on now.

JP: I am working on many projects, large or small. Due diligence matters, zoning determination letters, sign permits, special use permits, and research are short-term projects but always ongoing. I am also working on larger projects that incorporate planning techniques and will enhance transportation. I have the opportunity to work with clients based around the United States and there is always something to learn from it.

TLL: What is your role with the Prince William Design Review Committee?

JP: I am the Administrator of a few Design Review Committees for large projects in Prince William County including Reid’s Prospect and Wellington Glen. It is mostly mixed-use projects with many components. It is interesting to see projects come together. Not everything can be contemplated at the time of the entitlement. Having a Design Review Committee review project components that involve architecture, layout, signage, and other details throughout the process is helpful in creating a comprehensive development.

TLL: When you’re not working as a planner, how do you spend your free time?

JP: I had a baby in May—Hannah is 5 months old and such a joy! She is destined to like geography and planning because my husband is also a planner and we decorated the nursery with a rainbow theme that includes continents and geographical maps and images. We cannot wait to travel with Hannah. There’s so much to show her about urban forms. We’ll try not to bore her with too much planner talk, but it’s in both our DNA. We live in Old Town Alexandria, where there is so much to see and do with Hannah. I love its uniqueness and realized back in college, during my Washington Semester, that I wanted to live there.

TLL: What part of the world, or universe, would you most like to visit?

JP: We love to travel, so visiting Australia, and London is on our list.

TLL: Do you have a hero or heroine?

JP: I know most people say this, and I will say it too, my parents. I would not be where I am today without them. They encouraged and supported my education. My mom actually heard about The Land Lawyers before I fully understood a planner’s role at a law firm. And, boy, am I glad she did. This is the only place I have worked since college and feel very lucky to have found this job. I work with such smart and dedicated support staff, and intelligent and experienced attorneys and planners. I am especially grateful for having had the opportunity to work alongside Susan Flanigan, a planner who recently retired from the firm.

TLL: Why do you think Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh is a great place to work?

JP: The Land Lawyers are a very close-knit group and it’s because of the people. We are dedicated to our work and that positively influences our office environment.

TLL: Thank you, Jessica!

Station Plaza

Station Plaza

Graphic DesignFollowing the threat of condemnation, the owner of Station Plaza, a shopping center located along the Route 1 corridor in Woodbridge, retained Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh to help prepare a report that analyzed the impact of the demolition of two buildings and the elimination of reasonable access into the shopping center.

Working closely with our client and an expert engineer, the firm’s Eminent Domain team presented an in-depth report to VDOT’s appraiser that allowed the appraiser to conclude that the project’s impact rendered the remainder of the shopping center obsolete.

The result for our client was a settlement that included an interim lease-back of the shopping center’s parking areas acquired by VDOT, an agreement on VDOT’s means and methods for the partial demolition of one of the shopping center’s buildings, and just compensation in the amount of $11.8 million.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: THE RESULTS OF ANY LEGAL ACTION DEPEND UPON FACTS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. NEITHER WALSH, COLUCCI, LUBELEY & WALSH, P.C. NOR ITS ATTORNEYS GUARANTEE OR PREDICT SIMILAR RESULTS IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY THE FIRM OR ANY OF ITS ATTORNEYS.

VRE Initiates a $4 Million Planning Study to Extend Railway Service in Prince William County

Illustrative Map
Source: VRE.org

This past summer, the Virginia Railway Express initiated a $4 million planning study to determine the potential for expansion of commuter rail service to the Gainesville/Haymarket area. The study is part of a broader initiative to consider multimodal transportation improvement concepts along the I-66 corridor from Haymarket to the Capital Beltway, all of which are intended to provide new travel options and enhance reliability as the area’s population continues to grow.

Currently, service is provided along the Manassas Line with stations in Manassas Park, the City of Manassas, and Broad Run at the Manassas Regional Airport. The proposed 11-mile Gainesville-Haymarket Extension (GHX) would run along the Norfolk Southern B-Line from the City of Manassas through Gainesville to Haymarket. If approved, commuter rail service could begin in 2022. The potential for up to three stations along the route have been identified in the general areas of Innovation Park at George Mason University, Gainesville, and Haymarket. One objective of the study is to identify the appropriate number of stations to be provided and the specific locations for the stations. Other study outcomes will include cost estimates, funding sources, potential environmental effects, preliminary engineering, and initial analysis of shared use of the rail corridor with freight traffic. The study will also consider whether to continue to use the Broad Run Station, to relocate it further east or west, or to close it and convert the facility to a storage yard for commuter trains.

Several meetings will be held during the course of the two-year study to solicit community input. The first meeting was held in early November in Gainesville. VRE representatives indicated that they will incorporate into their analysis the input received at that meeting, in addition to input received online, and will present project alternatives in the Spring of 2016 for additional community input.

For more information about the VRE study, please contact Susan Flanigan, Land Use Planner, at sflanigan@thelandlawyers.com and visit VRE’s website.

Prince William County Initiates Update to Economic Development Chapter of Its Comprehensive Plan

Source: pwcgov.org
Source: pwcgov.org

On March 10, 2015, the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors initiated a directive to County planning staff to update the “Economic Development Plan” chapter of the County’s Comprehensive Plan. The last technical update to this chapter was completed in 2008, but it has not been substantially reviewed since its creation in 1993. Part of the rationale to update the chapter is to provide more guidance for review of the economic development effects of rezonings and special use permits. This planning effort may also prompt an examination of the mixed-use land use designations.

Chris Price, Prince William County Planning Director, outlined the scope of amendments in two categories.

Technical updates would include:

  • Incorporate new Board policies and land use decisions
  • Remove completed action strategies
  • Update demographics
  • Update maps
  • Incorporate changes to state and federal law
  • Inventory new infrastructure
  • Evaluate level of service for public safety
  • Change maximum student capacity for schools

Economic updates include:

  • Update targeted industries
  • Incorporate new development initiatives
  • Provide guidance for land development reviews

Our Prince William office will be tracking the updates and providing additional information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please call Pete Dolan at 703-680-4664 or email him at pdolan@thelandlawyers.com. If you would like a copy of the Planning Office Presentation to Planning Commission on Economic Development Chapter click here.