Silver Lake: Community Choices & Local Conservation Decisions


Community Meeting:
Parks, Trails, Open Space & the Silver Lake Proposals
When - Monday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Where - LaGrange Winery, 4970 Antioch Road, Haymarket, directions
Click here for more information.

Three proposals to manage the Silver Lake property for recreation uses have been submitted to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Decision Making Process

At the request of the Board, the County Executive's Office has established a staff review committee to provide criteria that will be used to evaluate the three proposals. The review committee includes staff from the County Executive's Office, County Attorney's Office, Public Works, Planning, Budget and Finance.

Staff will present their recommendation for review criteria and the evaluation process established by this committee to the Board for approval on Tuesday, June 5 2007.

The current proposal for this review process recommends that the already-established staff committee will (1) advertise for competing proposals; (2) review proposals, including meeting with the applicants; (3) provide a public information meeting; (4) complete a written analysis; and (5) present their findings to the Board in September 2007, followed by Board vote selecting one of the proposals. Currently, there is no information on public participation in this process, beyond the opportunity for citizens to attend an information sharing meeting led by County staff.

In the meantime, the Prince William Conservation has read the proposals for Silver Lake, met with the applicants and completed a chart reviewing the three current proposals. In our assessment of the proposals for Silver Lake, we used consistent criteria and restricted our comments to items included in the three written proposals. All organizations and agencies listed on the chart have had the opportunity to review the information and make corrections.

Although the topic of our chart is the Silver Lake property, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) proposal incudes additional commitments and potential opportunities. In addition to their specific proposal for Silver Lake, approval of the NVRPA proposal would require the County become a member organization, including their request for the County to commit $1.6 million in funding for NVRPA each year and speaks to the potential for increased benefits, including opportunities to issue revenue bonds. These additional items are not considered as part of our chart comparing the proposals for Silver Lake.

Click here to read our comparison chart.

Background

On July 11, 2006, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved Toll Brothers proposal to add 420 additional homes to the Dominion Valley subdivision. As part of the agreement, Toll Brothers agreed to donate the approximate 317-acre Silver Lake property to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Toll Brothers transferred the the Silver Lake property, located off Antioch Road in Haymarket, to the Board of Supervisors in December 2006. The property was subdivided into three parcels, in order to provide PWC schools with a 42-acre school site and the Rainbow Riding Center with the use of 45 acres. The remaining 230 acres, including the (very) approximate 25-acre lake and seven-acre abandoned quarry, were intended for public open space and recreation uses, especially equestrian and passive recreation uses.

Since that time, there has been considerable discussion about the portion of the Silver Lake property intended for public open space and recreation uses, including how the property will be managed and who will be responsible. Right now, the property is owned by the county but still closed to the public.  The Board of Supervisors is considering proposals from three different organizations - the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy, PWC Park Authority, and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Read more, then share your views with Prince William Supervisors!

Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC)
Click on title to skip to view the BRMC proposal text or proposal map.

The Bull Run Mountain Conservancy (BRMC) currently maintains public access facilities and provides outreach programs, in accordance with the State Natural Area Preserve Deed and Dedication, for a portion of the Bull Run Mountain Natural Area, which is owned by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. BRMC is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 and governed by a Board of Directors. As part of their proposal, the BRMC has offered to:

• Commit an additional 268-acre property adjacent to the Silver Lake parcel to public recreation uses, bringing the total park acreage to nearly 500 acres;

• Provide necessary improvements and maintenance of the property with no subsidy or monetary contribution from Prince William County;

• Provide 20+ acres for development of an equestrian center by the PWCPA;

• Open the entire natural recreation area for public programs and events within three to four months, and for general admission within one year, and to guarantee free or lower-cost admission for Prince William residents;

• Secured a $500,000 challenge grant to commence the infrastructure improvements necessary to open the area to the public;

• Offer bicycling, birding, non-motorized boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, primitive camping, jogging, picnicking, and walking trails as well as education programs for students and teachers, environmental studies, and interpretive programs.

• Agree to a requirement that the property revert back to the Board of Supervisors should the property not be open to public uses, as outlined in an agreement between the BRMC and the Board of Supervisors.

Prince William County Park Authority (PWCPA)
Click on title to skip to view the PWCPA proposal text or proposal map.

The Prince William County Park Authority, founded in 1977 by the Board of Supervisors, provides PWC residents and visitors with recreational programs, parks and facilities. The Prince William County Park Authority is an autonomous organization governed by an eight member board that is appointed by the BOS and funded by a tax transfer and revenue producing facilities. As part of their proposal for Silver Lake, the PWCPA provided information showing:

• Proposal involves only the 230-acre Silver Lake property;

• Provide necessary improvements and maintenance of the property as funding from taxpayer dollars and user fees allows;

• The Park Authority would go through a Master Planning Process to finalize uses. Because the Park Authority is required to generate approximately 50% of their funding from user fees, their current proposal focuses on public uses that maximize funding support generated by user fees, including RV camping. Other activities include bicycling, birding, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, primitive camping, jogging, picnicking, and walking trails. Also proposed is the use of the site for model airplanes and model boats. Equestrian facilities are currently proposed for Phase 3 of the Park Authority's development process.

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA)
Click on title to skip to view the NVRPA proposal text or proposal map.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority was founded under the Virginia Park Authorities Act and from the Concurrent Resolutions. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is governed by a 12-member policy-making Board . The city council or county board of each jurisdiction appoints two members to the NVRPA Board. For FY 2007, the NVPRA projected that 78% of their operating costs would be provided from park operations (user fees, licenses, etc.). As part of their proposal for Silver Lake, the NVRPA has provided information showing:

• Proposal involves only the 230-acre Silver Lake property, although future opportunities for additional acquisitions are discussed;

• Provide necessary improvements and maintenance of the property as decided by the NVRPA Board, and as funding from PWC's annual contribution to the NVRPA and user fees allows;

• The NVRPA would be the sole determiner of uses. Because the NVRPA is required to generate more than 70% of their funding from user fees, there is a strong interest in public uses that maximize funding support generated by user fees, including RV camping;

• Prince William would transfer ownership to NVRPA of Silver Lake and all future acquisitions of parks, trails, and open space acquired through the sale of bonds. NVRPA would retain ownership of Silver Lake if Prince William ever dropped out of NVRPA.

What should happen to the Silver Lake property?

After many years of neglecting parks and open space, citizens have prioritized these needs and have prioritized efforts to secure additional resources, as evidenced by the County's Citizen Satisfaction Surveys.

The Silver Lake property was donated to Prince William citizens, through the Board of Supervisors, to provide the land needed to increase public recreation and open space opportunities throughout the County. The Board of Supervisors will be deciding what to do with the Silver Lake property soon (check back here to find out when this is scheduled).

All Prince William citizens should have the opportunity to weigh in on the three proposals that the Board of Supervisors will consider. Plan to attend public meetings on Silver Lake! Email alliance(at)pwconserve.org to add your email to our information distribution list.

Click here to email your views to all Supervisors! Contact information for Supervisors is also posted online here and here. We are also interested in hearing your views, please feel free to send your comments to us at alliance(at)pwconserve.org.