MidCounty Park and Estates

Will the BOCS vote to allow initiation of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment that would more than triple residential densities and allow access to public sewer in the Rural Crescent?

After multiple failed attempts and with only one week notice, on Tuesday, December 3, 2pm meeting, Supervisors will take an 11th hour vote on initiation of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Mid-County Parks & Estate Homes development plan proposed by Classic Concepts Homes.

This vote is on whether or not to study changing the Comprehensive Plan for a development proposal to build 130 new homes on 325 acres within the Rural Crescent, more than triple the current allowed density.

How would adding residential densities and access to public sewer in the Rural Crescent help Supervisors reach their goal of increasing the commercial tax base to 35% of overall tax revenue?

Why should Supervisors initiate a plan to increase densities and allow access to public sewer in the Rural Crescent before implementing promised incentives intended to ensure the success of Rural Crescent goals?

Strategies relative to the Rural Area are intended to help avoid the negative economic, social, and environmental characteristics of sprawl development [LU page 29.] These strategies include incentives that help landowners protect agricultural land uses, prime farmland soils, and existing green open space.

However, Supervisors have implemented none of their own recommendations. Without incentives, we're looking at only one piece of the picture. It's not possible to accurately evaluate the countywide benefits of the Rural Crescent under these circumstances. 

• Create and fund a staff position for an Agriculture Development Director.
• Implement an overlay district that identifies priority areas for open space preservation and ensures connectivity. OS 5.3
• Implement a Purchase of Development Rights program. OS 4.1
• Make information on conservation easements available to landowners, including distribution points at the Tax Assessment Department and other relevant County offices, to encourage the use of open space/conservation easements as tools to preserve environmental resources. EN3.6
• Retain the existing boundary and the 1 unit per 10 acre density of the Rural Area where it presently exists near MCB Quantico. LU4.4
• Ensure that the primary function of the Rural Area as reflected by the Long-Range Land Use Plan Map is to maintain open space, protect native habitats, allow for large-lot residential development, allow for agricultural activities, and provide potential sites for community facilities. LU2.6
• Expand the Land Use Assessment Program for Rural Crescent properties.
• Address violations in the Rural Crescent to discourage illegal industrial uses and unregulated dumping.
• Address flaws in county Family Subdivision policies that increase residential densities with no County approval required.
• Restore incentives for properties that are part of an Agricultural & Forestal District.

Directing county staff to study this CPA at this time doesn’t make sense. That’s why Supervisors previously voted to table this application. Nothing has changed that would justify spending staff time on this a good idea.
Share your views with Supervisors to protect the Rural Crescent. Encourage implementation of incentives now. Click here to email alllSupervisors.

Mid-County Park and Estates Development Proposal - Not Initiated but Not Gone Either

On March 6, Supervisors considered the proposed initiation of a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) for a 320-acre property located within the Rural Crescent, between Bristow Road and Route 234.

This proposal, called Mid-County Parks & Estate Homes, seeks approval to build 118 new homes, more than triple the allowed density for Rural Crescent properties. In exchange for the density bonus, the developer proposes to “save” land, most of which is unbuildable, to form a ring around the new residential community.

After hearing the many citizen comments opposing the plan, Supervisors decided they would not vote on the Mid-County Parks & Estate Homes CPA, which means it was not initiated.

Instead, Supervisors issued a staff directive calling for a joint review of:

• 2014 Rural Crescent Study, which proposes removing approximately 14,000 acres from the Rural Crescent to create a “transition area,
  
  
• Mid-County Parks & Estate Homes CPA,
  
  
• Zoning Text Amendments for Purchase of Development Rights, Transfer of Development Rights, and revisions to the County’s Rural Cluster Ordinance.

Planning staff said they would hold several community meetings and be prepared to return to the Board with recommendations in six months.

So what can you do to get prepared for the next attack on the Rural Area, to authorize sprawl and ultimately higher property taxes?  

Answer: Get smart. Get effective. Get involved.

Prince William Conservation Alliance offers talks, walks, and on-line resources so people who care can get familiar with the complicated jargon and processes, then figure out how they want to engage. Check our calendar, don't be a stranger.