People's Town Hall: the Independent Hill Small Area Plan and It's Many Issues
Wednesday March 10, 7pm, zoom meeting register here

From threats to National Parks and the Rural Crescent to data centers and the existential threat of climate change, the Independent Hill Small Area Plan has issues of concern for everyone.

We all have a stake in what happens next. Join your neighbors and community leaders to consider the challenges we face, and share ideas and solutions, as we work together to protect a sustainable future for this generation and the next.

Opening speakers include Elizabeth Ward, Green Risks blog; Elena Schlossberg, Coalition to Protect PWC; Martin Jeter, Mid County Civic Association; Nancy Vehrs, VA Native Plant Society; Kim Hosen, Prince William Conservation Alliance; Alan Rowsome, Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, Julie Bolthouse, Piedmont Environmental Council.

Independent Hill Small Area Plan (SAP)
Planning staff proposes industrial development inside the legislative border of National Park and the Rural Crescent!

Board of Supervisors Vote: March 16, 2021, 7:30pm
Action: Click here to contact Supervisors to share your views. Attend the meeting at McCoart Government Center or speak online, register here by 5pm on Monday March 15. Read the most recent staff report we can find online here.

The Independent Hill SAP is located on both sides of Route 234 near the County landfill. This area is mostly undeveloped, with significant environmental and cultural resources. But the staff proposal overlooks these values and instead proposes a dense community in an area with overcrowded schools and no hopes for public transit in the forseeable future.

Staff also proposes to re-plan some of this area to allow construction of a data center on land that is in the Rural Crescent, in the legislative boundary of Prince William Forest [National] Park, AND covers the headwaters of Quantico Creek.  Read more...

Transit and Communities—Impacts and Land Use

Transit and Communities—Impacts and Land Use
with Bob Schneider, Exec. Director, OmniRide
March 25, 7pm. Click here to register

We are connected to our family, friends, neighbors, and our greater community by roads, trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes. They get us from where we live to where we work and play. This connectivity is what builds communities. Public transportation connects all of these resources and helps provide access for so many different people and for many different needs.

The challenge is that much of transit's success is shaped by land use, density, and infrastructure: like a fruit topping poured onto the cake after it has been baked and cooled. What happens when transit is a key ingredient and is baked into the product? What does that look like and what does that mean for a community?

In this discussion, we will hear from Dr. Bob Schneider, Executive Director of OmniRide, who will give us an overview of the organization, its services, and the challenges the greater Prince William area faces as we look to improve our transportation options, especially in the area of mass transit and general public transportation. Read more...

Tree Giveaway April 3!
Saturday, April 3, from 9:30 to 11:30am.
Seedlings limited to the first 200 people who register here.

Details regarding the pick-up at Todos Supermarket will be included in a follow-up email to ticket holders.

Several hundred Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) are looking for new homes to add a little beauty and so much more to your yard.

Would you like two free seedlings for your yard? We're hosting a drive-thru event where you can pick up 2 seedlings - one Redbud and one Dogwood per ticket holder. Both the Eastern Redbud and the Flowering Dogwood are important native understory trees that are pretty to look at and great for wildlife, with flowers, and berries that provide year-round interest and food for birds and pollinators.

Program Sponsors: Todos Supermarket, Fairfax Water, and the Prince William Conservation Alliance

Stay tuned... Rain Barrel Raffle, Photo Contest and more coming soon!