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Frank J. Principi @NewWoodbridge @NewWoodbridge City_1, p_STATE ZIPCODE Better Transportation Better Neighborhoods Better Development Address2 Woodbridge District Supervisor Name [email protected] Please Send Your E‐Mail Address To: Receive This Newsletter By E‐Mail Woodbridge Vision Version 2—2014 Frankly Speaking Vision of a NewWoodbridge Fall is here, school is back in session, and there is more going on in our community than ever before! Without a local newspaper, it can be difficult for some residents to get their local news. I strive to improve this situation with this newsletter. The newsletter is supple‐
mented with town hall meetings, telephone town halls, civic association meetings and our website. Today, I am proud to announce the launch of our new website www.NewWoodbridge.org. New Woodbridge is a smart growth community that attracts high‐paying jobs, provides transit alternatives, and improves residential neighborhoods. As a result of our efforts, over $1 billion in public and private investment is now coming to our community, with more on the way. We are experiencing real progress on two Route 1 widening projects. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has broken ground on another commuter station at Potomac Shores, and the I‐95 Express Lanes are scheduled to open by the end of the year. In This Issue Frankly Speaking..….….......1 Better Development...……...3 Better Transportation. ……..5 Better Neighborhoods….......6 Civic Association………….11 www.NewWoodbridge.org www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 Voter ID Changes Frankly Speaking, Con’t
Another mixed‐use development, Neabsco Commons, anchored by two Hilton Hotels and office space is now coming up out of the ground at Dale Blvd and I‐95. $300M investment continues with scheduled classroom additions at five of our public schools, including a six‐classroom expansion currently underway at Featherstone Elementary School. The Virginia General Assembly changed voting requirements during the 2014 legislative session. Now, voters must present one of the following forms of identification when voting: The Regional Center for Workforce Education and Training at Northern Virginia Community College is under construction. This $30M Center will train today’s workforce for tomorrow’s jobs. Finally, progress continues with the build‐out of a 50‐mile Pedestrian and Bicycle Network in Woodbridge to connect families with our schools, parks, wildlife refuges, and retail centers. •
Valid Virginia driverʹs license •
DMV‐ issued photo identification card •
Valid United States passport •
Valid employee photo identification card •
Other government‐issued photo identification card I know transitions are frustrating, and construction is often unsightly. I also recognized that there is “stale zoning” in Woodbridge resulting in thousands of new apartments along Route 1. But even with these challenges, we are making important strategic investments to revitalize our community and deliver on our vision of a NewWoodbridge. •
Valid college or university student photo identification issuer must be an institution of higher education located in Virginia. If you do not have an acceptable form of identification, please contact the Prince William County Office of Elections for a free identification card at 9250 Lee Avenue, Suite 1 Manassas, Virginia 20110 or call them at (703) 792‐6470. Rest assured that our best days are ahead. New Woodbridge will soon be a reality. I will see you in the neighborhood! Sincerely, 2 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 15 New Voting Districts in Woodbridge Knightsbridge Proposed on Horner Road The 2012 Presidential Elections will long be In July, Supervisor Principi remembered for the long lines in many hosted a town hall meeting with polling locations in Woodbridge. Immediately following the the Marumsco Hills and Marusmco Village communities to election, Supervisor Principi asked the Board of Supervisors discuss the proposed Knightsbridge development. to create the Election Process Task Force to make Nearly sixty residents showed up to ask questions and voice recommendations on improving the voting process. their concerns, ranging from increased traffic along Horner First, in an effort to make voting precincts smaller and Road, the impact of safety at nearby schools, and handicap eliminate split precincts, the Prince William Board of accessibility at the new development. Supervisor Principi, Supervisors recently adopted new boundaries for our voting along with a member of the Prince William County Planning precincts. Woodbridge has three entirely new precincts ‐ the office, and representatives from the developer were on hand to Grayson Precinct, Powellʹs Creek Precinct, and the Leesylva‐
explain the project and answer questions. nia Precinct. In addition, boundary lines have changed on The applicant bought the property in 2004 to build a senior almost every precinct in the Woodbridge District. If you are living facility. The current proposal calls for the property to affected by these changes, you should have received a notice have one building with 30 condominiums for seniors years 55 in the mail. However, you are always encouraged to check and older. The building will have a structured parking garage your voting location at: www.pwcgov.org/vote. on the bottom floor with 33 spaces (and 27 surface parking spaces outside). Each unit is two floors, approximately 1650 Second, Prince William County is purchasing new voting square feet. machines. After significant vetting and testing, the Office of Elections recently chose an optical scan machine that will process a paper ballot in approximately 4 seconds. This is the latest model of polling technology, which is said to increase efficiency, while maintaining accuracy. Some new machines may be ready for the 2014 elections, but they will certainly be deployed in full force for the 2015 elections. 14 County staff has reviewed the proposal and is suggesting improvements. The proposal was also recently approved by the Prince William County Planning Commission. You are invited to provide your comments and concerns at Citizen’s Time (during the Board of County Supervisors meetings), during the public hearing scheduled for September 23, or via email or phone calls to the Board of County Supervisors. Email address: [email protected]‐william.va.us www.NewWoodbridge.org www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 3 Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail Better Development Continued Rivergate Neabsco Creek Boardwalk More Apartments Planned In North Woodbridge In August, Supervisor Principi hosted a town hall meeting at the Occoquan‐Woodbridge‐Lorton Volunteer Fire Station to discuss the proposed Rivergate development. Nearly forty residents showed up to ask questions and voice their concerns ranging from increased traffic along Route 1 and Inter‐
state 95, additional students at overcrowded schools, and the glut of stale zoned apartments currently under construction in Woodbridge. Supervisor Principi, along with members of the Prince William County Transportation and Planning Departments, and the IDI Group (developer) were on hand. Design work is underway to construct a boardwalk with interpretive features across the Neabsco Creek near its confluence with the Occoquan Bay. Supervisor Principi raised concerns about the ownership structure of the units, the impact the project will have on the local transportation system and local schools, as well as the need for road improvements on Marina Way. He is anxious to see if the developer will make any attempts to mitigate these concerns before the proffer amendment comes before the Board of County Supervisors for a vote. The goal is to connect the Rippon Lodge Historic Site, Rippon Landing Park, Julie Metz Wetlands and Leesylvania State Park. The County Planning office will take an official position in the staff report to be released next month. It will be followed by a formal public hearing with the Planning Commission on September 17th. If it passes, the Board of County Supervisors will hold a public hearing and final vote. Please consider attending one of the public meetings or speak at Citizen’s Time to voice your support or concerns with this development. 4 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 13 Better Neighborhoods Cont’d Investment in Our Schools 95 Express Lanes Construction Enters Final Months As our county continues to grow, it is important to keep The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and its 95 investing in school infrastructure in the Woodbridge District. Express Lanes partners, Transurban and Fluor, announced that Overcrowded classrooms are not ideal for anyone. The Prince nearly 1,500 workers will continue to work day and night to William County School Board adopted the Fiscal Year 2015 complete the 29‐miles of new Express Lanes, which are Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in conjunction with the Board of County Supervisors to fund five capital scheduled to open in early 2015. improvement projects to schools in the Woodbridge District. Drivers should expect all HOV lanes to be closed during They include: overnight periods and weekends. Critical work is still ahead to install tolling and traffic management equipment, including 3.7 • Featherstone Elementary School: A six‐classroom million linear feet of cabling and wire, 30 overhead toll addition ($8.8 Million) is scheduled for 2015. gantries, more than 200 cameras used for detecting traffic • Rippon Middle School: A nine‐classroom addition incidents, over 220 gates, 190 lane control signals and more ($7.4 Million) is scheduled for 2016. than 100 electronic message signs. •
Belmont Elementary School: A four‐classroom addition ($8.6 Million) is scheduled for 2017. •
Kilby Elementary School: A brand new, replacement building ($31.4 Million) is scheduled to open in 2017. •
Leesylvania Elementary School: A four‐classroom addition ($6.9 Million) is scheduled for 2019.
In total, five schools will receive over $60M through 2019 to expand classrooms and reduce classroom sizes in Woodbridge.
Following installation, crews will perform a series of on‐road and back‐office tests as well as complete final paving and lane markings, guardrails, sound walls and bridge work. Much of the remaining construction may be less noticeable to travelers than earlier work, but still will require frequent lane closures. When the Express Lanes open, every driver who travels the HOV lanes today will need an E‐ZPass to access the Express Lanes. HOV‐3+ drivers will need an E‐ZPass® FlexSM to travel toll‐free. Motorists are encouraged to visit www.95expresslanes.com to find out additional information. 12 www.NewWoodbridge.org www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 5 Woodbridge Potomac Communities Civic Association Another Grant Won for Sidewalks Supervisor Frank J. Principi is pleased to Join the Woodbridge Civic Association to make a difference in announce that Prince William County was the Woodbridge District! awarded $560,000 towards the construction of a sidewalk along The Woodbridge Potomac Communities Civic Association is Blackburn Road. This is another win for the 50‐mile Pedestrian and Bicycle Network in Woodbridge. The grant money will your for change. Members work together to build a strong connect the existing sidewalk at the corner of Rippon Boulevard community, to improve the physical condition of our and Blackburn Road to the sidewalk on the recently constructed neighborhoods, and to enhance our quality of life. The VDOT bridge over Cow Branch Creek. Association provides residents and businesses the opportunity to work with their neighbors to find solutions to local issues, to The vision for a New Woodbridge calls for a more walkable review and comment on future development, and to participate community. Building up our sidewalk and trail infrastructure is in community projects. not only about improving safety for those that walk and bike, but it also helps revitalize the Route 1 corridor. The Association is open to any resident, business, non‐profit, or property owner in the Woodbridge District. Meetings are held Supervisor Principi has long advocated for greater pedestrian monthly on the third Thursday at various locations. The infrastructure to improve safety. Since the fall of 2012, meetings provide members the opportunity to hear directly transportation experts identified 31 missing links in sidewalks or from developers about future projects and to receive trails along major roadways leading to business, retail, residential information on issues affecting the Woodbridge District. Please and recreation destination points in the Woodbridge District. plan to join us for one of the upcoming meetings. These gaps were prioritized according to safety and connectivity factors. The following list shows the top five priorities: September 18 @ 7:00 PM – Osprey Club at Belmont Bay Topic: Pedestrian Safety 1. Route 1 at Powellʹs Creek Bridge ($710K) 2. Dale Boulevard from Neabsco Mills Road across October 16 @ 7:00 PM – Our Lady of Angels Church – Route 1 and along Rippon Boulevard ($1.8M) Saint Sophia Conference Room 3. Opitz Boulevard from the Wawa to Neabsco Mills Topic: Affordable Housing Road ($1.5M) November 20 @ 7:00 PM – TBD 4. Blackburn Road from Rippon Boulevard to the Cow Branch Bridge ($500K) To register at no cost, or to read more about the upcoming 5. Blackburn Road from Reddy Drive to Featherstone Road programs, please visit www.NewWoodbridge.org. ($600K) 6 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 11 Better Transportation, Cont’d VRE Updates: All Aboard! In addition to the new rail cars, the groundbreaking for a brand‐new Virginia Railway Express station in Potomac Shores was held in July. The station is scheduled to open in 2017 with 550 commuter parking spaces. It is being constructed as a public‐private partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Potomac Shores Developer, SunCal. Better Neighborhoods, Cont’d The top priorities mentioned above have been funded by developer proffers, regional grants, or road projects, with the exception of half of Opitz Boulevard (from the library to Stonebridge). Sidewalks are also being built as part of the Route 1 widening projects. Additionally, crosswalk improvements will be made at Optiz Boulevard and Montgomery Avenue, River Ridge Boulevard and Route 1, and Rippon Boulevard at Avocett Loop. Please let us know if you have a sidewalk to nowhere. Virginia Railway Express (VRE) will soon have four new 132‐
seat gallery style cars on the tracks. These new cars are part of a $21.2 million investment in 2012. An additional seven cars are on order equating to another $16 million investment for local residents who rely on this service to get to work. Opitz Boulevard
Potomac Shores is one of five town centers planned along Route 1. In addition to the VRE station, the development will include a Jack Nicklaus golf course, school sites, and town center with retail and office space. Several parks, fields, and trails will be opened to the public. Supervisor Principi believes this is a big win for residents of eastern Prince William County. “Together, with the widening of Route 1 and Interstate 95 through Woodbridge, and the recent addition of VRE rail cars, Woodbridge commuters have more and more options,” said Principi. 10 www.NewWoodbridge.org www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 7 Better Neighborhoods Continued Better Transportation, Continued Property Maintenance UPDATE: Route 1 Widening You may have noticed the many buildings along As part of the Vision of a New Woodbridge, we strive to protect the Route 1 corridor in North Woodbridge that property values through aggressive enforcement of the property have recently been vacated and boarded up. maintenance codes. The goal is to ensure properties in VDOT has to acquire 99 properties in the Woodbridge are maintained and used in accordance with the pathway of the new road. A total of 12 Countyʹs land use requirements (ʺzoningʺ), and to ensure that structures have been demolished thus far. The structures are well‐maintained for the health and safety of former Econo Lodge, BP Gas Station, Block‐
buster, and Joes Pizza, among others will be residents. These codes protect property values and help maintain demolished by VDOT in Spring of 2015. the quality of life where we live. Each year, Property Code Inspectors handle between 750‐1,520 code violations in the Recently, Supervisor Principi andthe Board of County Supervisors provided $12 million to bury utility lines along the Route 1 corridor. VDOT Woodbridge District alone. The most common violations are: •
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Junk or trash piled up in the yard, or trash cans stored in view; Storage of household or construction items in the yard (must be screened or in a shed); Inoperative vehicles and commercial vehicles on residential property; Illegal accessory structures without permits (sheds, fences, decks, etc.); Tall grass or weeds higher than 12 inches on residential properties; Overcrowding (Too many adults living in one home). is now adjusting designs to allow for an underground duct bank to house the utility lines. This will improve visibility, utility reliability, and increase property values. Construction should begin on the duct bank and utility lines in early 2015. Phase 1 of the VDOT Interchange project is scheduled for completion in 2017. Phase II of the Interchange project, which is estimated at $100 Million, and not yet funded, includes the 23‐foot flyover into Belmont Bay. Further south, the Prince William County Transportation Department is aggressively moving forward with the widening Route 1 from Featherstone Road to Neabsco Mills/Blackburn Road. Entirely funded from the 2006 Road Bond, this project will be completed in three phases: • Phase 1 ‐ Neabsco Mills Road to Dale Boulevard ‐ Duct bank is If you see a violation that concerns you, the best approach is to talk installed and Dominion is now working to run utilities underground.
to your neighbor and see if you can solve the issue through neighborhood cooperation. Additionally, homeowners • Phase 2 ‐ Dale Boulevard to Mellot Road ‐ Duct bank is being installed associations have internal resources to handle many of these with utilities to be buried in Fall.
problems. Otherwise, these codes are enforced by PWC • Phase 3 ‐ Mellot Road to Featherstone Road ‐ Prince William County is Neighborhood Services Division, and can be reported by calling still acquiring parcels of land in this section. The utilities will be placed 703‐792‐7018. Violators are educated and given time to abate their underground in April of 2015. violation. If they are unwilling, they can be taken to civil or The full project is scheduled for completion in late 2015.
criminal court and ordered to comply by a judge. 8 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 www.NewWoodbridge.org Contact Our Office At (703) 792‐4646 9