Projects Brighten 2020 in Prince William County Communities

Linton Hall and surrounding communities are once again staging wonderful infrastructure improvements, new schools, and commercial & residential developments that make our quality of life increasingly excellent. Here are some of the highlights.

Infrastructure

There are about 30 projects, in varying stages, in the hopper at the Prince William County Department of Transportation. Preliminaries with the FAA, the Federal Transportation Administration, and the Manassas Regional Airport are complete and final design begins in 2020 for the Broad Run Station & Yard Improvements. Construction will be completed in 2024. This massive expansion of the station and train storage will greatly improve its logistics. For safer and easier pedestrian traffic the Sidewalks on Discovery Boulevard, Innovation Drive, and University Boulevard Project by George Mason University will be starting in just a few months, Spring of 2020 and will be completed by the Summer.

Schools

On June 21, 2017, the Prince William County Planning Commission determined that the approximate location, character, and extent of the 13th High School is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The School Division is moving forward and expects the 13th High School to open in September 2021. The Prince William County School Board has purchased the property to construct the 13th High School. The Groundbreaking was held in May of this year and the construction and occupancy are slated for August of 2021 with classes starting in September. The Rosemount Lewis Elementary School may soon become a reality! The site is 11000 Crestwood Drive and 8200 Ashton Avenue.

Information

This Public Facility Review (PFR) proposes to construct a +105,000 square foot multi-story building intended to accommodate 924 students. The school is proposed to open September 2022 as approved in the School Division’s 2020-29 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Overcrowding relief is planned for Ellis Elementary School, Mullen Elementary School, Sinclair Elementary School, Sudley Elementary School, and West Gate Elementary School, as well as other area elementary schools that may be over-utilized.

Commercial Development

There’s a major mixed-use development in the Fast Lane for the former Station Plaza Shopping Center at Route 1 and Virginia SR 123. It’s a 13-acre area and the developers indicate that it’s full-steam ahead. The plans for the redevelopment of the area include a whopping 2,000,000 square feet of space housing a wide variety of businesses. The new owner’s spokesperson said they intend to create a pedestrian bridge across Route 1 to the train station to provide better transit access for commuters, and will work with the County to make it happen. One of the reasons, according to a press release is that it “[w]ill essentially create an opportunity for residents to be at their jobs in Washington, D.C., or Amazon HQ2 office space within 30-45 minutes,” as explained by the spokesperson. “They will not have to sit in traffic or drive to get to work from Woodbridge, VA. They can simply wake up and walk to the VRE/Amtrak station. We believe this site has the potential to be one of the largest mixed-use developments in Northern Virginia.” Of course, the new Amazon HQ2 dominates their plans, or so it seems from their frequent mention of the retail giant. Also, of important notice is that the property is across the street from a VRE and Amtrak station, which also connects it to the HQ2 site.

Residential Development

Of great interest to us homeowners in Prince William County is the unmistakable need of new home construction. As a general rule, new construction increases the value of existing homes while at the same time providing more inventory and, therefore, more competition. We’re in the best of both worlds, however, since it is clear that we will experience a significant influx of new families as jobs are filled in HQ2 and other bustling new enterprises.

A major DC planning group, MWCOG, has crunched a lot of figures and even though the County is expected to see about 23,000 new homes by 2030, the think tank’s projections go even higher. They forecast the metro region to add over 400,000 new jobs but less than 250,000 new homes by 2030. They indicate that this is about 75,000 homes less than required to meet needs. MWCOG has asked our County to raise our planned new housing units by 7,000 by 2023.

There’s lots of exciting activity now and for the foreseeable future. Please give us a call if you’d like us to suggest strategies for selling your home if that is in your plans.