U.S. 1 Widening: Back to the future

Bill Alvey was just 8 years old when he began working at his father's auto repair shop on his family's property along U.S. 1 in Woodbridge.

The Dumfries resident would pick up trash, pump gas and help the mechanics at J & J Garage. By age 13, he was even towing wrecked cars off the highway.

Business was good and the area began to blossom as Marumsco Plaza and other shops opened. The Alveys expanded their investment in the area, buying about 13 acres of land along the growing corridor and constructing more buildings.

But now Alvey is 70 and much of the Woodbridge area has lost its vibrant feel.  Stretches of U.S. 1 are dotted with vacant lots and abandoned buildings.  It's an image many in the community hope will change as entrepreneurs, transportation experts and county officials move forward this year with plans to revitalize the area.

Starting this spring, Alvey along with dozens of other property owners, will begin negotiating with the Virginia Department of Transportation, which needs to acquire all or parts of more than 100 parcels of land in order to widen Route 1.  

While the project will help move traffic on what has become a clogged alternative to Interstate 95, county officials and business owners also hope it will serve as the economic engine that will help revitalize a desolate and rundown strip of Woodbridge.

The state "will take all our frontage but we can't get a straight answer if they will take two of our buildings or all four," Alvey said. "I am just hoping for a fair deal. This [road widening] is inevitable and something that has to be done."

VDOT plans to widen U.S. 1 to six lanes between Mary's Way and the Occoquan River as well as widen Va. 123 from U.S. 1 to just east of the I-95 interchange. The $144 million project, which includes a walking path and median, is scheduled to start in 2015 and take just over a year to complete, VDOT officials said.

The second phase of the project is to build an interchange at 1 and 123. The $94 million project is yet to be funded.  

NEW VISION

The road project is just part of a grand vision to breathe new life into Woodbridge. 

Last year, county officials approved a redevelopment plan for North Woodbridge -- an area that stretches from the Occoquan River to Occoquan Road and Route 1 to Horner Road. The plan calls for 2,500 to 3,500 multifamily units, up to 750,000 square feet of office space, up to 500,000 square feet of retail development and a hotel.

"North Woodbridge is a happening place," Supervisor Frank J.  Principi, D-Woodbridge said. "We just need to work through the redevelopment and make sure we motivate and incentivize efficient funding to make it a reality."

The area will be redeveloped in a way that encourages people to stay out of their cars and walk through the community, Principi said. An example of that will be an extension of the walkway over U.S. 1 at the Virginia Railway Express Woodbridge station.

One large stakeholder in North Woodbridge, the IDI Group, has plans to build a three-tower, luxury condominium development near the waterfront. The project was approved several years ago but has sat untouched due to the economic downturn, said Patrick Rhodes, vice-president of IDI Group.

"Sales are not stable enough to begin," Rhodes said. "But we are excited to be a part of this revitalization, ...and I think [we've] got a good future here."

While IDI waits for an uptick in the market, the owners of the half-vacant Gordon Plaza are waiting to hear how the road-widening project will affect their property. Greg Reed, assistant director of acquisition and development for Kimco Realty, said it is unclear what will happen to the parking and the entrance points of the plaza once the roads are widened.

However, Reed said if the market picks up, Kimco would like to be a part of the redevelopment.

"If you look at the whole area, including our center, it needs to be redeveloped," Reed said. "Once VDOT tells us the timing of the project, we can actively market a redevelopment project. And, once the infrastructure is in place, it will be a great [incentive] to bring in retailers ...that create value to both the residents and our company."

Total Auto Parts owner Rich Jones is also waiting to see how VDOT's project will affect his U.S. 1 business. Jones' store suffered about $150,000 in damages in September when Tropical Storm Lee caused Marumsco Creek to flood.

"I didn't know whether to fix it up or tear it down," Jones said. "But we have 12 employees who need jobs and I think we run a pretty good [business], so I decided to stay."

Jones said he thinks VDOT will only take some of his parking lot. But he said his business will only be accessible going south, not north, once the widening is complete.

"The minute they put a shovel in the ground, it is going to be the biggest traffic nightmare," he said. "Route 1 is already jammed. I know it needs to be done, but it takes so long for them to do anything. If they would get to it and get it done, it would be different."

VDOT officials said a "transportation management plan" will be drafted as they move closer to construction. The plan will address how to minimize traffic problems during the project.

CHANGE UNDER WAY

Change is already coming to the area south of the planned North Woodbridge redevelopment. Marumsco Plaza owner Kevin Sills of Mid Atlantic Real Estate Investments has already given the shopping center a facelift and brought in new businesses.

Construction vehicles are moving in front of the plaza, building a facility to house Little Caesars Pizza and a Sherwin-Williams paint store. Sills said he hopes to have the building finished by March, weather permitting.

Sills has a few other sites he plans to develop. Some of the tenants planned for the buildings include a Walgreens, BB&T and a Pollo Campero restaurant.

Sills said by the time the renovations of Marumsco Plaza are complete and the new buildings are in place, he will have invested $29 million in the property. Although he said he lost some tenants when the facility "wasn't the most attractive property," he thinks he will have all the spaces in the shopping center filled soon.

"We bought Marumsco six years ago and it was an opportunity we couldn't pass by," he said. "It's a good area and there are a lot of people who need to eat and shop. We just need to make it attractive to people."

Prince William resident Carlos Castro invested more than $3 million to bring Todos Supermarket to Marumsco Plaza because he believed in the vision to revitalize the area. The entrepreneur opened in Giant's old space in April 2011.

"A few months ago this plaza was dead, but it has come alive," Castro said. "It took the commitment of the property owner, and I hope others will see that, mimic it and fix up their properties."

ROAD AHEAD

Change, however, won't happen quickly and there will be hurdles to overcome, Principi said.

The biggest challenges will continue to be the market  and developers securing financing for multimillion dollar projects like North Woodbridge.

Principi said another challenge is that there are so many stakeholders who hold land in the area targeted for redevelopment. Something he wants to explore in 2012 is property consolidation incentives or some kind of tax relief.

Principi said he will continue to market the area and hold stakeholder meetings that encourage business owners and community members to come forward with ideas that align with the master plan.

"We are going to turn a vision into a plan in 2012," he said. "It's going to take a lot of money and support from the community...but it's just a matter of time before this becomes a reality.”

This article is the cover story from this month’s PW Business magazine. To subscribe, call 703-369-6341. For more business news, visit insidenova.com/news/business.