Board decision streamlines process for school trailers

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 6 to 1 in favor of approving a comprehensive plan amendment regarding the school trailer issue after a public hearing Tuesday night.

The amendment would do away with a requirement that the Planning Commission conduct a “public facility review” before trailers can be added on school property.

Supervisor W.S. “Wally” Covington III, R-Brentsville was the lone dissenter with Maureen S. Caddigan, R-Dumfries was absent.

“The Board of County Supervisors felt very strongly to provide the school board the flexibility in determining what its needs are with a growing population,” said Supervisor Frank Principi, D-Woodbridge.

Last month, the Prince William County Planning Commission voted unanimously not to recommend the amendment, which would make the process for installing trailers easier. Among other things, the commission contended that the amendment does not place any limit on the number of trailers, would remove from public scrutiny decisions to permit and construct trailers and would create greater review permitting and approval requirements for private schools than for public.

Schools attorney Gifford R. Hampshire said a recent measure allowing public comment, along with citizens’ time at school board meetings, provide suitable outlets to discuss the trailers issue.

In recent years, overcrowding has become a problem in the county and trailers have been used as portable classrooms in various schools. The public facility review issue surfaced after the planning commission shot down a proposal for trailers at Brentsville High School in spring 2007.

Consequently, the school board sued the planning commission and Prince William Board of County Supervisors. The schools contended that the placement of trailers on their grounds is under their purview and that a public facility review by the planning commission — which by Virginia code is necessary — is not needed.

Hampshire said Tuesday’s decision by the board essentially makes the lawsuit moot and he will be asking the school board to dismiss the suit next month.

“The school division is extremely pleased that the Board of County Supervisors has approved the comprehensive plan amendment,” Hampshire stated in an e-mail Thursday. “It resolves the pending litigation in a way that is beneficial to both the county and the school board."

Covington cited several reasons for voting against the amendment, including keeping government as transparent as possible. Public facility reviews are done for more than just trailers and some of those issues could have an affect on surrounding communities, said Covington.

“When you light a ballfield, that gets neighbors excited,” Covington said. “... It becomes a ’not in my backyard’ argument and sometimes, public hearings are good."

Principi believes that there is still transparency when it comes to trailer placement; it’s just shifted from the supervisors to an elected school board.

“They are an elected body that has had first-hand experience when it comes to what their needs are and where to place them,” Principi said.

In the past, many requests for trailers were recommended for approval by the planning office and then approved by the planning commission through its consent agenda. Each time, the planning office and commission looks at whether these trailers are consistent with the comprehensive plan before giving them the thumbs up.

In the case of the Brentsville trailers, the planning office recommended the trailers for approval before the planning commission’s decision. Before the lawsuit, the school board successfully appealed the commission’s decision with the board of supervisors, and the trailers were installed for the upcoming school year.

The lawsuit was halted in January 2008 in an effort to glean more information from a similar case in Loudoun County. However, the outcome of that case proved too difficult to use an example in Prince William and the two sides had been at an impasse ever since.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.