Deed restrictions proposed for Silver Lake

Hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, fishing and bird watching.

Those are the kinds of activities that at least two members of the Board of County Supervisors and area conservation activists want to see happen at Silver Lake.

The county has owned the 230-acre property, off Antioch Road near Haymarket, since December 2006, when Toll Brothers, a developer that built the nearby Dominion Valley subdivision, proffered it to the county.

So far Silver Lake remains closed to the public and the future uses of the property have not yet been decided.

But that could soon change.

Tuesday the Board of County supervisors will hold a public hearing about conveying Silver Lake to the Prince William County Park Authority.

Friday, Board of County Supervisors members Martin Nohe (R-Coles) and Michael May (R-Occoquan) announced their proposal to convey Silver Lake to the Park Authority with deed restrictions.

The proposed restrictions would limit the park’s use to passive recreation — things like jogging, hiking, picnicking, and non-motorized boating — and horseback riding.

In a news release, Nohe and May said they originally supported giving the property to the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy, with similar restrictions.

In 2007, the Prince William County Park Authority, the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority all submitted proposals for the Silver Lake property.

Now, the Prince William Park Authority’s proposal is the only one that remains.

“In discussing the issue, we realized that the deed restrictions that we would have placed on the property in conveying it to the BRMC, a private non-profit, would also work well for the Park Authority,” Nohe said in the news release. “In either case, the key is ensuring that Silver Lake remains in passive, low intensity uses.”

May and Nohe said their proposal would restrict the park’s use to “jogging, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, picnicking, fishing, non-motorized boating, walking, walking domestic pets, nature and historic interpretive activities and areas, wildlife refuge, bird watching, environmental studies” and scenic viewing areas.

Under Nohe and May’s proposal, the county would be able to take the property back if the Park Authority did not honor the deed restrictions.

Area conservation activists said they support the proposed deed restrictions.

“Silver Lake is a legacy asset for the county. We need to protect it forever,” Charlie Grymes of the Prince William Conservation Alliance said in a statement. “Deed restrictions will ensure that what we see is what we get.”

According to county documents, the Park Authority’s current proposal is to partner with the Rainbow Riding Center to construct a security residence at the park and with scouts, equestrian groups, and trails groups to develop a trail system within the park.

If the Park Authority gets the property, the park could “be open to the public for use of trails, bank fishing, picnicking and other passive recreation uses” within two to three months, according to the proposal.

In the future, when more funding is available, the Park Authority could develop the park more, possibly adding a camp store, marina and outdoor classroom, according to their proposal.

The Board of County Supervisors will hold a public hearing on conveying Silver Lake to the Park Authority during their meeting Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the McCoart Administration Center.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.