PWC board approves Avendale

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted 5 to 3 in favor of the Avendale development on Tuesday night.

After hearing dozens of speakers weigh in on the highly contested 179 acres of land located on the edge of the Rural Crescent in western Prince William, the board approved a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning of the majority of those acres to allow for higher density residential development.

Supervisors John T. Stirrup, Jr., R-Gainesville; Michael C. May, R-Occoquan and Frank J. Principi, D-Woodbridge voted in opposition to the development.

Brookfield Homes has proposed 295 houses for the area. As part of the rezoning, the developer plans to donate 77 acres for school and park use, which could potentially be used for two school sites and athletic fields.

Under the most recent proffer agreement, building permits will not be issued until the completion of the two elementary schools and high school planned for the Linton Hall corridor. T. Clay Wood Elementary School and Patriot High School are currently being constructed and will be open in the fall of 2011. A yet-to-be named Linton Hall area elementary school has also been approved and is slated to open next fall, as well.

The rezoning of the Avendale land is also tied with the planned relocation of the Vint Hill-Nokesville Road intersection.

The county’s plan to widen Nokesville Road to four lanes south to Fitzwater Drive has begun and involves the Vint Hill relocation. According to county Transportation Department spokesman Rick Canizales, the Virginia Department of Transportation has given the Vint Hill Road-Nokesville Road intersection a failing grade during rush hour due, in part, to its proximity to the Linton Hall Road intersection.

Brookfield attorney Mike Lubeley said that the developer will help offset the cost of the Vint Hill intersection relocation, which county officials project to cost $6 million, through up-front cash donations or in-kind work.

Supervisor W.S. “Wally” Covington III, R-Brentsville, said transportation issues were instrumental in his decision to motion to approve the development. Opponents of the development – which included the Prince William County School Board and the Planning Commission -- cited currently overcrowded schools, increased traffic and issues relating to the protection of the Rural Crescent as reasons not to vote for the development.

In 1998, the county board approved a comprehensive plan amendment that established low housing density in a crescent-shaped swath of land in western Prince William. However, county staff supported Tuesday’s proposed amendment and zoning change, stating that the boundary lines of the Rural Crescent could change based on where the Vint Hill intersection would be relocated.

After the vote on the comp plan amendment and rezoning, the board approved a resolution stating its commitment to keeping the rest of the Rural Crescent rural in character. Board Chairman Corey Stewart said Tuesday’s vote on Avendale does not set a precedent for future high impact development in the Rural Crescent.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.