Certain county leaders seem determined to help Classic Concepts developer Mark Granville Smith with his Preserve at Long Branch development application. This controversial proposal to bust open the Rural Crescent has again (for the 5th time) been put on the Board of Supervisors agenda for their vote on January 19 – being given preferential treatment and jumped to the front of the line.
Both the Planning Department and the Planning Commission have already recommended denial of the application. It proposes dense housing with sewer, and removal of more than 166 acres from the Rural Crescent.
Why are County officials trying to prioritize this application, sliding it into their agenda even before the totality of the Comprehensive Plan, and specifically the Land Use chapter, have been reviewed and completed? What is so important that the County can’t wait on such a controversial proposal for the pandemic surge to be behind us? Is this what our elected officials believe merits forcing residents to risk their health to show up? What is the rush?
It’s simply that they are determined to chip away at the Rural Crescent. They are using residents’ fears during the pandemic as an opportunity. They worry that if citizens participate fully, that we will, once again, stop a development boondoggle.
This community has made our will known again and again, rallying against efforts to inject sewer and sprawl into the Rural Crescent. With good reason. The Rural Crescent is the best environmental and fiscal tool our County ever enacted. We keep parts of the County green, and taxpayers keep more of their ‘green.’ The latest proposal – rebranded, laughably, from ‘Mid-County Estates’ to ‘ Preserve at Long Branch’ – preserves nothing, but instead hands taxpayers the bill to pay for density and infrastructure.
We can still have an impact on this decision. We need to stop them from handing developers and speculators a free pass to crack the Rural Crescent. We have shown what a united citizenry accomplishes when we all speak up for what we cherish. We need to do that again now.
Use our easy and reliable click-to-send email to get your message directly to the Supervisors before their vote on the 19th. Our supervisors need to know: Once your integrity is gone, there’s no vaccine to bring it back.
This developer’s Preserve at Long Branch application is unique in its threats to the Rural Crescent, and it will impact the entire county. Find complete details and article here.
We agree with Supervisor Margaret Franklin that higher density development near transit IS worth our collective investment as a county. A $750K grant toward north Woodbridge “town center” would help revitalize the existing gateway corridor along U.S. 1. She noted that the project is “a catalyst for transit-oriented development” and “represents the first step in realizing the goals of the North Woodbridge small area plan.” The money is a “pay-for-performance” grant, which requires the developer to achieve specific milestones in order to receive the incentive.
But the only way to make those dollars available, is to ensure that the rural area is not developed as well. There is only so much money in the county’s proverbial pot.
The county Route 1 north widening project from Neabsco Mills Road to Featherstone Road will now include underground power lines, an expensive project that requires approximately $14 million more funneled in from various sources. As former Woodbridge district Supervisor Frank Principi said: “When you think about it, it’s probably a smart move, given what we experienced …with the power failure after the derecho. Sounds to me like a good investment of additional taxpayer money.”
THESE are stellar examples of smart growth development projects. But smart growth requires smart choices. Developing the Rural Crescent will simply siphon critical infrastructure dollars away from areas in the county that have been neglected too long.
The county’s most recent build-out analysis outlines that the county has already approved construction of 35,000 additional residential housing units, when only 31,500 units are needed to accommodate the 101,400 more residents projected by 2040.
The board of supervisors passed a climate resolution on November 18, 2020. Developing the Rural Crescent flies in the face of implementing this policy.
This county is unique to Northern Virginia. We have so much diversity to offer – not just in our people, but also in our landscape. From the Potomac shore to the Bull Run Mountain, it is worth protecting.
Help get the word out. Contact us to get a Save the Rural Crescent sign for your yard now – make a donation to help defray the costs.
