The Occoquan River Festival will be reborn this Saturday in the Historic Town of Occoquan. This year the Occoquan Merchants Association will be hosting the event, which will include a petting zoo, pony rides, craft demonstrations, costumed reenactors, live music, sidewalk sales, boat tours, a Taste of Occoquan. The OMA website has complete details!

Last night, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved a major development plan to revitalize the “challenged” area between the Town of Occoquan and Belmont Bay. This is a huge development.

The Occoquan waterfront is going to change dramatically. Lots of new residential space and street level retail. New roads (Marina Drive extension) and traffic improvements (an overpass at the intersection of routes 1 & 123). Horner Road is going to become a walkable main street and the ghastly strip malls from the 1970s can say bye-bye.

You can download the complete Urban Mixed Use Area Master Plan here.

Goals for the North Woodbridge Urban Mixed Use Area Master Plan:

• Office: 500,000 to 750,000 gross square feet
• Residential: 2,500 to 3,500 multifamily units
• Retail: 250,000 to 500,000 gross square feet
• Hotel: 260 rooms

The Washington Examiner has published an article with more details.

Two very interesting articles about the future development of the Occoquan waterfront region were published last week. The first article, from the Washington Business Journal contains details about the construction of Belmont Bay and the Rivergate. Teaser:

In the past decade Belmont Bay has constructed nearly 1,000 condos and townhouses — all overlook the bay. Just 23 remain unsold. Belmont Bay can build out an additional 873 condos and townhouses, something that Miller predicts will take 10 more years — at least — to complete.

The second article, published in the Washington Post, details a dense development plan to revitalize the north Woodbridge area situated between historic Occoquan and Belmont Bay. It also has some interesting road construction details. Teaser:

The vision for north Woodbridge, an area county officials said extends from the Occoquan River to Occoquan Road and from Route 1 to Horner Road, is to develop up — not out — and to have office and commercial space on one level with residential units above.

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. The development would be phased in, so residential development does not outpace commercial, county officials said.

Finally, the Town of Occoquan Merchant Association is hosting the Second Annual “Art on The Occoquan” Art Walk this Saturday, May 08, 2010 (4:00 PM-8:00 PM). Enjoy an eclectic showcase of creative, fine arts in various mediums from local artisans. More details

The Peak Bloom Period prediction for the beautiful Cherry Blossom trees that encircle the Tidal Basin in Washington DC has been revised to April 1 – 4, 2009! The peak bloom date is defined as the day in which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) trees are open. The entire blooming period prediction spans from March 28 to April 11.

The blooming of the cherry trees has come to symbolize the natural beauty of our nation’s capital city. The famous trees, a gift from Japan in 1912, signal Washington’s rite of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms. Thousands of city residents and visitors from across the nation and around the world come here to witness the spectacle, hoping that the trees will be at the peak of bloom for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

One of the most popular activites is to rent a paddle boat and peddle around the Tidal Basic. Reservations are recommended. Now you can make them online. Of course, if you have a boat and live in Occoquan, your best option is to dewinterize and head north! It only takes about 30 minutes to reach the spot in between the Key Bridge and the 14th Street Bridge, where you’ll discover the best vantage point.

Looking to head up to DC as part of an armada? Check out the Potomac River Party Boaters Association to see if you can find any takers!

Welcome to the new OccoquanWaterfront.com. I’m Lou Mintzer, I live in Occoquan, Virginia and am one of the people who will be contributing to this blog.

Tucked away just 21 miles south of Washington DC, the area along the Occoquan River has been a hidden gem for many years.  The town of Occoquan and the surrounding region is a great place to live, a beautiful place to visit and an affordable place to shop.

The south bank of the Occoquan River, is also home to many marinas, nearly 1000 recreational boats and a thriving boating community.  One of the main goals that we have for this blog is to bridge the gaps between the local boating community and the town of Occoquan.  Also, we want to invite everybody that enjoys living and boating on the Chesapeake Bay to learn more about what makes Occoquan so special.

Over the next few month, as we add more content and information to this site, we welcome you to participate with us.  If you live or work in Occoquan or nearby, we welcome any news or information that you would like to share.  OccoquanWaterfront.com is a platform for everybody that loves Occoquan!