Despite strenuous opposition from over 100 Occoquan residents and well-spoken appeals from many, including Mayor Porta and James Phelps, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to rezone Tanyard Hill Road for commercial development.

Specifically, developer Ken Thompson will now be permitted to build a 32,500 square foot office building on an old windy road with dire traffic, drainage and erosion problems. The motion passed 5-3, under the unwavering support of Chairman Corey Stewart.

In favor of rezoning:

- Corey Stewart
- Wally Covington
- Peter Candland
- John Jenkins
- Maureen Caddigan

Opposed to rezoning:

- Michael May
- Martin Nohe
- Frank Principi

It is the official position of the Town of Occoquan and OccoquanWaterfront that the planned commercial development is flawed and will only exacerbate the existing traffic and flooding problems in town. The impact will be most keenly felt in November, 2015 – when the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is up for reelection.

No snow on the ground this year but this time-lapse video of the construction of Phase III of the Occoquan Reach community captures the impact of Snowmageddon in January 2010.

Calling all Occoquan residents: Please attend the Board of County Supervisors meeting on January 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the McCoart Administration Building to oppose the Oaks III rezoning request.  The Chairman of the Board, Corey Stewart, has flipped. He now supports the developer and is pressuring other members of the board to do so as well.

Please consider emailing the members of the Board of Supervisors to respectfully request that they support the Town of Occoquan in opposing the rezoning request and the accompanying negative storm water and traffic impact that will result.

Things are heating up on the $1 Billion dollar project to improve traffic on Routes 95 & 395. VDOT is currently holding “HOT lane forums” throughout the construction area.

The VA Mega Project will add a 3rd lane to the existing HOV lanes in the center portion of the highway. Also, High Occupancy Toll technology (EZ Pass transponders) will automatically bill drivers that do not meet the minimum standard: three or more people in their car, including carpools, motorcycles and transit vehicles.

An overhead sign will show the current toll price for the upcoming segment. VDOT expects tolls to be between 10 cents to about $1 per mile, depending on traffic, with the average trip costing $5 to $6.

A worthy article about protecting and improving the Occoquan Reservoir:
Occoquan Reservoir: A Rare Gem Worth Protecting

The Occoquan Reservoir is a rare gem in our increasingly developed area. It is already an irreplaceable drinking water source for 1.7 million people.

…

Sedimentation input results in knee-deep mud along the bottom of the reservoir that reduces water capacity and aquatic diversity, the clarity of the water is poor, aquatic grasses grow unchecked that inhibit fish stocks and diversity, and on and on.

Check out PWConserve.org for more information.

Will Occoquan Riverfront Park finally become a reality? The Prince William County FY 2012-2017 Capital Improvement Plan calls for a radical revitalization. According to the document:

Occoquan Riverfront Park will be developed on a portion of two parcels of land owned by Fairfax County Water Authority and located at 415 Mill Street and 460 Mill Street in the Town of Occoquan. The site was previously utilized as a water treatment plant and has been decommissioned by Fairfax Water. Fairfax Water will assist in development of the site by selective demolition of existing facilities. The area will be developed into a small community park with a playground, a spray ground, a small amphitheater, and possibly some indoor space appropriate for community based programming.

Where is the money coming from? Debt financing approved by voters during the 2006 bond referendum provides $1,500,000 for this project. Construction  of the park is scheduled for completion in 2013.

1- Finally, VDOT will open the 4th lane of I-95 Southbound, which spans a five-mile distance from the Fairfax County Parkway south to the U.S. 1 exit, just north of the Occoquan River Bridge, per Fredericksburg.com. (Commuters rejoice!)

2- According to the News & Messenger, a shoreline boardwalk may soon come to town, stretching from the existing pier at Madigan’s Waterfront, through the Gaslight Landing development, all the way to the Mill House Museum at the end of town. More details coming soon.

3- ChesapeakeBoating.net just published the feature article from the November issue of Chesapeake Bay Magazine, which recounts a weekend trip from Annapolis to Occoquan and puts the town in a wonderful light.

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.

Its been awhile since the hum of bulldozers has accompanied the morning song of local osprey but it seems that is about to change.

When the housing bubble burst, new home construction in Occoquan came screeching to a halt. The brick townhouses on Center Lane sit right next to a string of cement foundations, the Gaslight Landing complex on Mill Street is only half-built (and mostly unoccupied) and WCI stopped halfway through building Occoquan Reach.

As part of WCI’s recent emergence from bankruptcy, the remaining undeveloped parcels in Occoquan Reach have been old to Stanley Martin Homes. Just last week, Stanley Martin announced that construction on slightly modified Occoquan Reach townhouses around September 8th. Time to break out the earplugs!