Urban sprawl is what most people think of when they drive through older parts of Prince William County. Neighborhoods disconnected from shopping, little green space or limited sidewalks for safety. Neighborhoods that popped up on the landscape because a developer could manage to squeeze them in without much thought to how they would look in the future.
All of that could change this fall when the Prince William County supervisors and planning commissioners begin to look at "Smart Growth" strategies. The strategies are based on building communities with open space, sidewalks, environmentally-friendly designs, mixed used developments and transportation options as just a few of the items that must be in place for developers to gain approval for new construction.
The communities of Belmont Bay, Prince William County Center and Potomac Club are recent examples in eastern Prince William County of developments that are underway that contain many of the principles that the board is currently proposing. The board is currently mapping two distinct "centers": Centers of Commerce and Centers of Community each with slightly different requirements associated with them. The Centers of Commerce are focused on property closer to I-66 in the western section of the county and I-95 in the eastern section of the county. The Centers of Community are spread throughout the county with transportation hubs a primary consideration.
While the planning committees are still working on all of the definitions and development areas they are working closely with local builders to determine how to best divide the development rights and allow the developers to potential swap properties they already own to meet the guidelines they hope to establish for the two development centers.
This plan is a great stride forward from the communities of the past especially in Prince William County where roads are clogged and shopping centers widely dispersed forcing more people in their cars to do everyday tasks.
More information on Smart Growth Communities and New Urbanism
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