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Board give preliminary OK to Villages of Piedmont
It's rare that a developer begs county supervisors to allow him to preserve more open space. It's even rarer for residents to line up to side with a developer looking to make changes to the Rural Crescent.That's what happened Tuesday, however, when residents asked the Board of County Supervisors to change the Comprehensive Plan to allow further development at the Villages of Piedmont II.
The proposal is still in its early stages and it will be months before the final plans are clear. But the project got the go-ahead on Tuesday when the board voted unanimously to initiate a Comprehensive Plan amendment -- the first step toward this type of land use request.
The 496-acre property is located just south of Interstate 66, between James Madison Highway and Thoroughfare Road.
The property is currently designated for a mix of agriculture and community employment center. The developer, Scott C. Plein of Equinox Investments, is hoping instead to change that to a mix of open space and homes.
That in itself isn't unusual. The kicker is that Equinox wants to do away with the commercial aspect altogether and instead designate 386 acres of the property for open space and parks and only 90 acres for homes.
That got the support of residents, who turned out on Tuesday to support the project.
“I want to live in the country. I don't want to live in New York anymore,” one man said in a thick New York City accent.
County staffers, however, took a different view.
Ray Utz, the county's chief of long-range planning, said his staff opposes the amendment because of its location.
“When the project was submitted I was pretty excited,” Utz said, noting the large amount of open space and the fact that the designation would actually add 50 acres more to the county's Rural Crescent.
The problem, he said, is the location. The property is situated in an area that has all of the infrastructure needed for mass transit and business; that is, it's the perfect area for the community employment center it is currently designated for.
Switching over all of that land for open space and homes and will take away jobs and businesses from the very place we want them to be, Utz said, adding that it's “an exciting project, it's just not the right place.”
Residents, however, disagreed.
“I understand the need for businesses and warehouses and retail and we've got tons of it,” said Mike Ryan. “I think we've got more than enough to spare.”
Supervisors weren't 100 percent convinced but agreed to let the project proceed for the time being.
Brentsville Supervisor Wally Covington, (R), whose district includes the property, said he thinks the proposed density is too high.
Equinox has asked for 48 acres of “suburban residential low,” which allows 1-4 homes per acre; and 43 acres of “suburban residential medium,” which allows 4-6 homes per acre.
Supervisor Mike May (R-Occoquan) also pointed out that there is a larger problem if the county's goal of creating rural large-acre lots conflicts with its goal of creating mixed-use walkable communities.
“It's hard to have a walkable community with 10-acre lots,” he noted, asking rhetorically if the county's smart-growth concept is incompatible with its rural-living concept.
Supervisors may have to rehash that one on another day. For the time being, they allowed the Villages of Piedmont II and three other eastern Prince William requests to move forward.
That decision means that the developers can continue working with the county staff on their requests. The issues will still have to come before the Planning Commission and then the Board of County Supervisors for final approval later in the year.
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