Moving Forward on the Vision of a New Woodbridge in 2011!

It is hard to believe that the first quarter of 2011 has come and gone.  We have accomplished many great things in the Woodbridge Magisterial District during the past four months and look forward to continuing this momentum throughout 2011.  Our major focus during this quarter has been on the following four issues:

• Creating better government by addressing community needs in the FY 2012 budget.  Alleviating gridlock by adding additional commuter parking lots and creating a regional commuter ferry
• Creating better neighborhoods and protecting property values through the revitalization of Woodbridge.

I have been working with my budget committee and meeting with residents, community groups and businesses to get their input on the 2012 budget.  This will be the first budget adopted during my time as a Board of County Supervisor that has not been drastically cut or has had any reductions in force for County agencies. Now is the time to create a better and more efficient government by lowering taxes for homeowners while still providing more resources to the citizens of Prince William County. 

Alleviating gridlock is an important element of the Vision of a New Woodbridge.  One way to do this is to start a regional commuter ferry service on the Potomac River.  A Commuter Ferry Stakeholder’s group has been created and has met several times over the last few months.  This is a planning group that is comprised of federal, state and local officials representing Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  The private sector, military and academia are also part of this group.  We are on track to conduct a regional market analysis this fall.  It will determine whether there is a need for the service and more simply put, if we build it, will you ride it. 

Another way of alleviating gridlock on our roads is to ensure that we are providing adequate parking to our commuters.  Commuter parking is an issue that quickly surfaced this quarter due to the elimination of about 775 parking spaces at Potomac Mills.  Working with Supervisors May and Jenkins we brought together relevant staff and community leaders to find both short and long term solutions to the problem.  Since we learned of the Mall's decision in January, we have:

• Inventoried and mapped 1,000 unused spots in Woodbridge and Dale City.Secured nearly $1 million in state/federal funds for new parking spots in eastern Prince William County.  Signed a contract to lease 365 new spots close to the Mall at First Baptist Church.
• Contracted to open a new lot in 2012 for 650 spots across from the Horner Road lot.

Another aspect of the Vision is creating better neighborhoods and protecting property values through the revitalization of Woodbridge.  Nearly 100 residents, developers, academia, smart growth experts, county staff, and financial experts attended a Smart Growth Symposium at Harbour View that I hosted in April.  The focus of the Symposium was on the revitalization of Woodbridge.  We came up with a list of infrastructure improvements needed, matched them with smart growth principles and a financial tool that could make it happen.  Revitalization is not limited to North Woodbridge, once this area redevelops, there will be a domino effect down the Route 1 corridor.  

In the coming months we will be holding many community events, additional tele-town hall meetings and several clean-up events to continue the momentum we have started. I look forward to seeing you in our community and working with you to make our community a place where everyone will aspire to live.