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Issue 144
Friday, December 9, 2022
Prince William County
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Dear Neighbors,
The holiday season is also a season of planning. Schedules are coordinated with family and friends. Menus are set for special meals, groceries purchased, and food preparation. Calendars are filled with festive activities and gatherings. Time is set aside to finalize gift lists, shop, and wrap presents. Homes are decorated with project management-inspired strategic planning and execution.
As you'll see in this issue, Prince William County is also in a season of planning. Both the County's Comprehensive Plan and the region's multimodal transportation plan are being updated. The next steps are being planned for a new safety initiative. While these are particularly significant plans, almost every issue includes at least one item connected to plans for our County.
Planning on any level is important. We want to get things right, we want to think ahead, we don't want something to get overlooked, and on and on. Planning will lead to a successful holiday season, and planning will ensure that in the future, Prince William County will continue to be a community of choice.
In Service,
Chair Ann Wheeler
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Saturday, December 3, Chair Wheeler participated in the 76th annual Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. One of the largest in Northern Virginia, this year's parade, themed Hometown Christmas, was full of holiday spirit. | |
Transportation Update Adoption | |
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Thursday, December 8, Chair Wheeler participated in Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's (NVTA) adoption of its TransAction Plan 2022 Update, Northern Virginia’s long-range multimodal transportation plan. Updated every five years, the newly adopted plan includes 424 regionally significant projects (sortable table version here) with an estimated cost of over $75 billion.
A roadmap for transportation projects over a 20-year timeframe, TransAction is an unconstrained list of projects that would be the most advantageous to the region. It does not envision all projects being completed and there is not available funding to complete all of them over the next twenty years. It is used to inform NVTA’s Six Year Program (issue 125).
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Per TransAction, Commuting Trips:
- Represent only about 18% of daily trips in Northern Virginia.
- Have a disproportionate impact on traffic congestion since they tend to be longer and during the peak periods.
- Are predominantly to destinations within Northern Virginia (73% in 2017).
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TransAction 2022 Update Items of Note Impacting PWC include:
- Extending high-capacity transit from the Franconia/Springfield Metrorail Station to Potomac Mills, with a potential extension to Triangle/Quantico.
- Implement a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service on Route 1 between Woodbridge and Huntington Metrorail Station in Alexandria.
BRT, a new element in the TransAction plan, is a high-quality and high-capacity bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, reliable, and cost-effective service. Learn more about BRT in the 2022 plan (pages 15-16).
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About the NVTA
Seventeen elected or appointed members make up the NVTA’s governing body. Chair Wheeler is one of the fourteen members with voting rights. NVTA is a critical component of our region's transportation planning, funding, and prioritization of projects. To better understand the NVTA and its role in transportation in PWC, you can read this two-page overview or watch the 3-minute video below.
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Friday, December 9, Chair Wheeler participated in the 35th Annual Senior Holiday Dinner at the PWC Area on Agency's Senior Center in Woodbridge. Approximately 150 seniors attended the festive celebration that included live entertainment, singing, and dancing. For some of the seniors, this is their major holiday meal and the only social event of the holiday season. Woodbridge Magisterial District Supervisor Margaret Franklin (bottom left in photo) also attended the event. | |
Judicial Center Open House and Dedication | |
Friday evening, December 9, Chair Wheeler will be attending the Judicial Center newly renovated Public Law Library Open House and Dedication in Honor of Paul B. Ebert. Virginia’s longest-serving prosecutor, Mr. Ebert retired in 2019 after serving over 50 years leading the PWC Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney. | |
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About the Law Library
Under the management of the Circuit Court Clerk's Office, the PWC Public Law Library provides free access to legal materials for the public and legal community. The Law Library collects, maintains and preserves legal materials in both hard copy and digital forms for ease of use and universal access in an environment conducive to serious research, scholarship, and self-help. Its collection consists of almost 7000 volumes of printed materials. The library is located on the 3rd floor of the PWC Judicial Center located at 9311 Lee Avenue in Manassas. In addition to the online catalog, many helpful links can be found here.
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Tuesday, December 13
2:00 pm Regular Meeting
7:30 pm Public Hearing
For Public Comment Time options visit SpeakUp! Prince William. Remote speakers must sign-up by 5:00 pm on Monday, December 12. In-person speakers can sign up at the meeting.
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The December 13 meeting is the last Board meeting of 2022. The first meeting in 2023 is tentatively set for Tuesday, January 10. | | | |
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December 13 Public Hearing Details
The December 13, 7:30 pm, meeting will be a Public Hearing on the Comprehensive Plan Update: Pathway to 2040. During the hearing, the updates to the five chapters of the plan below will be presented to the Board. Click on the icons below to read the agenda item and attached chapter update.
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Learn more about the Planning Office and Comprehensive Plan in County News below. | |
Items From the December 6 Meeting | |
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The BOCS heard a detailed Community Safety Initiative presentation led by Dan Alexander, PWC Deputy County Executive of Public Safety (issue 98). Mr. Alexander stepped into the newly-created role in February of this year and will oversee the initiative. Following the presentation and in-depth discussion, the Board agreed that the proposed initiative would move forward.
Learn more about the Safety Initiative in County News below.
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Commended Mr. Jim Good for performing heroic actions that saved a child’s life and helped keep the County a safe and secure community.
Learn more about Mr. Good's actions in County Kudos below.
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Mark Buenavista has been selected as the County’s new Planning Director, effective January 23, 2023. Mr. Buenavista has 14 years in planning and architectural design, including nine with regional county governments. He has overseen the planning, programming, facility planning, design and construction administration of multiple large-scale projects and public-private partnerships. He also brings expertise in fostering collaboration among elected officials, county executive leadership, businesses and key stakeholders. | | |
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As the Director of Design, Development and Construction Division at the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, Mr. Buenavista directed the overall planning, acquisition, development and preservation of low- and moderate-income housing and associated community facilities. Most recently, he led new affordable housing development and existing market affordable housing preservation projects totaling approximately $1.7 billion. Prior to his director position, he served as Director Project Coordinator at Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services | |
Before joining Fairfax County, Mr. Buenavista was an Engineering Specialist with the Howard County Department of Public Works and an architect for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Temple University. His credentials include membership in the American Institute of Architects, a Registered Architect License in the Commonwealth of Virginia and State of Maryland, a Certified Construction Manager License and a certificate from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, among others. | |
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About the Planning Office
The Planning Office has four divisions: Long-Range Planning, Current Planning, Zoning Administration, and Community Development. The office is responsible for reviewing development applications, including rezonings, special use permits, Agricultural and Forestal District applications, zoning appeals, variances and public facility reviews.
The office is currently in the process of updating PWC's existing long-range Comprehensive Plan through 2040, called the Pathway to 2040. The Comprehensive Plan was last updated in 2008 and 2010. You can learn more about the Pathway to 2040 update process and how the Comprehensive Plan shapes our future from current Acting Director of Planning, Rebecca Horner, in the 3-minute video below.
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The new PWC Community Safety Initiative (CSI) is closely aligned with research done by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and best practices from across the country. It will focus on prevention, intervention, education, and diversion strategies to be more proactive in addressing safety concerns within the community. The initiative will use data and active community engagement to determine strategic priorities and focused action plans that are holistic, evidence-informed, equitable and inclusive. | |
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Next Steps of the CSI implementation will be to:
- Establish a CSI Program Manager and Senior Analyst.
- Begin gathering data through an evidence-informed community assessment and engaging the community on safety priorities.
- Establish a Community Safety Advisory Committee comprised of no more than 20 members from appropriate governmental agencies and the community.
- Establish the CSI Program in the FY24 Budget.
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The BJA, a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, was created in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform our Nation’s criminal justice system. BJA works with communities, governments, and nonprofit organizations to reduce crime, recidivism, and unnecessary confinement, and promote a safe and fair criminal justice system. It provides leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to achieve safer communities. | | | |
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"There are County agencies, community groups and trusted voices within our area that are already doing great work to address the different concerns related to safety in our County. This initiative brings all those stakeholders to the table, allows all voices to be heard and identifies proactive steps forward by leveraging the efforts of everyone committed to keeping Prince William County safe.”
Ann Wheeler
Chair At-Large Board of County Supervisors
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New Express Commuter Bus Route | |
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About the Theater
The National Museum of the Marine Corps opened its state-of-the-art giant-screen Medal of Honor Theater on July 23, 2017. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, the 369-seat theater is equipped with two 4K laser projectors that provide audiences with ultra-realistic images and awe-inspiring visuals while the theater's sound system adds an experience unlike any other theater in the country.
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Start Planning Your Winter | | |
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Wondering what there is to do in PWC during the winter? Then the PWC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism has you covered with its Winter 2023 Leisure magazine. It's brimming with new and time-honored events. You can learn calligraphy, get fit with pilates, find out how gut health is connected to mental health, and more! There are programs for the young through the young at heart. If you find something you like, use the easy 'Registration Link' in the top corner of each page. | |
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Winter Break Camps
It’s not too late to sign them up for PWC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism's Winter Break Camp at the Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center in Woodbridge. There are two sessions available, Monday, December 19, through Thursday, December 22, and Tuesday, December 27, through Friday, December 30. Both camps are for ages 6 to 14 and run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Register here.
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On Monday, July 25, 2022, Mr. Jim Good was working for his employer
performing routine maintenance on a residence in Bristow. While Mr. Good was working, a parent at the residence unexpectedly brought him their 3-year old child, who was showing signs of obvious distress. Mr. Good recognized the child’s distress was due to choking.
Mr. Good immediately performed the appropriate lifesaving measures and was able to clear the child’s completely obstructed airway by dislodging two foreign objects. Mr. Good's quick actions saved the child’s life. In addition to a commendation from the BOCS, Mr. Good was presented with a Citizen Hero Award from the PWC Fire and Rescue System.
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"Mr. Good is the prime example of our first step in a crisis response, and that is as a citizen. Whether it's doing CPR, in this case choking and doing the back blows that dislodged the obstruction in that child. Mr. Good is truly a hero in our community."
James Forgo
Acting Chief, PWC Fire and Rescue System
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How to Get Vaccinated (including boosters):
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Ann B. Wheeler was elected Chair At-Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors during the 2019 General Election and assumed office on January 1, 2020. Prince William County is located 25 miles south of Washington, D.C., and is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s second-most populous county with approximately 482,000 residents. | | | | |
