Woodbridge Makes Steps Towards Greener Development

Last night, the Planning Commission unanimously moved to accept the staff report for the updated Environmental Chapter for the Prince William County Comprehensive Plan.

Every five years, Planning Commission reviews the Environmental Chapter to ensure that the area is ecologically sound and protected through land and water provisions.

Now, the revised Environmental Chapter will move onto the Board of County Supervisors for a public hearing on Oct. 5.

The process started June 23, 2009 when the Board of County Supervisors initiated the Environmental Chapter update from the last version that was created in 2003.

According to the extensive staff report -- complete with comments by the commission, Office of Public Works and eight community associations -- from June 2009 to July 2010 community input meetings were held to thoroughly involve the community in this amendment process.

Two planning commissioners were integral in co-chairing the Environmental Chapter update; Kim Hosen, the Occoquan Planning Commissioner, and Bruce Holley, the Neabsco Planning Commissioner.

County staffer Scott Meyer expressed the county's desire for greener technology in the future.

"Through this chapter we've embraced the concept of sustainability and green-guiding principles," said Meyer in last night's meeting. "This past year we've gone forth with our go-green initiatives."

Major issues highlighted in the staff report and during last night's public hearing pertaining to Woodbridge include new policies for storm water management, steep slopes in respect to new housing developments and tree preservation.

Hosen was adamant that the intermittent streams in the area -- defined as having flowing water during certain times of the year -- be protected.

To illustrate her point, Hosen displayed an EPA map of Virginia that showed the intermittent, ephemeral and headwater streams that are not protected in protected in Prince William County.

"We are red," said Hosen. "Just to add some context to the discussion what they're saying is 70 to 86 percent of our surface drinking water comes from intermittent, ephemeral and headwater streams."

This updated Environmental Chapter revision will add a significant stream category and will describe how to specifically enforce a 50 foot buffer for building developers on these proposed water areas.

Opposition to this new Environmental Chapter was limited to members of building communities who claim that given this chapter as-is, they would pass over Woodbridge and Prince William County as a potential place for development.

Truett Young, Northern Virginia Building Industry Association's Prince William Chapter President, said that his organization was concerned with upcoming Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality policies and reports that would render this chapter inefficient.

"It seems inappropriate to approve this comprehensive plan now and then all these things come online and have to go back and do the comprehensive plan again," said Young.

Young also spoke to new definitions in the chapter that do not yet have protocol to enforce these definitions.

"If I am a developer another area and I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to set up shop, I open up the comprehensive plan of Prince William County and if I can't look at the comprehensive plan and look at a piece of property and know that I do or do not have an issue, I'm moving on to the next county," said Young.

The Comprehensive Plan for Prince William County, according to the staff report, "contains a clear strategy for responsible fiscally-sound growth to produce a vibrant, prosperous, stable, "livable" community."

With the updated chapter, there would be more tree preservation in the county, an increase in environmental awareness in the area, a developed master energy plan for the community and a greater focus on sustainability and "greening" of non-governmental facilities and residences.