A piece of rural land near the Prince William County Public Schools headquarters could be carved up and turned into new homes.
The county Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, to review a proposal to rezone 70 acres from A-1, Agricultural, to PMR, Planned Mixed Residential, and allow for the development of up to 210 residential units 219,000 square feet of commercial and office.
The proposed Independent Hill Village site sits on the south side of Route 234, at Independent Hill Road, and north of Bristow Road. The site is located within the Independent Hill Small Area Plan area — a blueprint for future growth for about 565 acres, stretching from the county landfill to the edge of Prince William Forest Park. The county’s comprehensive plan calls for a mixed-use development for the area, with the development of low-density suburban homes.
McLean-based Elm Street Communities is proposing to build the development. It has developed several properties in Maryland in its portfolio and some in Virginia, like Featherstone Square in Woodbridge and Shelton Woods in Stafford.
The developer retained attorneys at Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh P.C. to represent the firm.
County leaders approved the Independent Hill Small Area Plan about a year ago. In 2020, a county planner told Potomac Local News the area could be suitable for a grocery store.
The property falls within the county’s Domestic Fowl (where residents may have chickens), Data Center Opportunity Zone, and is partially within the Dumfries Road Highway Corridor Overlay District. This area has been studied as part of a future parkway linking Interstates 95 and 66.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing on February 9, 2022. Afterward, it deferred the matter to allow the Applicant to modify the proposal to address the following issues: a significant modification to standard lot sizes and preserving environmental features in the area.
Prince William County development staff has reviewed the subject application and recommends the Planning Commission approve the new development. Check this website to learn more about the Planning Commission and watch live and archived videos of its meetings.
