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Author: Caitlyn Meisner
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Welcome back to a Potomac Local News series, “Meet Prince William.”
We’ve started this series so Prince William County residents can get to know the important people working behind the scenes to make the county run smoothly and efficiently. This is an opportunity to learn from experts on the county. Potomac Local has asked each leader the same questions in bold, and their respective answers will be found below.
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The city was requesting approval to rezone the Manor — which was built in the early 1890s as a summer residence for Robert Portner in the Neo-Classical Revival style — to add a historic overlay district.
“The purpose of a historical overlay district is to provide an additional layer of protection to properties with historic and/or architectural significance,” Benjamin Walker, a planner with the city, said at the meeting. “[This ensures] that any exterior work or treatment is historically appropriate and does not diminish a property’s integrity.”
The partnership between the owners of the Prince William Ice Center and the Capitals, valued at $200,000, will allow for the construction of the new rink on an unused portion of the Boys & Girls Club — more commonly known as The Hylton Club — sports fields.
The rink will be dry — meaning no ice will be seen, and it can be used year-round.
The application was two-fold. It was requested that the nearly 19 acres of land be rezoned from mixed-use village to light industrial and that an update be made to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
The update to the CPA would rezone the entire district from general business to light industrial. This area includes parts of Fitzwater Drive, Hooker Lane and the Norfolk Southern Railway, in addition to Nokesville Elementary School and a fire station.
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Thursday (July 3)
Friday (July 4)
According to a concept plan document from 2024, the goal of the Innovation District — placed around the GMU SciTech Campus — is to connect jurisdictions and industry to create “lasting benefits for the community.”
“Serving as a catalyst, convener, connector, communicator and capacity-builder, the Innovation District will be a destination for ambitious minds to fuel lasting economic growth and well-being in the City of Manassas, Prince William County and beyond,” the document states.
Throughout a tight budget cycle, the Board was unsure if they would be able to fund a 5.5% salary increase due to budget constraints from both City Council and the Commonwealth. Many Board members had expressed a desire for a 7% salary increase to match other neighboring jurisdictions.
Prince William County Schools, for example, came to an agreement with the Prince William Education Association for a historic $160 million investment over a two-year period. This results in a 7% wage increase in fiscal year 2026.
“I earned my barber license while incarcerated at Haynesville Correctional Center. That program changed my life — it gave me more than just a trade; it gave me a vision of who I could become,” Carey said. “When I was released in 2014, I didn’t just walk out with a record — I walked out with a barber license and a new sense of direction.”
Carey, founder and owner of Faded & Co. Barbershop and CEO of the F.A.D.E.D. Foundation in Fredericksburg, was inspired by his own story to begin a home for second-chance advocacy for those released from incarceration.