Author: Kimberly Scharfenberger

Originals

Prince William leaders balk at building more affordable housing

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors was briefed on how the county could meet the growing demand for affordable housing over the next 10 years. Several supervisors took umbrage, arguing that the region did not have the resources or necessity to plan for more affordable homes.

Paul DesJardin, director of community planning services for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), and Rebecca Horner, director of planning for Prince William County, presented housing “aspirations” for the county based on estimates of public need and demand.

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News

INVESTIGATION: Slave auction block ready to move; Associated costs top $30,000

By Kimberly Scharfenberger
Fredericksburg City Hall

FREDERICKSBURG — A historic slave auction block at the corner of Charles and William Street is being relocated to the Fredericksburg Area Museum, after more than two years of an intensive dialogue between city councilmembers and citizens on the block’s future.

At the July 9 city council meeting, councilmembers and representatives of the Fredericksburg Area Museum agreed that the block would be moved to the museum, contingent on the city and the museum coming to a mutually satisfying plan for the block’s funding and future.

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News

Stafford urged to be proactive ahead of Amazon HQ2

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

STAFFORD — Amazon’s move to Crystal City will have far-reaching effects to the Northern Virginia metro area’s households. Even Stafford County, which is fairly removed from the D.C. corridor, should be considering how dynamics will change.

“Stafford should be thinking very proactively about the fact that we are a growing metropolitan area in the long-term,” Jeannette Chapman, deputy director and senior research associate for the Stephen S. Fuller Institute, told Potomac Local. “There are always going to be hard periods of adjustment as the region grows.”

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Originals

Facing cuts, 5,000 applicants seek help from Prince William affordable housing fund

By Kimberly Scharfenberger
Row houses line streets in Woodbridge’s Belmont Bay neighborhood. (Mary Davidson/PotomacLocal.com)

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Affordable housing’s future in Prince William County unclear amidst predicted federal funding cuts.

Federal subsidies for affordable housing are predicted to decline in the coming years. In Prince William County’s 2020 budget proposal, the county’s affordable housing needs are spelled out, but it remains unclear how demand will be met amidst rapid growth and change in the area.

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Prince William

Report shows reductions in pollutants, improved water quality in Potomac

By Kimberly Scharfenberger
Potoamc shores, dumfries, virginia
A view of the Potomac River from Potomac Shores near Dumfries, Virginia. [Uriah Kiser / Potomac Local]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Press Release) The amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus—which in excess can degrade water quality—have declined dramatically in the Potomac River since the 1980s, and are on track for further reductions, says a new COG report.

The findings of the report, Potomac River Water Quality in Metropolitan Washington, were presented today to the COG Board of Directors. The report analyzes long-term data from 1985 to 2016, rather than relying on a single year or point in time, which can be impacted by weather conditions.

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News

VRE and OmniRide offering new transportation options during Metro renovations

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY – Metrorail is closing six stations south of National Airport for platform repairs this summer, and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and OmniRide are stepping in with alternative transportation options.

VRE has lowered the cost of a single-ride Amtrak Step-Up ticket from $8 to $4. It will also free up space on its trains for new riders, particularly those boarding at Franconia-Springfield or Alexandria – by giving passengers with multi-ride tickets (monthly, 5-day, 10-ride, and transit link card) the option to use any of 12 Amtrak trains listed on the current VRE schedule.

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Business

New mobile PET/CT scanner promises quicker access to cancer care in Woodbridge

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center has been approved to add a mobile PET/CT scanner to its services. This brings important cancer detection technology to the area, which had previously involved long commutes for patients.

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Business

Vint Hill transforming from military ghost town to bustling community center

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

Vint Hill is gaining new tenants at an impressive rate.

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Originals

Affordable housing needs in Prince William ‘increasing daily’ as Amazon arrival looms

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY — Once a refuge for low and middle-income workers priced out of Alexandria and Arlington, Prince William County is currently struggling to meet its population’s affordable housing needs.

Nonprofit organization directors in the area confirmed that the community is in need of housing assistance beyond the scope of existing support systems. But with fewer affordable communities planned in the county and housing programs that are already filled to capacity, no clear solution is readily available.

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News

NOVA Woodbridge Campus renovation will add new classrooms, more space, modern feel

By Kimberly Scharfenberger

WOODBRIDGE — A $36 million renovation of Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge campus is expected to start in fall 2020. The Seefeldt Building will be updated to include centralized student services, new classroom spaces, and updated infrastructure.

The renovation, which will take approximately 18-24 months, will provide badly-needed updates and changes to the nearly 50-year-old building.

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