WOODBRIDGE, Va. – A new walkable community featuring more than 1,000 homes, restaurants, and Prince William County’s first Whole Foods Market is moving closer to reality at one of the region’s busiest intersections.
Over 100 people attended a community meeting at the Prince William County Government Center in Woodbridge on Saturday, July 12, where county officials and developers shared updated timelines and new design details for the Quartz District, a long-planned mixed-use development located at the intersection of Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway. But the project’s future hinges on the construction of a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI)—a first for the county.
“We didn’t expect this turnout,” said Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry to the standing-room only crowd. “But I’m glad you’re here, and I want to make sure we continue having these meetings throughout the project.”
The Interchange: A New Era for Local Infrastructure
Transportation Director Rick Canizales told residents the SPUI design is “90 percent complete” and said the county expects to “award the construction contract in November 2025.” Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2026, with a target completion date of 2027.
“We expect construction to begin late 2025 or early 2026,” Canizales said. “We’re trying to accelerate the timeline and finish by early 2027.”
The SPUI will lower Prince William Parkway beneath Minnieville Road, funneling all left turns and through movements through a single central traffic signal. The design is meant to reduce congestion and support the surrounding development.
A temporary detour road will connect Elm Farm Road to the Parkway during construction and will be removed upon completion of the project. Left-turn movements will be limited at various stages, but pedestrian access will remain open, with crosswalks and potential audible signals in place.
Noise, Speeding, and Resident Concerns
Some residents, especially from nearby Lakeside Townhomes, voiced concern about the lack of a sound wall. Angry responded by acknowledging safety and noise complaints.
“We hear you. There are problems on Minnieville, on the Parkway, Elm Farm, Pennington. We’ve got to do better, and we’re working on ways to slow people down.”
A county sound study concluded that the project would not increase noise levels by more than 3 decibels—below the threshold to require mitigation like a noise wall.
“We’re not ignoring the concerns,” Angry said. “We’ll continue to monitor and explore future mitigation.”
Quartz District: What’s Being Built
The Quartz District includes 1,015 residential units, including 610 townhomes and 405 multifamily units in the form of stacked condos and apartments. There are no single-family detached homes in the project.
“We’re building a walkable community with a mix of housing types,” said developer Russell “Russ” Gestl, Executive Vice President of Buchanan Partners.
Of the total, 90 homes will be income-qualified affordable housing units for residents earning between 60% and 100% of the area’s median income.
“This isn’t Section 8,” Gestl clarified. “We’re targeting working families and individuals who are priced out of the market.”
Whole Foods and Experiential Retail
The commercial portion of the project won’t break ground until the interchange is complete.
“Whole Foods isn’t going to come until the road’s done,” Gestl said. “They’ve made that very clear.”
Confirmed and potential retail tenants include:
- Whole Foods Market (anchor)
- Wawa (signed lease)
- Shake Shack
- Tatte Bakery & Café
- Great American Restaurants (the firm that opened Sweetwater Tavern, Coastal Flats, and Mike’s American)
“We’re focused on experiential retail,” said Gestl. “No big box, no discount stores.”
There will be no residential-over-retail; the commercial and residential components are distinct but walkable.
Public Benefits and Civic Commitments
The project sets aside:
- 19 acres for a public park or school site
- 7+ acres of preserved open space
- A stormwater management pond that will also serve as a community feature
Sidewalks will be built along Elm Farm Road and extended into surrounding communities where funding permits.
Gestl said Buchanan Partners has contributed over $3 million to the interchange’s design and has acquired nearby parcels to ease construction impacts.
“We’ve committed to updating the community through 2030,” Gestl said. “Every civic association involved in this process will stay in the loop.”
Background: How Quartz District Was Approved
Potomac Local News first reported on the Quartz District in February 2022 when it appeared in the Dale City Small Area Plan. The Prince William Planning Commission later recommended approval of the rezoning.
On October 18, 2022, the project went before the Board of County Supervisors, and on October 20, the Board unanimously approved the rezoning of 145 acres for the Quartz District. That decision cleared the way for over 1,000 homes, nearly 375,000 square feet of office and retail space, and the county’s long-awaited first Whole Foods Market.
Since then, the project has moved into engineering, site preparation, and early residential construction phases, all while awaiting full funding and design finalization for the interchange.
The full buildout of the Quartz District is expected to continue into the early 2030s, with commercial construction beginning after the interchange opens.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Gestl said. “We want to do this right and make it something the county can be proud of.”
Finally, Prince William County will get a Whole Foods Market after years of pining.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously agreed to rezone 145 acres of land that  SKW VA, Inc. and Southern Knolls, LLC will develop into the Quartz District. Whole Foods Market will anchor the mixed-use development, including more than 1,000 homes and nearly 375,000 square feet of office space.
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The Quartz District and the Whole Foods grocery store to anchor the mixed-use development -- a first for Prince William County -- comes before the Board of County Supervisors tonight.
Two developers, SKW VA, Inc. and Southern Knolls, LLC, seek approval to rezone 145 acres at Prince William Parkway and Minnieville Road in Woodbridge. It plans to build 1,000 new homes, commercial retail and office space, a pavilion, and new parks and walking paths.
The land is zoned for agriculture and suburban homes and is mainly tree-lined.
