votes you need to know

11/28/2023    

Why I voted NO to item 13A Ordinance to rezone 270 Acres to light industrial  

 I will attempt to be brief on my reasoning for voting no as the evidence requiring denial was both abundant and damning.   

1. The residents were overwhelmingly opposed to the project. 
2. The BOCS actions in the wee hours of the morning appear arbitrary and capricious. 
3. The proffer of 85 acres and $5,000,000 in cash for parks were at best      unenforceable if not illegitimate as there was no nexus or proportionality to the Data Center uses sought in the application. 
4. The application had undergone numerous, significant amendments since the July      27, 2022 Planning Commission hearing and recommendation for approval. 
5. The application had undergone numerous, significant amendments since the      February 7, 2023 BOCS deferral to a date certain and the subsequent request by the Applicant for a deferral to a date uncertain. 
6. Those significant changes should have required a new, full review of the application by the Planning Staff, Planning Commission and all reviewing agencies, yet staff felt compelled to rush the application forward and not reset the clock. 
7. The process by which the requirement for an accompanying SUP was, in my view,      circumvented, is not acceptable. 
8. Staff was unable to answer numerous questions although that may have come as a      result of the departure of senior staff that initially processed the application. 
9. The enforceability of many proffers regarding such things as noise or closed loop cooling systems/cooling systems that provide efficient and optimized water consumption is suspect at best. 
10. The Applicant’s refusal to address downzoning or eliminating the Parks and Open Space land bay from the Data Center Overlay served as a huge red flag. 
11. Proffers were hastily and significantly revised on the fly at 4:00 am. 
12. None of the changes adopted addressed the concerns voiced by Prince William      County residents. 
13. Approval of the application likely establishes a new precedent for similar applications that may carry with it further deleterious impacts. 

07/25/2023    

Why I voted YES to items 8-A Initiate CPA 2023-00003 to evaluate Rock Hill (Cross) to be added to the list of County Registered Historic Sites, 8-B Initiate CPA 2023-00004 to evaluate Pageland Farm and areas south to be added to the list of County Registered Historic Sites, & 8-C initiate CPA2023-00005 to evaluate Blackburn’s Ford Battlefield to be added to the list of County Registered Historic Sites

These were simply initiations of comprehensive plan amendments forwarded by the Historic Commission and consistent with the criteria outlined in Cultural Resource Policy 4, Action Strategy 4.1 of the Cultural Resources Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, no more no less. These items merely initiated an evaluation of the properties and in no way would have impacted existing property rights or pending land use cases. As such, this should have been adopted pro forma by the BOCS as has virtually every other such amendment forwarded by the Historic Commission.

07/11/2023    

WHY I VOTED YES TO AGENDA ITEM 10-C, REQUEST FOR MORATORIUM ON SCHEDULING LAND USE PUBLIC HEARINGS DURING THE LAME DUCK SESSION

Lame Duck sessions are a period when representative government may become disconnected from those they are elected to represent. Apart from retirement, the primary reason an incumbent fails to be re-elected is often found in their voting record.  When controversial decisions are made during this period, the public loses its ability to hold its representatives accountable, and thus exercise the only control the public has in influencing policy.  It is common practice among governing bodies, throughout our Commonwealth and Nation, to adopt moratoriums on matters of significance to the public, during such sessions. Contrary to many assertions made by members of the public, PWC has a long history of such moratoriums and in fact in February 2020 the current Board introduced and unanimously adopted Resolution #20-175 amending the Board’s Rules of Procedures to restrict Residential Land Use Decisions During the Intervening Period Between Election and Seating of Board of County Supervisors (Lame Duck Session).  I believe it is the Board’s duty to the public to complete matters of significance prior to the November election and address unfinished business the following January. Without a moratorium, exiting Board members have the ability to expedite issues and put them on the agenda in a period during which they cannot be held accountable.

WHY I VOTED NO ON TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO THE DED – Supervisor Bob

The June 27, 2023 daytime session of the BOCS had a matter before us noted as consent agenda item 3-B: Transfer, Budget, and Appropriate $68,944 from the Economic Development Opportunity Fund to the Department of Development Services Fiscal Year 2023 Revenue Budget for Reimbursement of $68,944 in Targeted Industry Fees.  I requested this item be removed from the consent agenda.

The Targeted Industries Incentive Program, adopted by the Board, provides reduced development fees and expedited development processes, subsidized by the County, primarily to large corporate entities in the field of Information, Communications, and Technology. Though not part of this specific request of transfer of funds, one of those targeted industries is Data Centers. Among the top complaints that my office has received, since taking office in February, are small businesses frustrated by the tedious, inconsistent and slow process of navigating the county’s development process, sometimes resulting in opening dates delayed for months, or not being able to open at all. I believe that small businesses are the life blood of Prince William County. While I understand that large corporations have an important role in our County’s economy, I cannot, in good faith, support preferential treatment to Targeted Industries. For a full review of the agenda item, please follow the link above. 

WHY I VOTED YES TO AMENDING THE PROFFERS OF REGENCY @ CATHARPIN CREEK on June 27, 2023

In 2014 The BOCS approved a rezoning for the community now known as the Regency @ Catharpin Creek. None of the approved proffers addressed the maintenance of an 8’ wide asphalt trail and a pedestrian bridge located on a third party’s parcel. Rather, the maintenance requirement is contained within a deed of easement entered into by the HOA, Prince William County and the property owner and came as result of a waiver approved not by the BOCS but by the Transportation Department a year before the rezoning was heard. The waiver, proffers and maintenance agreement were agreed to by the rezoning Applicant and Toll Brothers years before the first home was built and not fully disclosed until Toll Brothers relinquished Declarant control of the HOA. All benefits of the waiver and maintenance agreement inured to the Applicant and Toll Brothers and all costs fell to the future residents. The trail is a public trail open to the general public and not located on HOA property, nor within the VDOT right-of-way.  I voted YES on the Regency Bridge issue because it is not acceptable for a developer to receive credit for such “improvements” that are advantageous to the consideration of their application and then saddle a community with a six-figure financial burden in perpetuity. As a public improvement to the Prince William County trails network, maintenance of an asset on a third party’s property should always have been the responsibility of the County.  For a full review of this agenda item, please follow this link:   https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2025867/Item_11-B.pdf