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Prince William County

VRE express train could bypass county stops

Prince William County, Va. - A plan to run an express commuter train from Fredericksburg to Washington, operated by Virginia Railway Express, drew criticism at this week's Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting. At a cost of about a $500,000 already in VRE's 2011 budget, the train could begin operating in July. The express, which would get riders to Washington's Union Station 25 minutes faster than any other VRE train, would be the first train to leave Fredericksburg, at 5:05 a.m.

It would stop twice in Stafford County and then make stops at Alexandria, Crystal City, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station, skipping the five stations in Quantico, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Passengers who board VRE trains at the Woodbridge station have long faced standing-room-only conditions.

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said there was "not a lot of clamor from residents of Prince William County for the express train," but there is very high demand from riders who live "in the further extremities," like Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, who aim to get to work earlier.


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Posted on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:09pm

Prince William Population to top 400,000 in 2010

According to Prince William county's demographer, fourth quarter 2009 statistics indicate that the county will surpass 400,000 residents this year. The county is the third most populous region in Virginia, behind Fairfax and Loudoun.  The areas likely to see the most growth are Linton Hall, Montclair, Bull Run, and Gainesville. In addition, the numbers of those living in Prince William who were born outside of the United States has grown by double-digit percentages. A 2008 American Community Survey "indicated that 20 percent of Prince William County's population was foreign born in 2008, compared to 6.2 percent in 1990."

 

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Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 6:15pm

MBC Announces Grants for Last-mile Broadband Projects in Southside

The Virginia Tobacco Commission awarded grants to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Copperative (MBC) to help provide broadband access to rural areas in Southside Virginia, according to WPCVA.com.

This is a huge need in these rural markets. Broadband access allows these localities to be competitive for attracting businesses. It also brings great educational opportunities to the area. These features are valuable to protecting and increasing property values.

"The Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC), a successful open-access fiber optic backbone provider in rural markets, is pleased to announce that $1,514,143 was awarded to MBC Members as part of a last-mile matching grant program, funded by the Virginia Tobacco Commission.

These awards will enable deployment of broadband services for residential and business customers in unserved communities in Southern Virginia.

The 50/50 matching grants were awarded to:

CenturyLink, for an ADSL deployment in 14 digital loop carrier serving areas currently served by dial-up Internet access, located in Campbell, Prince Edward, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Henry and Patrick Counties;

DigitalBridge Communications, for expansion of its existing WiMAX deployment in Appomattox County;

Jet Broadband, for high-speed wireless deployment in two targeted areas in Charlotte County and Mecklenburg County; and

Telpage, for a broadband wireless deployment in Greensville County."

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Posted on Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 12:30am

Prince William Proposes Incentive Bonuses for Teachers

The second-largest school system in Virginia, Prince William County, is considering incentive-based bonuses for teachers and administrators, according to the Washington Post.

The bonuses would be used to motivate and reward teachers that serve poor or challenging students.

This could be a great way to reward teachers, but also to strengthen struggling schools, which would be great for homeowners who live near under-performing schools. Good schools have a postive impact on the property value of surrounding homes.

"Prince William County school officials unveiled a plan Wednesday to offer bonuses to teachers and administrators in high-performing schools that serve poor or challenging students.

The plan, if approved by the School Board this month, will be submitted to the federal government for possible funding and could begin next school year.

Prince William, Virginia's second-largest school system, is one of scores across the country that are developing pay proposals tied to student performance thanks to new federal money and fresh interest from the nation's top education officials.

'We had talked about merit pay or performance pay informally over time. But when the Obama administration again came out and recommended those kinds of approaches . . . I just felt like it was time to stop talking about it and start moving forward,' said School Board member Grant E. Lattin (Occoquan), who asked officials to put together a plan.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is offering $4.35 billion in federal "Race to the Top" grants to states that adopt innovative changes, including pay-for-performance plans. And President Obama's education budget dramatically expanded grants for local school systems to change their compensation systems."

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Posted on Friday, December 4, 2009 - 11:42pm

Civil Rights Claim in Arlington HOV Suit is Criticized

Arlington leaders are concerned that VDOT's wishes to add three HOV toll lanes will make traffic inside the beltway worse, according to the Washington Post.

But, in addition to being concerned over traffic issues, officials have filed a federal lawsuit saying it is also a civil rights issue.

Arlington leaders believe that new toll lanes would create air pollution and traffic problems in neighborhoods near the highways that are populated by low-income and minority residents.

Arlington leaders approached Prince William officials to see if they were interested in joining in on the lawsuit, but they declined because of the scandalous allegations in the suit. Few experts in transportation think that suit has any lead way, and is only hurtful to public officials who are being accused in the suit.

"After 3 p.m. on any given day, the traffic along Glebe Road between interstates 395 and 95 in Arlington County is voluminous. Cars slow, stop and snake around crowded intersections. Overheated vehicles cause tempers to boil over. Amid the exhaust fumes and gridlock, one thing is clear: No one is happy driving here.

Arlington leaders say plans for three high-occupancy toll lanes on the nearby highways will make traffic worse on Glebe and other roads. But it's not just a transportation problem, they say in a federal lawsuit; it's also a civil rights issue.

The suit, filed in August, asks a judge to order a more stringent environmental study of the toll-lane project. Among the chief concerns it cites is the potential effect of air pollution on the health of low-income and minority residents clustered near the highways in areas such as Shirlington. More vehicles on offramps would mean more vehicles in residential neighborhoods, officials argue.

In the often political world of transportation projects, the suit's use of the Civil Rights Act has sparked a torrent of criticism from lawmakers and government officials who say issues of race and class have no place in highway planning."

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Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 3:23pm

NOVA Homeowners Invited to Economic and Housing Forecast Summit

For the fourth year, the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS® will sponsor an Economic and Housing Forecast Summit to discuss what’s in store for the housing market and local economy.

This event is for any member of the community who is interested in learning about the local housing market. The speakers will dicuss the importance of improving the housing market to infuence the economy, and how the market in NOVA has been improving over the last few months.

The Summit will be held on Friday, October 30th from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the Loudoun County School Administration Building, 21000 Education Court, in Ashburn, VA.

The Summit will include a panel of top national, regional and local economic and housing experts who will discuss recent trends and the outlook for housing and the economy for Northern Virginia and the nation.

The $25 non-member registration fee ($20 DAAR members) includes program and breakfast.

To sign up, go to DAAR's website.

Posted on Monday, October 26, 2009 - 8:28am

School Enrollment Jumps in Prince William County

Prince William County schools are rapidly growing, according to the Washington Examiner.

The large jump in enrollment has been attributed to the re-occupancy of foreclosed homes, and the high demand for affordable housing.

This news is worthy of homeowners' attention because good, strong schools will attract new families and teachers, which will help boost property values and the local economy.

"Enrollment in Prince William County schools surged by almost 3,000 students this year -- the largest one-year jump since at least 1990.

This year's official enrollment tally of 76,656 students is a 4.1 percent increase over 2008. Last year, student enrollment increased by 1,003, or 1.4 percent.

'Data indicate that the large increase in student enrollment is likely attributed to signs of an economic rebound (e.g. re-occupancy of foreclosed homes and high demand for affordable housing,' the school system said in a release.

Still, the leap in enrollment comes as both the county and the commonwealth head into another difficult budget season. The school board's recently prepared legislative priorities for the 2010 Virginia General Assembly include a request for annual teacher salary increases and a cost-of-competing allocation for Region 4 school divisions.

'We need to continue to be competitive in attracting the best and the brightest teachers,' said Keith A. Imon, associate superintendent for Communications and Technology Services."

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Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 - 12:04pm

Prince William Traffic Projects Will Make Commuting Easier

Three transportation projects in Prince William County will be funded by newly appropriated federal stimulus and state funds, according to the Washington Post.

Each of the projects will help to improve traffic conditions in hight congested areas. Homeowners will appreciate the increased ease of getting around, but also, can appreciate the increased property values their homes will experience due to the completion of these projects.

"The Prince William Board of County Supervisors appropriated about $14 million in federal stimulus and state funds Tuesday for transportation projects.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the county received $9.1 million to widen Prince William Parkway between Hoadly and Old Bridge roads to six lanes. The project will include right-turn lanes when possible.

Prince William Transportation Director Thomas J. Blaser said the entire project, including engineering and right-of-way costs, totals nearly $12 million, with the rest of the funding mainly coming from proffers.

The section to be widened runs by the county government center, although Blaser said it is too soon to tell how the construction will affect traffic.

The design work is complete, Blaser said, and construction crews should break ground in February. Under the stimulus guidelines, the county has until February 2012 to complete construction.

The board also appropriated more than $2.7 million in funding from the commonwealth Tuesday to improve and widen Fuller Heights Road. The proposed project will widen Fuller Heights to four lanes near Marine Corps Base Quantico and realign Fuller Heights and Fuller roads. Fuller Heights traffic backs up at the base entrance and spills onto Route 1, county officials said.

Blaser said the state funding will cover the cost of the project. The design phase will begin immediately, and construction should begin within a year.

A third project the board appropriated money for Tuesday is to be conducted on Purcell Road. The board appropriated roughly $2.2 million in funds from the Regional Surface Transportation Program, which will be added to the roughly $2.6 million already budgeted to complete the project.

The funding will be used to realign Purcell Road and correct a sharp bend. Purcell will also be widened to four lanes between Route 234 and Vista Brooke Drive."

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Posted on Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 3:16pm

Prince William Experiences Growth in Economy

It may be small, but it is definitely worth rejoicing over. Prince William County has experienced a slight growth in the local economy this year through June, according to the Washington Post.

As the county's economy grew this year over 1,000 new jobs were created and nearly 140 businesses expanded or moved into Prince William.

This is good news for homeowners in Prince William because continued growth like this will improve home values. Also, new businesses moving into the county will increase the tax base, allowing for property tax to remain stable.

"The Prince William Board of County Supervisors got a glimpse last week of the economic development activity in the county.

The good news: There is some.

'What's important is that we are growing,' Prince William Economic Development Director Martin J. Briley said during the meeting Sept. 22. 'Many places across the country aren't growing at all.'

This year through June, 1,067 new jobs were reported in retail and non-retail industries in Prince William, according to a report from the economic development office. An additional 43 were reported in 'targeted industries,' which include the biotechnology and information technology fields. The figures do not track jobs that have disappeared.

During that time, 138 businesses expanded or moved into Prince William, including five in targeted areas."

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Posted on Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 6:44pm

Another Sign that Northern VA's Housing Market is Recoverying

After seeing housing prices pick up and inventory levels fall, KB Home is going to resume building and selling homes in the DC area after curtailing operations in 2007, according to The Washington Post.

This is yet another sign that the area's housing market has turned a corner towards recovery. Plus, this will help to boost the local job market as they will be employing sales and construction workers. Great news all around.

"KB Home said Wednesday that it intends to resume building and selling houses in the Washington region this year after curtailing operations in late 2007, yet another sign to real estate analysts of recovery in the area's housing market.

The Los Angeles-based company has built numerous communities throughout Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, including Huntington Mews in Alexandria, Martin's Chase in Ashburn, Cherry Tree near Upper Marlboro and Middletown South in Waldorf. But the severe housing slump across the country prompted the company during the early days of the recession to suspend construction in Chicago, Albuquerque and the mid-Atlantic region.

Now, after seeing housing prices pick up and inventory levels fall, company officials said they plan to jump back into the market here. They said they will call back sales and construction workers and offer more affordably priced single-family units to meet the demands of an increasingly cost-conscious consumer."

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Posted on Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 10:29am