Statement of Concern for the Cherry Hill Peninsula

November 2000

Audubon Naturalist Society – Cliff Fairweather
Clean Water Action - Andrew Fellows
Citizens Against Roads for Development - Martha Hendley
Coalition for Smarter Growth - Stuart Schwartz
Friends of Prince William Watersheds - James Waggener
Izaak Walton League - Jay Bolton
Nature’s Wonder World - Kim Hosen
NorthWest Citizens Association - Betty Rankin
Prince William Natural Resources Council - Nicky Staunton
Prince William Coalition for Smarter Growth - Bobert Moler
Protect Prince William County - Jim Price
Piedmont Environmental Council - Christopher G. Miller
Sierra Club – Roger Diedrich
Sudley Mountain/Sudley Springs/Stony Ridge Civie Assoc. - Jack Hermansen

Development of the Cherry Hill Peninsula as proposed by Legend Properties, will eliminate the largest remaining riparian forest on the Northern Virginia coastline and guarantee devastation for Powell’s Creek, one of the 3 “best preserved” creeks in Northern Virginia [Virginia Institute of Marine Science]. Soil conditions on the Cherry Hill Peninsula ensure that hundreds of cubic yards of sediment will be dumped into the Potomac River when the 1,800 acre forest is cleared to enable development.

Located in Prince William County, the addition of 4 million square feet of commercial and retail space to the Cherry Hill Peninsula will drain resources and trigger a sharp decline in economic vitality for the Route 1 corridor and Potomac Mills retail areas. Construction of the proposed 3,000 new homes ensures that a minimum of 30,000 vehicle trips will be added to an already congested traffic pattern.

A minimum of 75% of the Cherry Hill Peninsula is comprised of 15% or greater slopes in combination with highly erodible soils, with slopes of 50% found in close to half of the site. Significant amounts of marine clay are also found on the Peninsula. The Prince William County Comprehensive Plan specifically covers these conditions in the Long Range Land Use Plan, but Prince William County Government has failed to designate appropriate sites, such as the Cherry Hill Peninsula. This Environmental Resource designation, when applied, supports the application of additional protections, enforceable under the Zoning Ordinance and the Chesapeake Bay Act.

Habitat fragmentation will be significant; large amounts of wildlife will be displaced and protection of two active eagle nests is at risk. In addition to dumping large amounts of soil directly into the Potomac River, sedimentation from the construction site will smother the nontidal wetlands that surround the Peninsula. High volumes of water resulting from the large amounts of impervious surfaces will scour preservation and open space areas. The nonpoint source pollution resulting from massive development will finish the job. You can’t change the laws of physics: Powell’s Creek and the surrounding ecosystem will be devastated.

Prince William County has ample evidence, derived from previous experience in development on soils such as these found on the Cherry Hill Peninsula, to understand that development at this site is unsound and will be costly, both economically and environmentally. In 1998 the Virginia Department of Transportation encountered problems when the Route 1 exit ramp from I-95 collapsed. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation experienced similar obstacles when construction of a road through Leesylvania State Park resulted in a landslide. Two homes built at Newport Estates were prevented from sliding down a hill only after several years of repeated efforts and a sizable investment of additional funds. There is no need for Prince William County to repeatedly relearn this lesson, which will result in increased taxes for all citizens after the damage has been done.

Citizens throughout Northern Virginia are concerned with the potential loss of the largest riparian forest on the Northern Virginia coastline. Continued degradation of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed affect us all. Add your voice to the chorus and act to maintain viable ecosystems and rational development patterns.