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Development of the Cherry Hill Peninsula
More Information about the Cherry Hill Peninsula & the Southbridge/Harbor Station Development Plan:
Development Plan Status Click Here to Read What's All the Fuss About? December 1 2004, 7:00 p.m. at the McCoart Government Center -- The Planning Commission reconsidered their previous denial of the proposed site plan for the area north of old Cherry Hill Road, adjacent to Powell's Creek and the Potomac River. There was no public hearing or opportunity for citizen input. The Planning Commission approved the subdivision plan by a 6-2 vote. Voting to approve: Bryant (Woodbridge), Burgess (Brentsville), Fry (Dumfries), Holley (Neabsco), Gonzales (Coles) and May (At Large). Voting to deny: Hendley (Gainesville); Hosen (Occoquan).
It's easy to see the similarities between current Cherry Hill issues and Saratoga Hunt. At Saratoga Hunt, the government approved site plan included 14 proffer violations. The developer, Richmond American, went forward with this government approved plan, secured permits from the Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for stream impacts that violated proffered commitments and began construction. After construction began at the site, government inspectors failed to catch the violations because they did not have a copy of the proffers. Inspectors relied on the approved site plan and had no way of knowing this plan included major proffer violations. Instead, the responsibility fell to citizens who quickly observed the clearing of preservation areas among other violations. A considerable citizen outcry was needed before government initiated efforts to address the violations. The first response from Richmond American focused on the government approval of a site plan that included proffer violations. Richmond American claimed government approval of this flawed plan changed the proffers. Ultimately this did not hold water because only the Board of Supervisors can change approved proffer commitments. Neither government staff nor the Planning Commission has the authority. In the end, government efforts to mitigate damages from the violations at Saratoga Hunt were successful. Richmond American agreed to address impacts caused by the violations in a negotiated settlement package valued at $1.1 million. The Board of Supervisors Resolution accepting the settlement package with Richmond American included considerable commitments to process reform. Click here to read the resolution yourself. Does the rhetoric match the reality? Now the County is struggling with similar issues at Cherry Hill and it's like deja vu all over again. The current site plan for the Cherry Hill/Southbridge/Harbor Station development deviates considerably from the proffered commitments. Regardless of lessons learned at Saratoga Hunt and citizen questions about process shortfalls, the Board of Supervisors has not taken action to ensure that the proposed changes receive the appropriate public review before receiving government approval. The government response to concerns about Cherry Hill issues includes little to show officials are serious about commitments to process reform. Instead, the public is distracted with vague comments about "smart growth" and talk of economic development opportunities associated with a proposed 234-room hotel/conference center at Cherry Hill. But what about the 240-room hotel and conference center announced for the nearby Belmont Bay Town Center in March 2002 that's still waiting in the wings? Are elected officials now promoting a competing resource before the original plan has been achieved? This raises questions about the value of County policies that dilute existing economic development goals. "Smart growth" is a popular buzz word for government and elected officials. During the last Board of Supervisors election, every candidate ran on a "smart growth" platform. Although exactly what "smart growth" means in Prince William is often discussed, one thing is obvious: "smart growth" is about involving citizens . . . because that's what citizens want. The Board of Supervisors has never heard what the public has to say about the proposed changes to the Cherry Hill/Southbridge/Harbor Station development plan. However, during the rezoning of this property, the Board had considerable input from the public. Hundreds of citizens attended the public hearing to oppose the development and the dialogue continued until nearly 4:00 a.m., when the Board voted to approve the developers plan regardless of the community outcry. Perhaps if Prince William elected officials were more receptive to public input, they would have taken the time to listen to people in the beginning and achieved a better development plan. Right now, the questions are not about whether or not to develop the Cherry Hill Peninsula. The previous Board decision to approve a development plan ensures that the Cherry Hill Peninsula will be developed. Rather, the questions are focused on whether the development plan approved by the Board will match what is actually constructed at this critical site. The 2004 Capital Improvement Plan budget shows that developer contributions account for only about 3% of costs for the infrastructure needed to support additional development. Developers have stated that this figure falls short of their actual contribution. Regardless, even if the 3% figure is understated significantly, it's clear that Prince William citizens pay the lion's share of costs to construct infrastructure needed to accommodate new development. When the Board approved the Cherry Hill development plan, they committed Prince William taxpayer dollars toward funding construction of the schools, roads and other infrastructure needed to support the development. Now the developer is proposing significant changes to the plan and, once again, the public is excluded from participation in decision making processes. Recent history shows that Prince William has difficulties ensuring that the reality matches the rhetoric. For example, although the original plans for Cherry Hill focused on high quality retail and not outlet retail such as K-Mart (Washington Business Journal, Feb. 16 2001), a Wal-Mart now sits at the entrance to the development. Given the lack of transparency in government processes, how can the public be assured that we're getting what we pay for? Process reform is a win-win situation. Increased government capacity to manage development projects adds credibility to developer proposals and increases citizen (customer) confidence in the system. Better public information sharing creates trust and helps replace rhetoric with solutions to create a better Prince William. With no visible end to rezoning requests and a backlog of projects in the pipeline, now is the time to ensure that Prince William has the resources to effectively manage development in a manner that supports long-range goals.
Why is the Cherry Hill Peninsula Environmentally Significant?
Populations of many forest avian species, such as vireos, warblers, and wild turkeys, have declined due to increased fragmentation. As many as 35 species of warblers, 25 species of ducks, geese, and swans, 24 species of raptors, 15 species of sparrows and many other avian species use the area during migration and nesting. Currently an pair of endangered bald eagles nest in the northern section of this peninsula. The site provides habitat for a wide variety of native plant species, including the endangered small whorled pogonia ( Isotria medeoloides ). All of the mammal species native to Virginia's coastal plain may be found on the Cherry Hill Peninsula. The Powell's Creek and Quantico Creek estuaries provide nurseries for aquatic organisms and make a significant contribution to the health of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Prince William's rampant development has resulted in small remaining pieces of ecosystems so isolated that some plant and animal populations can no longer survive. Regionally, Cherry Hill provides a critically important link in the chain of threatened ecological communities along the tidal Potomac. The loss of this area to development is likely to have a cumulative negative impact on the viability of natural systems well beyond the peninsula itself. The undeveloped Cherry Hill Peninsula significantly enhances the value of the use another word. of the Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, the Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Leesylvania State Park, relatively small areas that are becoming increasingly isolated by development.
Pertinent Information
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