According to the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, residents of western Prince William County can expect new businesses to create jobs and provide more entertainment and dining opportunities.
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce Real Estate Showcase: 2013 Economic Development Update, which was co-emceed by Steve Daves of R.W. Murray Co. and Brent Heavner, on Wednesday morning, showcased many of these west-end projects.
Noting residents eagerly awaiting the Virginia Gateway Promenade, Daves said he is often asked which restaurants will be featured there. He confirmed that La Tagliatella, Nando’s and Bar Louie have leased space at the retail center. (Bristow Beat has posted several articles about the development of the Promenade. The latest is here).
Along with commercial growth, road improvements were also an essential part of the plan to enhance economic development in Gainesville, and by late summer, residents should expect to drive over the railroad tracks on Route 29, making their commutes a little safer.
However, it will be another year before anyone can drive over Route 29 via Linton Hall Road. By the end of the year, residents may be able to travel from Bristow to Haymarket much quicker as Route 66 will be widened to Haymarket’s Route 15 exit. Along the entire span of Route 66, motorists will benefit from technology that provides traffic information along the route.
Meanwhile, road improvements between Bristow and Nokesville are also progressing with the Vint Hill Road/Rollins Ford connector, giving residents in the rural crescent quicker access to the Linton Hall corridor.
Former county planner and aerial photographer Roger Snyder praised the fact that Prince William County funded the Rollings Ford extension without state aid,
“If we’re the economic engine, we get to choose what we spend our money on,” he said.
Improvements will also continue on the other side of Route 29, which will see tremendous growth in commercial business and retail this year, especially on the far western end of the county.
Daves and Heavner were most excited about the opening of the new Novant Medical Center in Haymarket. With private rooms, imaging systems, women’s health services and over 300 employees, Snyder described it as “a world-class health facility to those living in the western part of the county.”
The county was able to lease what is the largest empty office building in Prince William. This office complex, just off Route 55 in Haymarket, is slated to become a data center, which should attract well-paying jobs to the county.
Haymarket residents can look forward to several new commercial ventures, including a new Harris Teeter shopping center at the corner of Catharpin and Heathcote. Much like the Madison Crescent Shopping Center in Gainesville, it will include new townhouses, along with office suites.
Retail is already prospering at the Walmart/Kohl's Supercenter at Trading Square in Haymarket where the Chamber announced that 100 percent of storefronts are now occupied.
With so much new growth, one woman asked if and when the Virginia Rail Extension (VRE) would be coming to Haymarket.
Snyder answered that “preliminary studies have said: Yes, there is a market (for it);" however, it is years down the line.
Rob Clapper, President of the Chamber of Commerce, urged Chamber members to advocate for new roads, even controversial projects such as the Bi-County Parkway, which he said would be good for residents and commerce.
Clapper told the audience that the Bi-County Parkway is now facing “significant” opposition and called upon the business community to champion the road he believes would “improve the quality of life, making it easier for people to go to work, to [go to] school and bring new jobs.”
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