The Prince William County School Board supported the community of Stone Haven in Bristow based on the new proffers that would provide land on which to build the 13th high school.
At their May 7 meeting, School Board members unanimously supported a motion to provide a development impact statement to Prince William County “acknowledging that the school division’s critical concerns were addressed with revised proffers.”
The proposed development is located on the northeast side of Linton Hall Road extending to the southwest quadrant of Wellington Road and Devlin Road.
The Stone Haven applicant is requesting approximately 864 acres be rezoned from agricultural to mixed use residential to allow for the construction of 1,650 residential units. This number was reduced from 1,850. Of the 1,650 new homes, 53 percent will be single-family homes and 47 percent will be town houses.
The impact statement estimates the development would bring 1,009 new public school students within a given year. Of those students, 297 are estimated to be of high school age, 235 of middle school age, and 477 of elementary school age.
Yet, there are benefits to the Stone Haven development. Chiefly, it could provide an ideal location for building Prince William County’s 13th high school, scheduled to open in 2019.
School Board Chairman Milt Johns said the school division could not have asked for a better location if they had drawn it on a map.
“I think bent over backwards to accommodate us. I understand there will be new housing; there will be increase stress, but we are getting a high school site,” Johns said. “And more importantly, from my opinion, it’s a high school site that is in the right spot. I don’t know if we could have even drawn it on a map better as to where we needed that spot.”
This location provides an ideal spot to relieve Patriot High School, while also serving the Bristow communities north of Linton Hall Road currently zoned for Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas.
In the impact statement, Maureen Hannan, Supervisor of Land Acquisition and CIP Planning, noted that there are other schools on the PWCS CIP that would help to alleviate overcrowding in the western side of the county. They include Haymarket Elementary, The Nokesville School, the Devlin Road elementary school and the Vint Hill Road elementary school.
The School Board members’ votes indicated they were satisfied with the proffers, specifically that the Stone Haven developers had offered sufficient land on which to build the high school.
However, Brentsville School Board representative Gil Trenum, noted that, in his opinion, they are only satisfactory within Prince William County proffer requirements, which he believes ought to be increased.
“I am supporting it under duress. Even though the developers did work with us to increase the proffers, they did still work within our current county guidelines," said Trenum.
Trenum originally requested the county supervisors adjust proffers to better serve the schools in September of 2013, noting they have not been adjusted since 2006, and lag behind most surrounding jurisdictions.
Trenum has identified insufficient proffers as one of the main contributors to overcrowded schools and classrooms as well as the county lagging behind others in the estimated cost per pupil.
Yet, without proffer adjustments, the school division got much of what they requested from the developer. Along with the site for the new high school, the applicant also offered the school division the extension of either Rollins Ford Road or University Boulevard to serve as an entrance to the high school. The company also agreed to provide sewer, water and electrical power to the high school construction site. Finally, the applicant agreed to have the project completed by September of 2019.
However, the applicant is not providing any monetary contributions to the school division, noting that the land, access and utilities offset any monetary contributions they may have otherwise offered to provide for new students entering the school system.
Chairman Milt Johns said he was pleased with the proffers offered by the developers.
“[We] asked for access to the site, and they agreed to that. Asked for utility extensions and they provide that. Basically everything that we asked for, they provided. I’m very satisfied with the way this had worked out.” Johns said.“So, I think this is a good deal. I support it.”
While the western Prince William community often said they are in opposition to more development, some were able to take an active role in the planning of the Stone Haven community, and many came out to support it being added to the county’s comprehensive plan in a March 2013 BOCS meeting. These residents noted they were interested in the new high school as well as new sports league fields the developer could possibly proffer.
Pam Sackett, aide to Brentsville District Supervisor Wally Covington, said that the Stone Haven development is on development application processing plan, but has not yet been formally approved for development, and that proffers could still improve over that time.* Stone Haven was amended on the BOCS's comprehensive plan in March of 2013.
In addition to the school division proffers, the applicants are required to offer other proffers to the county.
*Correction/Clarification: Sackett said that the development is listed on the development application processing plan, not the comprehensive plan. While proffers are subject to change, she explained that the supervisors might look for enhancements to the proffers offered. Changes would not negate the proffers which the School Board members and school division have agreed upon.
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