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Live in Stafford? Your help is needed as we re-envision the future

July 21, 2006 12:50 am

A SONG by Dave Matthews begins by asking a simple question: "Where are you going?"

The same could be asked of Stafford County. The home-building industry developed and built out subdivisions across Stafford. And as a result, our population has ballooned, from 95,000 in 1999 to over 125,000 today. The population explosion has affected (and not necessarily in good ways) every aspect of our lives, from the kind of public education our kids receive to the water and sewer services we get, to the convenience and safety of the roads we travel.

Many would argue that much of the population growth we have experienced is the result of ad-hoc decisions and a general a lack of vision since Stafford County's Comprehensive Plan had not been revised for several years. Thus, an out-of-date Comp Plan led to an utter failure of imagination. If Stafford were to keep it up, developers would scramble in a race for Stafford's remaining open space.

So, where are we going?

The time has come to transform Stafford from a constellation of built-out bedroom communities and crowded roads into something better: a community with a sense of place and purpose where growth is handled smartly without wreaking havoc on our remaining natural resources.

The good news is that there are signs of positive change; Stafford County has set into motion a process to modify the Comprehensive Plan to reflect our community's changing needs. In June, the county held its first public-input sessions at four locations. Unfortunately, despite heavy promotion of these sessions and questionnaires sent to 600 random households, public response has been minimal.

Revising the Comprehensive Plan remains a necessity. To offer input, the public may attend regularly scheduled meetings of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee as well as additional public planning sessions this fall. For those invested in positively transforming Stafford, I propose these Comprehensive Plan amendments:

1. Form a strategic partnership among local government, higher education, and business. If you travel to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, known as the "Research Triangle," you will see a community with excellent schools, well-designed and properly maintained roads, and plentiful, well-paying jobs.

This perfect confluence of governmental, educational, and business forces did not happen by accident, but by careful long-term planning, cooperation, and vision. Local government recognized an opportunity to transform its economy. It helped connect the area's university research centers, specifically the University of North Carolina, Wake Forest University, and Duke University, with leading business entities.

As a result of the focus these schools placed on research in computer and biomedical technology, local government helped pave the way for major companies in those fields to make that community their home. The companies that arrived there--IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, and others--were given some tax breaks, but in turn they helped construct area roadways and provide thousands of employment opportunities to a large, highly specialized and educated work force.

Could that happen here? It could, and it should. With encouragement by our governmental leaders, the University of Mary Washington and other institutions of higher learning should establish research in fields that are attractive to several major industries, providing an incentive for companies in such fields to locate to the region and, in particular, Stafford.

To strengthen this strategic partnership model, we should encourage the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech to set up satellite campuses here. And while the defense industry has provided high-paying employment to many in our area, we would be well-served by attracting business development in other specialized fields. An economy based on a variety of key industries is more sustainable and can weather shifts in economic conditions better than an economy dependent on just one.

Surely it would not be easy to turn this model into reality. But Stafford definitely would benefit from a strategic partnership comprised of local government, higher education, and business entities.

2. Alter the balance of new construction, encourage more businesses to move to Stafford, and consider mixed-use development.

Should Stafford discourage further development of large-scale residential communities? Mixed-use developments (part commercial/part retail/part residential), such as the Stafford Town Station subdivision proposed for the area near Jefferson Davis Highway and Eskimo Hill Road, are novel alternatives and might allow people to live closer to work and shopping, thus reducing the number of vehicles on our roads and miles traveled. But will mixed-use development alone balance our priorities?

Frankly, Stafford needs balance, thus Stafford's economy needs more business establishments to provide employment opportunities and help reduce our homeowners' tax burdens. Business development in Stafford needs a leg up in the Comprehensive Plan to favor it over new large-scale residential-only subdivisions. Without proper balance, many Stafford commuters will continue to travel more hours and miles to work, homeowners will remain burdened with high assessments for essential county services, and every year the Stafford County school system will be targeted by those who zealously support Draconian cuts in the School Board's operating budget.

Those who live in Stafford should have more opportunities to work in Stafford. And those here who are parents should be able to enroll their kids in public schools that remain well funded and state-recognized for excellence. We must demand balance, favoring new business over new residential development, so that we effectively lower our homeowners' tax burdens, improve quality of life, and assure public-education excellence.

3. Concentrate business development along the U.S. 1 corridor

Our business development of late, especially commercial, has occurred along our two busiest thoroughfares--State Route 610 and U.S. 17, whereas U.S. 1 between Centrepoint Parkway and Courthouse Road remains relatively undeveloped. This area should be declared a dedicated enterprise zone, a prime corridor for business.

4. Let us be serious about implementing smart transportation options. Stafford County took an unusual step this year by not rubber-stamping VDOT's Six-year Plan. Clearly, our most-traveled roads need improvement and we should think carefully before constructing new ones. But we in Stafford must demand smart transportation options. The county has introduced FREDericksburg Regional Transit bus service, but we should consider expanding the number of access points to FRED so that more Stafford rail and coach-bus commuters can leave their cars at home.

5. Conserve Stafford's natural resources. If the recent five days of rainfall and resulting "biblical" flooding taught us anything, it is that the more of Stafford we pave with asphalt and concrete, the fewer places there will be for rainwater to go. The flooding that affected us was especially bad since, over the last few years, we have built many more roads, parking lots, and buildings. Floods turned some streets and paved areas into raging rivers capable of washing away cars and homes. Rainfall that could have become Stafford's groundwater, or been added to our watersheds, was lost to runoff.

Conserving our natural resources means creating balance by limiting the number of new homes built so that we don't extend our water and sewer systems beyond their rated capacities. It means discouraging development on steep-sloped areas, or places prone to soil erosion. It also means repurposing land where abandoned homes and business places exist, rather than using native land for building.

Case in point: Shopping centers such as the once-vibrant Aquia Towne Center--which has seen a reversal of fortune since its anchor tenant, Shoppers Food Warehouse, moved to another location--could conceivably be redeveloped to add a mix of residential and office space to the existing retail array. Doing so would restore the location's commercial viability, help drive substantial increases in tax revenue, and invigorate a highly visible but neglected property.

Also, older county schools, such as Drew Middle School, and other outdated county facilities should never be abandoned, but rather renovated or repurposed for a mix of residential and business use.

And we must preserve Crow's Nest. Crow's Nest is an ecological marvel and a necessity. I applaud Stafford County's extraordinary efforts to save it from development.

6. Develop a sense of place with a real Stafford town center. Visitors from outside the area often ask me the same question: "Where is the town of Stafford?" Truth is, we don't have such a thing. But we should commit to establishing a real town center adjoining the proposed Stafford Hospital Center and the existing Stafford County Government Center. Stafford should look for ways to create a unique place there where many could work, shop, and gather for outdoor concerts and events. We must connect better with Stafford's historic past. And, long-term, we should add to our vision a Stafford performing-arts center. Communities that encourage participation in, and enjoyment of, the performing arts help stimulate their economies and provide their citizens with quality educational and cultural experiences.

If you live in Stafford, please contact your district planning commissioner to have these and other proposals addressed in the Comprehensive Plan revision. Again this fall, there will be opportunities for the public to provide its input at several Comprehensive Plan events. Official notices of these events will be posted by the Stafford County government.

When in the future the question is asked, "Where are we going?" any Staffordian should be able to say that we're heading toward a future of economic balance and sustainability, reasonable homeowner assessments, unquestioned public education excellence, improved transportation options, greater natural resource protection, and, most of all, a true sense of place.

DAN SMOLEN is chairman of the Stafford Democratic Committee.