Economic Hard Times Prompt Wave of Local Business Construction

In the last several months, Prince William County has seen a rise in business construction and renovations. Even Lake Ridge, a highly residential community, has welcomed a new Chipotle, a 7-Eleven, an AutoZone, and a Patient First, and has seen renovations at Dillingham Square and at the Taco Bell.

"As a somewhat older community in Lake Ridge, what we're going through is a lot of businesses that have been here for some time are interested in renovating and updating their looks," Occoquan District Supervisor Mike May said. "Most of what you're seeing going up now is stuff that was zoned a long time ago." 

With some current construction, the current Board of County Supervisors never got to approve or weigh in on the developments, because the rezoning occurred before the current Board's terms. The plot for the new Auto Zone, for example, was zoned back in the 1980s, and was simply never developed until now. The decision to suddenly develop a property could be prompted by economic hardship, May said. 

Constituents sometimes complain about new developments, and ask the Board why they approved the development, May said. But with developments that were approved for rezoning several years ago, many of the current Board members had no say. 

"Rezoning has proffers associated with it. Once that rezoning is approved, then the landowner has a vested ability to develop that property in accordance with those proffers," May said. He said that properties like the new Auto Zone plot sometimes didn't get developed for some time. 

"For whatever reason, they don't actually get built after their rezoning," May said. "They just sit. They can just sit for years and years." 

May said it was difficult to predict what kind of developments are in Lake Ridge's future, but mentioned that a plot near the Chinn Center, across from the new Chipotle, had already been zoned for general business.

"There have been a couple of folks expressing interest," May said. 

Infrastructure developments in Woodbridge include new sidewalk along Old Bridge Road and the widening of Prince William Parkway from Old Bridge Road to Minnieville Road.