Op-Ed: Occoquan Needs Your Help

Democracy is not about big wins, but small victories.  It is a process, one by which citizens make their wishes known.  No less than the future of the Town of Occoquan hangs in the balance at the Jan. 10 meeting of the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors, and now our town needs all of its supporters to practice active democracy and come to the meeting. It is time for the final reckoning for the Oaks III development. 

For much of the past year, the Town and the community of Thousand Oaks has fought Ken Thompson’s development of a 32,500 sq. foot office building at the intersection of Tanyard Hill and Old Bridge Road.  It is the near universal belief of those most directly affected that this project will be a disaster for the Town of Occoquan, failing to take into account our concerns regarding storm water run-off, traffic, and safety. 

A Town Hall Meeting on Monday, June 20, regarding the Oaks III development showed how little the developer cares about the concerns or citizens in the Town of Occoquan.  This was the first, and only, opportunity citizens and elected officials of the town had to express either support or concerns directly to the developer.  Mr. Thompson came to the Occoquan meeting with a slew of paid experts: lawyers, land planners, environmental engineers, and traffic engineers. The town had only its Mayor and Council, and a number of its citizens to respond. Such intimidation is unfortunate, the condescending and needlessly patronizing tone taken by the developer’s hired guns was only understandable in this light; it is clear from the meeting that the developer has no incentive to listen to critics, and is only interested in ramming his proposal through unchanged. Nothing he presented on Monday seriously addressed the dangers to the town identified by both citizens and elected representatives.

He has consistently refused to work with the town, or to negotiate in good faith.  Instead, he is counting on the power he has amassed as the developer of much of Lake Ridge to carry his plans through. Of course, Mr. Thompson, has little reason to listen. He already has the recommendation of the County Planning Staff, and the County Planning Commission, neither of whom seriously considered the impact of the development on the town. Mr. Thompson then smugly refused to seriously negotiate with the town and county and refused to consider a deal that would have rewarded him with nearly a million dollars in cash and tax credits to simply keep the zoning of the parcel in tact.  He would only bring this to the Board if he was sure it would pass.  All who care about the Town of Occoquan need to show up to the meeting on the 10th and make sure that our elected official understand that we are not to be ignored. 

Supervisor Mike May, who is against the project, and Chairman Corey Stewart, who is still making up his mind, however, know of the Town’s concerns.  Other members of the BOCS are also aware of the stakes involved, and it is curious that they are not deferring to the judgement of Mike May, the Occoquan District Supervisor in this matter. Yet, if the developer is unwilling to make meaningful changes, what can they do? Could this be why Mr. Thompson thinks the Board of Supervisors is in his pocket? We know better. Both Mike and Corey are our neighbors, we know them and trust them. Mr. Thompson does not know any of us, and seems intent on making sure he never does. Such intransigence is an insult to both Occoquan and the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. It is a relief that he must still submit to the Supervisors on January 10, 2011. Then, we will see if smart growth is really any growth at all. 

What is clear is this; while one 32,000 square foot office building will not make or break the economic health of Prince William County, it will make or break the future of Occoquan. Please support our little town and let the BOCS know that voting for Ken Thompson is voting against the future of Occoquan.