Planning Office

Shorter Topics Podcast: Episode 5 - Planning for PWC's Future

Prince William County Executive Christopher Shorter recently interviewed Planning Director Tanya Washington for his Shorter Topics podcast. Director Washington talks about her journey into the land use planning field and highlights important Planning Office initiatives such as the recently adopted Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance and the soon-to-launch Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Update.

Effective January 16, 2025, this memorandum applies to new land use applications and those under review that have not yet been scheduled for a Planning Commission or Board of County Supervisors public hearing. The guidance emphasizes the importance of early and meaningful engagement with impacted communities and stakeholders to facilitate a smoother and more efficient review and public hearing process.

The Sudley Road Corridor in Prince William County has been chosen for the regional Technical Assistance Panel, or TAP, program during Fiscal Year 2025 by the Urban Land Institute Washington and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The 2.87-mile corridor, near Interstate 66, is bordered by the Manassas Battlefield Park, Godwin Drive, Ashton Avenue and a section of Williamson Boulevard.

In March 2024, the Board of County Supervisors requested that meeting agendas and all related materials for upcoming meetings be posted on the Monday the week before the scheduled hearing to provide more time for Board and public review. Go to the web page for more information including memorandums and the Application Due Date Schedule

As Yorkshire’s main roadway, Virginia Route 28 plays a vital role as a county gateway and is a major transportation route through the center of the community. In 2023, Prince William County was awarded a planning study to evaluate and recommend cost-effective improvement alternatives for multimodal travel in the Yorkshire Activity Center.

In July 2021, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors initiated amendments to the zoning text and county code to create an Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit Ordinance that would help people with incomes at or below the area median income live in the county while maintaining a basic lifestyle and meeting basic living needs. For more information go to the AfDU webpage.

On February 28, 2023, through Ordinance 23-07, the Board voted to approve removing from the Noise Ordinance the exemption of commercial HVAC at night, exempting residential, with a sunset clause of one year. Concurrently, an amendment to the DCSM and the Zoning Ordinance was initiated through Res. No. 23-111 to work with stakeholders to address potential data center impacts including noise.

Get the latest information on pending and completed zoning requests, special use permits, comprehensive plan amendments and more.

The Planning Office will host a public meeting on the Thoroughfare Historic Overlay District Project, Thursday November 14, 2024, at 7:30 pm at Tyler Elementary School. Planning Staff and Dovetail Cultural Resources Group, will discuss the initial project task, the National Register of Historic Places Nomination. More information at [email protected] or call 703-792-4544.