Senior subdivision plans development
The proposed development, which would sit along Interstate 66 between Heritage Hunt and Catharpin Road, would bring road improvements –including the extension of Heathcote Boulevard to Catharpin Road.
The Prince William Planning Commission has voted in favor of U.S. Homes Corp.’s proposal, lauding the transportation improvements.
“We might actually have a road we can use for transportation in the community,” quipped Commissioner Rene M. Fry, Dumfries.
The proposal calls for a maximum of 127 age-restricted houses, which require at least one resident to be at or above age 50, and 400 multi-family condominiums. A business park with 700,000 square feet of office and retail space is also planned.
If approved, U.S. Homes Corp. will construct a four-lane, divided Heathcote Boulevard through the property to intersect with Catharpin Road, and proffered to make road improvements at the existing intersection of Healthcote and Lee Highway.
A few area residents expressed concerns about traffic and buffers around the development.
Mitchell Berstein of Walnut Hill Drive said the plans called for unwarranted clearing of a wooded area behind his house.
Developers are asking for a waiver of the required 50-foot buffer along I-66 and proposing a 100-foot-wide buffer along Catharpin Road, which county planners consider insufficient.
Donald Smith, said it was a “density vs. traffic issue” and said he was worried about the ability of Heathcote Boulevard to handle increased traffic.
But Mike Lubeley, attorney for U.S. Homes, said the property would likely be split up and subject to more dense development if the project is not approved.
Commissioners E. Bruce Holley, Neabsco, and Russell Bryant, Woodbridge, voted against the proposal.
The Board of County Supervisors will consider the project Nov. 19.