Prince William County’s planners have postponed approval of a proposed development near Haymarket due to traffic problems.
The Planning Commission unanimously presented a proposal for the rededication of 8.5 acres at the intersection of Antioch Road and John Marshall Highway (Va. 55) after a public hearing during its meeting on February 3rd.
Haymarket Town Center LLC plans to change the zoning of the package between the John Marshall Highway and Interstate 66 from agricultural to medium.
According to an employee report, the developer plans to build two hotels with 100 rooms each, a restaurant on 7,600 square meters and an office building on 3,000 square meters.
The property, about 1 km west of the Haymarket city limits, was valued at $ 482,000 for tax in 2020, according to online court records. It is included in the overall plan for a municipal employment center and is located in the development area.
The property would be divided into two unconnected lots. Two entrances to development would be on the John Marshall Highway with dedicated right turns, one on Rose Ellene Lane and one in the middle of the package. Left turns from the latter entrance are not permitted. A third entrance would be on Antioch Road.
At the site, the John Marshall Highway would be converted into three lanes, with two lanes in an easterly direction and one in a westerly direction being separated by a median.
The planners were particularly concerned about the entrance to Antioch Road, which was designated as a scenic back road in 2017, and possible traffic risks from the high bridge over I-66.
Jonelle Cameron, a Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh attorney representing the developer, said the entrance would meet Virginia Department of Transportation regulations requiring 500 feet of visibility. Haymarket Alderman Bob Weir disagreed at the hearing.
“I don’t know how anyone, consultant or driver, is going to somehow manage that 500-foot view,” he said. “If you don’t have an x-ray, there is no way you can see that 500-foot distance.”
Cameron said VDOT would have to log off at the entrance during the site map process, but Neabsco Commissioner Bill Milne said the concerns couldn’t wait that long.
“I do not want a solution in the site plan, I now want a solution as proposed,” he said.
At the public hearing, five other people spoke and two supported the proposal. The other three raised concerns about the impact on traffic, saying a proposed historic kiosk was inadequate.
A report on cultural resources indicates possible troop movements through the property during the civil war. Union and Confederate troops marched through the area in August 1862, participating in small battles en route prior to the Second Battle of Bull Run. Union Secretary Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell wrote of troops moving from a mill west of Haymarket to near town and later to Gainesville before the battle.
The developer has agreed to add interpretive signage with historical commission content about the battlefields and skirmishes related to the property.
Coles Commissioner Joseph Fontanella Jr. wanted more historical recognition for the site.
“I think I’m just a little disappointed that we have a historic site. The best we can do here is open a kiosk that explains what was here before,” he said. “I think we have some very unique features in this county that are an important part of American history, and I think we need to be careful putting hotels and other things on top of them rather than finding other locations.”
The Commission’s action would allow the county staff to reintroduce the proposal after more information was gathered about safety concerns on Antioch Road and the property’s historic recognition.
