Pr. William Set to Put Housing On Hold

"The board is going to proceed with the resolution, and we are going to pass it," said Stewart, who was elected to fill the remaining year of the term of Sean T. Connaughton (R), who resigned to take another job. "During that one-year window, I am going to lead some long-term land-use reform to permanently slow residential development."

Stewart said that the board is seeking an opinion from County Attorney Ross G. Horton about whether the measure is legal but that he wanted to keep that opinion confidential as a legal strategy. "We don't have to reveal something that is going to hurt our case," Stewart said.

But other members of the board -- Maureen S. Caddigan (R-Dumfries), John D. Jenkins (D-Neabsco) and Hilda M. Barg (D-Woodbridge) -- said they would make the memorandum public.

"The public has a right to know what is legal and what isn't legal," Barg said. "My citizens are waiting to hear. I will not be keeping it a secret. We have been sued before and paid big dollars, and we don't need to do that again. . . . I will support something, but I have to find out what that something is."

The Northern Virginia Building Industry Association is scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss its response to the freeze, according to Beckner, who is a member of the association.

"We are sort of scratching our heads a little bit," said Jim Williams, executive vice president of the association. "Clearly, with the new chairman, I think the intent is to stop residential development within Prince William County. During his campaign, he targeted residential development to stop it. There is no doubt in my mind that he will use every tool at his disposal to stop or deny any new housing."

Williams said the freeze would not only hurt builders and developers would also have a profound impact on regional employment and the economy. "I think we are going to see a high rate of impact in secondary markets," he said, including employees of small businesses who depend on construction to survive, such as plumbers, electricians, carpet installers, dry wallers and painters. "If you clamp down on construction and are not creating that demand out there, everybody is going to be out of work."

Supervisor Martin E. Nohe (R-Coles) said that Covington's proposal has generated a lot of debate about development but that the board really is focusing on transportation. "I think what this does is gives us the tools to link growth and transportation," he said.

It is also about politics. Kaine, who campaigned on linking transportation to development, said during a recent swing through Northern Virginia that he understood the frustration of the Prince William supervisors, but he had another suggestion.

He said Prince William voters should consider replacing two of their legislators, Republicans Jeffrey M. Frederick and L. Scott Lingamfelter, who as members of the House Finance Committee helped defeat the major transportation tax increase proposals before the House of Delegates in September.

Lingamfelter said his vote was motivated by his desire to keep a promise to voters he made not to raise taxes. Frederick said Kaine's tax-increase schemes were the same failed approach to transportation that got the state in its current mess.

Jenkins, who has been on the board of supervisors for about 25 years and was a key supporter of Kaine's during the 2005 gubernatorial campaign, said the time is right for the freeze because the housing market has slowed anyway and because 2007 is an election year. He said it is customary that the board does not approve residential development after August in an election year.

"We'd be taking six months off from approving anything in 2007, and that's fine in my mind," Jenkins said. "I'm going to support the resolution with the aim of getting both the governor and the General Assembly time to give us some congestion relief."