Supervisors Freeze Home Construction

"This has been a big issue for me," Stewart said before the vote. "This is not a cure-all, and this is not a long-term solution."

Victor D. Bras, chairman of the Prince William County Democratic Committee, called the board's action "empty grandstanding" and charged that it was motivated more by next year's election than by a desire to spark action on transportation issues.

"Covington and his colleagues should not hide behind the fig leaf of a resolution that stacks up rezoning applications like cordwood until after next year's election," Bras said.

The two Democrats on the board, Barg and Supervisor John D. Jenkins (D-Neabsco), voted for the freeze.

Supervisor Martin E. Nohe (R-Coles) said the proposal didn't go far enough. "It doesn't do exactly what I wanted it to do," Nohe said. "But the way it was originally written was not going to be legally enforceable. While it doesn't do everything I hope it would do in slowing down growth, it does do something. It's a start."

Tammy Cesario of Gainesville, who said she owned a small construction business, warned the board that its action would simply send developers to surrounding counties and hurt small businesses such as hers.

"By implementing this, you will be shutting Prince William County down," she told the board before the vote. "Have you considered all the small businesses you will be putting out of business? This will be your legacy. You will be known as the board that, with a flick of a pen, killed the county."

Staff writer Christy Goodman contributed to this report.