Setbacks Change Pr. William Back to Pumpkin for Some

Some big projects still in the works will help offset some of the county's recent losses. They include a $32 million FBI field office under construction along the Prince William Parkway and a $56 million performing arts complex on George Mason University's Prince William campus.

Nonetheless, some newcomers said they felt a little duped by real estate agents who assured them that better amenities were on the way. Dumfries resident Ruth Isaac moved from Arlington 15 months ago but still battles traffic on the weekends to shop at Pentagon City. Woodbridge's Potomac Mills, she said, is "nothing but outlets."

Isaac said she and her husband were unsure about whether the move to Prince William was worth it. "We're trying to figure out if we like it or not," she said. "We don't know."

The lack of upscale establishments threatens to undermine perceptions about quality of life in Prince William, said Corey A. Stewart, chairman of the Board of County Supervisors. "I know people are frustrated," he said, "and the longer it lasts, the more it will hurt the image of Prince William.

"The county is losing revenue, and we're further congesting our roads because people have to leave the county" to get what they want, he said.

Like many newcomers, Stewart (R-At Large) said it is only a matter of time before Prince William's shopping options catch up to its earnings.

"Retailers move in packs," Stewart said. "Nobody wants to be the first one out. But once it grabs hold, it will really happen at a very quick pace."

Former lieutenant governor Donald S. Beyer Jr. was planning to open the county's first Jaguar-Land Rover dealership in Gainesville, but with his competitor opening one in Chantilly, Beyer said he will open a Volvo dealership instead.

"It's a wonderful market area," Beyer said. "We see incomes and educational levels compatible with luxury car areas."

The problem, he said, is that companies and retailers are slow to believe that Prince William has changed. "They still have old images of Manassas and Gainesville," he said.

That's just fine with Dee Spraker, a broker for Coldwell Banker in Dumfries. Spraker moved to the county in the 1970s, before Potomac Mills was built and when Bob's Big Boy on Route 1 was the hot night spot.

"I really think we're working-class people in this area," she said. "Because so many of our people commute, I don't think luxury dining is such a big issue, except on special occasions." In other words, those who move to Prince William are looking for a sense of community, not a Saks Fifth Avenue.

Besides, Spraker said as she loaded shopping bags into her truck outside a new Wal-Mart, progress is easy to point to.

"Who would have ever thought we'd have an Applebee's here?" she asked.