Supervisors Acquire Land to Expand Commuter Lot

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors authorized a property condemnation last week that will pave the way for more commuter parking in the southern portion of the county.

The board's unanimous April 7 vote allows county officials to exercise their quick-take powers to acquire 67,000 square feet of land on Jefferson Davis Highway. The property will be used for the various easements needed to expand the park-and-ride lot at Route 1 and Route 234.

"This is a long time in coming," said Prince William Supervisor Maureen S. Caddigan (R-Dumfries). "We've been waiting for more commuter parking spaces for many, many years."

The $6 million expansion project will add about 500 spots to the 350-space lot. The project will be fully funded by the state, but it is up to the county to solicit bids and complete the construction work, said Rick Canizales, a transportation planning manager for Prince William County.

Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Salmon said there are currently about 9,000 commuter parking spots across the county. VDOT officials targeted the Route 1/Route 234 lot because it is over capacity, Salmon said. People are parking on the surrounding grounds -- which are muddy, not paved -- and there have been issues with cars sliding in the mud and running into other vehicles.

County officials have offered property owner Richmond Highway Right of Way LLC $23,000 for the land they acquired. That offer was rejected, however. Canizales said the offer was made based on the current assessed value of the property, which has been vacant "for years."

Although negotiations are ongoing, Canizales said the county can move forward with the project and begin advertising for construction bids within the next week. The project is expected to commence in July and take about six months to complete.

VDOT officials said the construction will not affect the operation of the current lot or temporarily take away any spaces.