Stafford Approves Mixed-Use Plan for Aquia Center

By: Kafia Hosh

The Free Lance Star

 

Stafford County official’s signed off on the county’s first mixed-use development yesterday. In a 4-3 vote, the Board of Supervisor’s approved rezoning the Town Center of Aquia as a traditional neighborhood development. A TND is Stafford’s new designation zone for compact development.

Located off of US-1, the center was being upgraded as a B-2 commercial project by a Michigan-based Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust. Unlike TND’s, projects in the B-2 zone are considered by-right developments that do not require the use of proffers—services paid for by the developer in exchange for the project.

In its rezoning application, Ramco-Gershenson included severeal proffers in the project such as height limits and for its three parking garages and upgrades to the intersection of US-1 and Garrisonville Road.

However, some of the proffers were slashed. When the Planning Commission recommended the project for approval, the developed offered about $23,000 in cash proffers for each housing unit built. (The development is slated to have a maximum of 287 apartments and condominiums.)

The proffers were reduced to $6,000 per unit when the rezoning request first came before the board at a public hearing last month. Ramco-Gershenson officials argued the proffers were decreased because the units are not intended for families, so there would be less impact on some public services such as schools.

Hartwood District Supervisor Joe Brito, who voted against the rezoning, said the last minute changes were unfair.

“The Planning Commission wasn’t told of this change,” he argued, “So the public had no warning of this.”

But other supervisors said some proffers are better than none.

“Under B-2 there are no proffers,” noted Garrisonville District Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer, who supported the rezoning. “I believe this project as a TND is significantly better and more responsive to the needs of Stafford.”

As a TND, the center will also get additional square footage, more parking and flexibility with design.

The extra square footage allows for more commercial space, which would boost tax revenue. As a B-2 project, the project would generate about $32 million in tax revenue over 30 years, as opposed to $46.5 million as a TND.

“If this does not go forward, the county will not receive the same net gain they would otherwise receive,” said Rockhill District Supervisor Cord Sterling, who voted for the rezoning.

The board originally deferred the rezoning request at its Dec. 18^th meeting because of concerns with adequate parking and funding for transportation upgrades. Ramco-Gershenson wanted to use tax incremental financing to pay for public improvements. A TIF looks at the assessed value of a development before and after it has been upgraded. The difference in value is used to pay off bonds that go toward the improvements.

The developer proposed an $8 million TIF to build a 200-space commuter parking lot and make other necessary upgrades such as transportation improvements. But supervisors balked at the commuter lot’s expensive price tag of about $5 million.

In order to move forward with the rezoning, supervisors removed TIF references and the commuter lot from the application. They will revisit those items at another time.

When complete, the project will have a town-center look that blends residential and commercial uses with tree-lined sidewalks and grassy courtyards.

Aquia District Supervisor Paul Milde said the center is an ambitious project that, for the first time, will bring high-end shopping options and restaurants to Stafford.

“There’s nothing like this all the way on the Route 1 corridor until you get to Fairfax County,” he said, “I am hearing that people are excited about this new vibrant, live/work town center idea here. I want to give them what’s been promised.”