Hello,

My name is Kenny Bland and I am a 23-year resident of PWC and live in the Gainesville District, specifically on Pageland Lane. I want to thank all the Supervisors for their hard work and forward-thinking vision to help the residents of PWC prosper for years to come. When we moved to Pageland Lane 6 years ago, I had never heard of the Rural Crescent, even my wife who is a lifetime resident of PWC was unfamiliar. I can also imagine the rural crescent is so far removed from most people on the eastern end of the county that they have no idea what the rural crescent even is. With that said, it is very important for you to remember that the 20-year project that created the Rural Crescent in 1998 ended in 2018 and has NOT been reinstated for good reason; it was a project that only benefitted the few wealthy enough to buy large houses on large pieces of property on the western end of the county and really benefitted no one else, especially those in eastern PWC. 

There are a handful of people on the western end of the county and a few special interest groups, who are trying to sway your already well-informed idea of what is best for the nearly half-million people of this county. They have a voice, yes, but that voice is NOT speaking for anywhere near the majority of this minority-majority county. I encourage you to continue what you already know is best for the future of all the people in this county. The PWDG is a well-thought out plan that will easily fund your 2040 plan for PWC and in addition, offers incredible concessions like donating hundreds of acres of land to the National Park Service that will connect Conway Robinson State Park to the Manassas National Battlefield as well as several trails and parks throughout the area. This donation will benefit EVERYONE, not only the immediate neighbors on the western end, but EVERYONE who visits PWC. The PWDG developers have also given great consideration to the local environment, including the view shed protection from the adjacent Battlefield and to its neighbors. They will also be implementing advanced storm water management that exceeds all current standards to help protect the Occoquan. No other developer will match these concessions. 

The massive commercial tax base increase from this project is undeniably the best way to meet and exceed the needs of this growing county, it’s school, it’s fire and law enforcement, and pretty much anything else you can think of that needs funding. Letting this opportunity slip by would be a huge mistake for this county that will be felt for years to come.

This is the right area and the right time for this project.  The Gainesville Crossing Data Center that is currently under construction adjacent to Conway Robinson State Park and the Manassas Battlefield really paved the way for the PWDG as that data center is also outside the inadequate data center overlay and even has an easement reserved for the Bi-County parkway for whenever a future BOCS decides the population dictates the need to start that project back up. Now that’s some forward thinking! With that said, I want to thank Supervisors Lawson and Candland who were on that board in 2019 and approved the Gainesville Data Center project. 

I want to leave you with one last thought as you prepare for the upcoming PWDG meeting, please take a mental note of the demographics of the majority of people speaking in opposition of the PWDG and remember this is a minority-majority county and ask yourself, who are these people really speaking for?

Thank you,

Kenny Bland

Pageland Lane resident and advocate for the PWDG and a strong future for Prince William County.

(Editor’s Note: The preceding letter reflects those views of the author only and not necessarily PW Perspective, LLC or its stakeholders. For more information, please visit our ‘About Us’ page.)