On August 4th many residents spoke out at the Board of County Supervisors meeting against the use of eminent domain to acquire their homes in order to move forward with the Route 28 Bypass construction. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted to endorse Alternative 2B to address the congestion on Route 28.

On Tuesday, July 14th, the Board of County Supervisors held a public hearing regarding the congestion on Route 28, which was deferred to their August 4th meeting. Agenda item F under Public Hearings, on the 14th, stated: “RES — Defer to a Date and Time Certain — August 4, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. – Endorse – Recommended Route 28 Bypass Project Location (Alternative 2B); Authorize the Execution of a Standard Project Agreement Between Prince William County and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for the Route 28 Bypass Project (Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Project #2018-032-3); Budget and Appropriate $89,000,000 to be Reimbursed with Fiscal Year 2018-2023 70% Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Funds — Brentsville, Coles, and Gainesville Magesterial Districts — Ricardo Canizales, Transportation 1: Vega 2: Lawson / Unanimous

Tuesday’s, August 4th meeting was well attended by residents whose homes would be impacted by a potential bypass. Several constituents held signs as they sat in the atrium. One man held a sign “Protect My HOME.” Another individual held a sign with “my home is important to me” written on it. Others held signs with statements written in Spanish.

A number of residents whose homes would be effected by the decision, spoke out during public comment time. Many of those who did spoke in their native language of Spanish. An off-site translator provided their statements in English in real time. Constituents speaking in Spanish were given six minutes total to include time to translate their comments. Most who utilized a translator for their speaking time finished their comments before their allotted time elapsed.

The process of the back and forth between speakers and the translator was a bit unclear for some. Pablito Hernendez, a resident, said upon reaching the podium “I don’t understand English.” Chair-At-Large Ann Wheeler attempted to explain to him that they had a translator thus he could speak in Spanish, but did so in English. Supervisor Yesli Vega, R-Coles, a native Spanish speaker, stepped in to provide directions in Spanish to him about how to proceed. Chair Wheeler thanked her.

Lucy Alfaro and her mother, Abigail Alfaro, both spoke at the meeting. Speaking in English Lucy said “I am against the whole road. I’m against it because for me personally, that neighborhood, is very easy for me to move around. I have been in other neighborhoods and it has been very difficult for me to go around, especially on the sidewalk. And that trailer park for me is easier to move around.” Lucy uses a wheelchair and has lived there since she was four, she will turn 20 next month. She also highlighted the circumstances of other residents “They don’t know where else to go and its hard for them to find another place to live.” Mentioning that “We [the residents] suddenly get the news [about the bypass] and we don’t know where to go.”

Her mother, Abigail, who spoke in Spanish, shared about their personal family struggles and the importance of their home to them. The translator provided her comments in English “I do not agree with the construction of the road over there [in Coles]. I live there with my three children. One of my kids [Lucy] uses a wheelchair and she feels safe and confident to go around the neighborhood in her wheelchair, we have a good school very close by, and the neighborhood is safe.” Sharing that she would be very affected as a “survivor of domestic violence” and that due to her “financial situation” this is the safest, most accessible community she can afford for herself and her family.

After Lucy’s public comments I spoke with her and she highlighted the unfairness of the decision. Saying “I find it pretty unfair how we didn’t really know about this and we suddenly have to move.” Although she “finds it nice they want to make the road bigger to be able to get home faster” she is personally against it due to the impact it would have on her, her family, and her community.

Throughout the meeting Supervisor Vega’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Marina Santos spent time engaging with residents who had come to speak, providing them masks and conversing with them. Santos arranged for Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, R-Brentsville to meet the Alfaro family after they spoke and she gave cookies to Ms. Alfaro’s son.

Ana Hernandez, another resident, spoke in English about she is “against the build[ing] of the Route 28 Bypass.” Emphasizing that “there are great families that that live there, that feel safe in their community.” Describing some of the facets of her community she said there are “people with disabilities, people that have built their homes, remolded them, put a lot of effort into it.” Speaking with Ana in the atrium later on she said, “I feel sad that they want to build a road where people feel safe and have no where else to go.”

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) employee, Paolo Belita, provided a “brief presentation” addressing “questions received the last meeting” which lasted under five minutes. Belita’s presentation slides included information on ‘minority and low-income population, historic properties, streams & wetlands, flood plains, as well as air quality and noise.’

VDOT Project Director and Staff Lead, Ricardo Canizales, made himself available for questions following Belita’s presentation. Supervisor Victor Angry, D- Neabsco sought confirmation that they were they to discuss “approving the planning design phase of putting a road, a bypass, through Godwin Drive.”

Supervisor Lawson asked about the total cost, which is estimated to be $300 million dollars. She questioned whether environmental factors would drive up the total cost. Canizales confirmed that they “asked our consultants to. . .take into consideration having to do major mediation and mitigation of environmental concerns.”

Both Chair Wheeler and Supervisor Vega asked for clarification about the total homes expected to be affected by the project. There will be 54 total home takes and 18 partial home takes, “a total number of 72 homes affected” according to Canizales.

Supervisor Vega thanked Supervisors Boddye, Angry, and Lawson for going out there to “see things for themselves” and to “answer constituents’ questions” Highlighting that her district will be “the most negatively impacted by this proposal.” She asserted that “we [the Supervisors] talk this big game about affordable housing” and this is an opportunity to this board to “put their money where their mouth is.” For them to “take bold action” and look at things “though [an] equity lens.” Further emphasizing that she found it “disingenuous and inappropriate” for the flyer to have failed to mention eminent domain. Then she apologized, in Spanish, to her constituents.

The board spent just over one hour discussing, asking questions, and providing commentary on the matter. Ultimately, they voted unanimously to endorse Alternative 2B.