Local officials want to ease concerns about a proposal to increase density in rural parts of Northern Virginia.
"Prince William County planners are trying to ease concerns after a proposed update to the Comprehensive Plan drew criticism that it could devastate rural areas," reports Nolan Stout.
"The revisions could threaten what’s known as the 'rural crescent' – roughly 117,000 acres restricted to no more than one home for every 10 acres with strict prohibitions on the expansion of public sewer lines. However, county planners say the new plan provides more potential for protection while managing the needs of population growth," Stout writes.
"Some speakers last week said they believed the consultants haphazardly picked places for potential development rather than getting to know the county." According to the article, "The biggest outcry has been around the agricultural and forestry district’s allowance of up to one home per five acres, rather than one home per 10 acres." But County planner Alex Vanegas "stressed that no changes to rural area land would be allowed by right. Landowners would have to seek a rezoning to allow more density than is currently legal in the rural area."
FULL STORY: Prince William planners try to ease rural area concerns
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association