Comments on: Woe Is Prince William?

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 06:01:18 +0000

Momma said if you cant say anything nice………………….

By: Greg L

Greg L — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:27:47 +0000

Great job, Rebecca. I really think you ought to add that by not pandering to ostentatious extravagance in the county, perhaps we can prevent Fairfax liberals from moving here and polluting the quality of our community with their twisted values.

But I understand that in your position, you might not be able to do that.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:23:01 +0000

I posted this on another blog - just wanted to show our response to the article, which was finally printed in the washpo:

As a native of the area, and now Chairman of the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce, I like to say that I grew up “with” Prince William. I have enjoyed watching Prince William come into its own, as we develop many of the positive traits associated with metropolitan areas—a strong economy, efficient public transportation, a wealth of recreational opportunities and diverse dining options—while maintaining our sense of community.

Nick Miroff’s recent article in the Washington Post referencing perceived “setbacks” in Prince William was a reminder that not everybody is aware of the vitality that characterizes the New Prince William. This is an area where business is thriving—a national ranking recently listed Prince William as having the nineteenth fastest growing job market. The area offers infrastructure to support high tech and research facilities, a highly educated workforce and attractive community resources. Lockheed Martin, Micron Technologies and General Dynamics are just a few of the established companies that have been drawn to Prince William’s business-friendly atmosphere and high quality of life.

The future is bright as well, with projects in the pipeline that will further enhance the region. Construction on the FBI field office is underway at Innovation Park. Harbor Station, planned for the Cherry Hill peninsula, will bring Prince William its first luxury hotel and conference center, as well a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the first of three major projects adding to the already rich cultural offerings in Prince William. In the near future, it will be joined by the cutting-edge ScientPort, Northern Virginia’s Science Center and the Community Performing Arts Center at George Mason, a world-class performance and art space.

In the meantime, there is still much to see and do here. The area’s rich history can be traced through a series of museums and historic sites, including Manassas. Lovers of the arts will find quality theatre troupes, orchestras and dance groups, as well as national artists at Nissan Pavillion.

Fine-dining options include a perfectly glazed leg of lamb from Foundation in Manassas, a steak grilled just right at Dak’s Grill in Woodbridge or fresh seafood at Bonefish Grill in Gainesville. Also, the diversity of our restaurants easily rivals that of any metropolitan area; with choices such as Indian, Japanese and Thai readily available.

Shoppers can enjoy quaint shops in areas such as Occoquan and Old Town Manassas or one of the area’s two malls—Potomac Mills, home to outlets of high-end retailers such as Saks 5th Avenue and Nordstrom, and Manassas Mall, anchored by stores such as Macy’s.

As I look around at the economic growth and energy flowing through the community, I am confident that rather than turning into a pumpkin, Prince William is well on its way to living happily ever after.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Barnes

Bargain Boxes Moving & Storage

Chairman, Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce

By: anon

anon — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:27:30 +0000

“it does not have a single fancy hotel or foreign luxury car dealership”

We have a Volvo dealership (although I think it’s actually in Manassas, not that I would expect the author of this story to have enough of a clue to know that Manassas is not part of PW County). We have an Acura dealership. We have Auto Advantage which specializes in used BMWs (this is in Manassas Park, again not a part of PW County).

By: long time resident

long time resident — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:36:03 +0000

Sure PW and Manassas don’t get respect… nothing else is new. However, when you see the wave of illegal immigrants leaving the Peoples Republics of Alexandria and Arlington for the great freedom of the west (where we cater more to them then the above communities ever did), it’s easy to understand why we continue to be viewed as second class…

By: Amanda Hug-n'kis

Amanda Hug-n'kis — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:45:32 +0000

I can’t believe another real estate Broker would have made those comments had she known the full scoop of the story. Why in the world would any agent shoot his/her self in the foot. It has been my experience (from being misquoted once by the WP) that quite often things are out of context. Prince William is a beautiful place to live and work. Maybe we don’t have a Tyson’s but who here really cares? Potomac Mills has created enough traffic congestion. For those mentioned that don’t like the fact that they have to “travel” a little for classy dining and shopping - you knew where you were moving to when you decided to move to PWC - if you don’t like it go back where you came from!!

By: Peregrinus

Peregrinus — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:59:57 +0000

So does the glut of Japanese-style steakhouses in PWC not count as “upscale” dining? Of course, those all pale to the little Japanese restaurant off 28 in Manassas called Bamboo, which feels like a neighborhood restaurant that just happens to serve Japanese food (and the best I’ve had, on par with places in Fairfax).

Of course, this is simply urban elitism, which goes hand in hand with liberal elitism.

By: Greg L

Greg L — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 03:59:20 +0000

Aw, crapola. How are we going to discourage liberals from coming to Prince William County if we build our own version of a Reston Town Center? Maybe we can have an indoor firing rage on the premises? Or a Cabelas? We’ve got to do something before we get malled to death.

I’ll take Old Town Manassas over anything called “Town Center” any day of the week.

By: Riley, Not O'Reilly

Riley, Not O'Reilly — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 03:38:06 +0000

Greg, you hit the nail on the head with the many fine places we do have in PWC — The Globe & Laurel is a real treasure. That being said, there are some upscale things in the pipeline as well. A Jack Nicklaus signature golf course overlooking the Potomac River will be opening this fall. A luxury hotel and conference center is already under construction and will open right next to that. There is also a town center being built around that — Harbor Station — that has been designed by the person who designed Reston Town Center. Up the road, they’ve broken ground for Potomac Town Center which is where the Wegman’s will be as well as a Macy’s and a brand new Border’s in addition to other higher-end stores than currently exist here.

This will all ultimately give people choices right here within our own communities, which ultimately will help ease gridlock. As it is now, my family and I would rather go to Fredericksburg than to Tysons.

By: The Skeptic

The Skeptic — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 02:16:38 +0000

Prince William is the 7th richest county in the Country. There are many well educated, highly successful people who would frequent nice places and high end retail.

We don’t have a Nordstrom because the county sold their sole to the devil the day they welcomed an outlet mall sticking us a Nordstrom Rack.

What I envy most about Fairfax is the network of hiking/biking trails, lots of parks (compared to PWC) and designated parks for dogs.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 23:48:54 +0000

Now lets not bash Fairfax too much. I grew up in Reston and it was a very close-knit community. Its just different. Fairfax City, where I live, has worked very hard to keep its small town atmosphere. I think the farther you move west in the county it gets less and less neighborly. Its the difference between “new Fairfax” and “old Fairfax.” If you’ve lived here, you know what I’m talking about. Thats why all this super-development is so sad, too a point. The Fairfax of my childhood is gone.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 23:31:18 +0000

Great post BVBL. Im sorry to hear Stewart buys into that elitist crap. Maybe he should sit down and have lunch with the real estate broker in the article. Maybe she could instill a little pride in beliefs about Prince William.

Oh but of course that couldnt work out because she sells those horrible things called houses. You know, those useless things that those evil developers build.
Heavens knows Stewart couldnt be associated with such evil.

By: I know my neighbors

I know my neighbors — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:38:40 +0000

I lived in Fairfax, in a very upscale section to be exact, and I hated it. Fairfax feel clausterphobic and self-important. I moved to Manassas a couple of years back and have not questioned the choice. The Post article is missing the point, Manassas and Prince William (the “eastern” half if you will since those folks quoted from “western” half seem to want to cecede) has a real community with people who actually speak to each other and attend community events. My friends in Fairfax look wistful when I tell them about the latest neighborhood block party in my neighborhood or the festivals my children enjoy in Old Town Manassas. Repeatedly I hear a familiar refrain from my Fairfax friends, “You mean … you actually KNOW your neighbors?” Um yes, Fairfax … we know our neighbors here in Manassas/Prince William. I’d chose a friendly environment over a “jag” dealership any day.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:11:54 +0000

Dude I live in Fairfax County and your not missing much if that is what your into. That Post story was condecending tripe I had ever read. What crap.