[PWCBG editor’s note: In later posted versions of Chair Wheeler’s speech below on pwcgov.org site, transcription of speech was changed in paragraph two, first sentence from “increased by 280,000” to “increased from 280,000”.]

Welcome to everyone who is here today or listening or watching us online.…

[7 Mar 2020 updated version of mass e-mail by Prince William Citizens for Balanced Growth, based on updated information from Prince William County government]

Fellow Prince William County citizens: 

In a recent email, we noted that on 10 March 2020 the Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) will vote on the over-500-house Devlin Road residential development proposal. …

Fellow citizens:

Devlin Road Returns — Prince William County residential developers are trying yet again to revive an already-thrice-failed effort to put hundreds of new houses (over 500 this time) on a portion of Devlin Rd. …

All: Please note that Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) Chairman Corey Stewart, who leaves office at the end of December 2019, is making a last-ditch effort to get approval over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays for 516 more houses on Devlin Road.…

All:   Good news.

Electoral Outcome — On 5 November, the four western and central county candidates whom you and we were able to directly support were all elected to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS):  Yesli Vega (Coles), Jeanine Lawson (Brentsville), Kenny Boddye (Occoquan), and Peter Candland (Gainesville.)…

Several days ago, Prince William Citizens for Balanced Growth (PWCBG) received an e-mail from a prominent and vocal Rural Crescent (RC) landowner. …

We come to Prince William County’s land use wars reluctantly.  In many ways, this is not our battle. …

As previously noted, working with many other civic groups and some Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) members, we’ve spent over 14 years, now almost 15 trying one-by-one to cut off the hydra heads of out-of-control residential development. …

Fellow Prince William County Citizens:

We and many other citizens groups have worked hard to bring limits to residential development in our county so that schools, roads, the environment, and the very limited commercial tax base can begin to recover from more than two decades of out-of-control residential development.…

Fellow Prince William County Citizens:

In our nearly 15 years of involvement in county land use issues and almost 20 years living here, pursuing balanced growth land use policies and protecting Prince William County’s Rural Crescent have always been bipartisan issues, including protecting citizens against tax-negative residential development that chokes our roads, overcrowds our schools, raises our taxes, lowers property values, and damages our environment. …