Fredericksburg taking proposals for area plans
The City of Fredericksburg is taking proposals from land-use and urban-planning firms that can help shape future plans for three areas of the City.
The City has created 10 small-area planning areas (see map to right), and is working with consultants to create detailed plans for each to provide specific guidance for development and redevelopment. Work has either started or been completed on Areas 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.
Next up in the process are Areas 5, 8 and 10 — which are the subject of the recently issued Request for Proposals. Here is a description of each from the City website:
Area 5, University / Route 1 – Central. The key components of this area are the central portion of Route 1 corridor in the City, the College Heights neighborhood, and the almost 200-acre campus of the University of Mary Washington, with just under 5,000 students. In addition, the university’s development foundation owns about 17 different parcels in the area and either has developed or plans to further develop these properties for the benefit of the university. One of the key issues of this Area Plan will be balancing neighborhood preservation, the growth of the UMW community, and the evolution of the ageing commercial uses serving this neighborhood.
Area 8, Mayfield. The uses in this area are very diverse. The residential uses are found in the mostly single-family 100-acre Mayfield neighborhood. In this area there are 75 acres of public land, more than half of which is Dixon Park, a city facility with ball fields and swimming pool. The balance of the public property is a waste-water treatment facility that is slated for closure. Over 100 acres in this area are used for industrial purposes, and 15 acres are used for commercial activities. The area contains the 30-acre fairgrounds, which has been the site since 1950 of the oldest operating agricultural fair in the country, starting in 1738. Finally, on the north of this area is the limited access Route 3 By-pass (Blue Gray Parkway), and on the west is a major switching facility for the CSX Railroad. All these elements create the complexity of impacts to be managed through the creation of a strong vision for the Area during the planning process.
Area 10, Braehead/National Park. This area contains two main corridors along Route 1 and Lafayette Boulevard, business Route 1. The Route 1 corridor includes a commercial area of approximately 45 acres, with a variety of office and vehicle sales uses, as well as a recent townhouse project and another 45-acre area for the City’s upper elementary school and middle school. The Lafayette Boulevard corridor is the spine to a stable residential neighborhood with mostly single family dwellings. It has an approximate 15-acre commercially zoned area on Lafayette central to the area. At the southern boundary of the City is a second 4-acre commercial area, with adjoining townhouses, that is part of a core town-like area straddling the border between the City of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County. One of the key issues of this Area Plan will be the protection of existing residential uses in this area and enhancing the core town-like.
Proposals are due to the City by March 3.