From Your Prince William Chamber 
August 2015

Chamber Advocate,

See what the Chamber has been up to over the past few weeks and what is on the horizon this summer.  From policy to politics there is plenty to choose from when trying to figure out how to be more involved with our advocacy efforts. 

Please remember that the Policy Committee will not be meeting in August.  The committee's next meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15.
  
If you have any questions about legislation or are just generally interested in what we are working on at the Chamber, please get in touch with me by sending an email to BShaw@pwchamber.org.  I am happy to discuss!   

The I-66 Funding Dilemma 
NVTA Chairman Weighs in on Potential Impact

The Prince William Chamber of Commerce along with the other Northern Virginia and statewide business groups continues its effort to advocate for a Public-Private Partnership (P3) on Interstate 66 Outside the Beltway. Recently, Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne announced at the July Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting that the Virginia Department of Transportation would consider a P3 as an option for Interstate 66. This is a positive step forward but December 2015 has been established as a key decision point on whether the Commonwealth will proceed with a P3 or, as an alternative, pursue the public finance option.

One of the primary concerns the Prince William Chamber has with the public financing option is the potential impact that it could have on other regional transportation projects. This concern was highlighted in a recent WTOP article found here.

The Prince William Chamber will continue its efforts to advocate for a P3 and will keep you updated as the process continues forward. 
Are You Doing Business with the City of Manassas?
    
 
The City's Purchasing Manager, James Falls, explains how you can explore procurement opportunities with Manassas. 

"The City of Manassas advertises its solicitations for goods and services on the City's website at www.manassascity.org/vendor. Vendors interested in receiving an e-mail notification of bid opportunities should visit the City's website, select one or more of the categories which best identifies your business, and enter your email address in order to receive an automatic e-mail notification each time the City posts a new bid opportunity.  The bid documents are available for download free of charge.

The City also advertises on the Commonwealth of Virginia website site at www.eva.virginia.gov. This site is used by all Virginia State Agencies, Colleges and Universities, as well as many Local Governments  for post of bidding opportunities.   This site is also free to join and give registered vendors access to many free services and tools."

For further information, Mr. Falls may be reached by phone at (703) 257-8368 or by email at purchasingwp@ci.manassas.va.us.       
County Board Supports Burying Power Line 
Prince William Supervisors Unanimously Pass Resolution

On Tuesday, August 4, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution aimed at the "Protection of Private Property, Historical Resources and Commercial Interests from Potential Negative Impacts of New High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines".  

The resolution, introduced by Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, conveys to the State Corporation Commission the Board's position on routing options for proposed power lines that would be necessary to facilitate the entry of a large data center in to the western end of Prince William County. 

Along with conveying the Board's position on the routing of the proposed power lines, the resolution also declares the Board's intent "to immediately initiate a zoning text amendment to incorporate appropriate zoning requirements for data centers which would address the infrastructure necessary to support such uses and the potential impacts to other properties."  

Members of the Board will seek to eliminate the current "by-right" zoning designation for data centers through the introduction of the zoning text amendment.  Currently data centers may locate to  all non-residential zoning districts, except the Rural Business District (B-3) and any cases that might have specifically excluded the use through a proffer or condition.  

Recently, Northern Virginia surpassed New York as the top data center market in the country.  At the end of 2014, it was estimated that the total Northern Virginia market (both tenant and enterprise) was near 5.2 million square feet - almost half of the total square footage is located in Prince William County.  At the beginning of 2015 total capital investment in Prince William County's 22 data center projects was estimated to be nearly $4 billion.

For further coverage of the Board's action, please click here.   

    
Chamber to Host Debate  for Chairman's Race



The Prince William Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Northern Virginia Community College and Potomac Local will host a debate for the candidates running for Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.  

When: Thursday, October 1, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Where: Northern Virginia Community College - Manassas Campus, 6901 Sudley Rd, Manassas, Va 20109 

Both candidates have been confirmed for the event. For more information on the candidates please visit their websites:



Sponsorships are still available! Please contact Brendon Shaw, BShaw@pwchamber.org for more information. 

Sponsors to date: NOVEC  https://www.novec.com/

Get Involved: NO AUGUST MEETING


 

Join Our Next Policy Committee Meeting

 

The next policy committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15 at 9:30am at the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Headquarters.  The committee typically meets for an hour. 

 

As a reminder, "Membership Time" is held at the beginning of every policy committee meeting.  We are continuing to ask that members help identify areas where we can work together and initiate change on various levels of government.  If you are interested in participating please come prepared to address your issue and we will do our best to assist!

I hope you can join us for what is sure to be a productive meeting. 


 


   Director, Government Relations 


 

Special thanks to Advocacy Vision Partner