On December 8th, the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors voted 5-2 [Barry Jett (Livingston) and Chris Yakabouski (Battlefield)] to approve a Lee Hill District mixed-use project in the Bowman Center that included at least 14,000 square feet of commercial space and 525 multifamily housing units.
The 525 housing unit development - (449) 1-bedroom and (76) 2-bedroom) - projects to build out in three phases starting in 2021:
Phase 1: 2021-2024 258 units
Phase 2: 2024-2026 100 units
Phase 3: 2026-2028 167 units
County staff assessed that the project needed a second access point, proposed across from Lansdowne Road that would lead into the Bowman Center, to mitigate expected traffic impacts at Joseph Mills Drive. In 2020, County staff estimated this project to cost $2.2 million. The developer offered $1 million. It’s possible that when this access point is created it will cost more than the current estimate, which the developer would only be on the hook for less than half.
This project is a unique design that will no doubt help revitalize the Bowman Center area. Similar to other projects, it necessitates residents to absorb too much of the bill to essentially mitigate traffic impacts caused by the newly approved 525 units. Some supervisors seemed agreeable that the already approved improvements to the Lansdowne Road and Route 2 intersection will help ease traffic in the area, but that project is not slated to begin construction until almost the full build out of the Bowman Center project.
Additionally, supervisors noted that a SMARTSCALE project was submitted that would expand Route 2 from the city of Fredericksburg to the intersection in the vicinity of Shannon airport to four lanes – costing an estimated $41 million. It appeared support for the Bowman Center project hinged heavily on the assumption that this SMARTSCALE project would be approved and have an overall positive impact on reducing congestion in the area. However, even if it is ultimately approved, it is unlikely to begin construction until after the Bowman Center project is completed, delaying any meaningful traffic relief in that area.
It is also worth considering that these two projects were intended to improve current traffic conditions, not necessarily to greatly increase capacity that may support 525 more units in the area.
Below are links to County staff’s presentation and two Free Lance-Star articles with more details.
Click here to review County staff’s December 8th presentation to the Board of Supervisors.