Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program
The Occoquan District is located in Prince William County in the northern part of Virginia. Certain critical issues affect the Occoquan District, including conserving and protecting natural beauty and environmentally sensitive areas; expanding transportation choices to include public transit, pedestrian and non-motorized opportunities; providing housing choices that accommodate the full-range of residents from diverse social, cultural, and financial backgrounds; and supporting a broad array of business enterprises, including locally-owned businesses.
Current demographics project that by the year 2030 the Occoquan District will have more than 7,000 new residents, 2,500 new households, 6,560 new jobs and additional retail, office space, and other development including schools, hospitals, and churches in the area. Since planning for future growth is a long-term process which involves significant time and effort, a proactive approach to addressing anticipated growth in the Occoquan District was a top priority for the Occoquan District requiring immediate action to create a vision that included input from the entire community.
The EFC designed a Community Visioning Charrette for the Occoquan District to gather information from the community, initially through a general survey, followed by a facilitated public meeting that included hands-on exercises. The EFC used this data to make recommendations intended to serve as the basis for a long-term, sustainable community plan for the Occoquan District.