Recognizing the broad community interest in the Planning Commission’s Digital Gateway hearings, Prince William County staff has taken steps to make logistical elements such as parking and speaker registration efficient and accessible to those residents who wish to participate remotely or in person. Please see the release below for details:
The Planning Commission will hold public hearings for the three rezoning cases for the Prince William Digital Gateway on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at 2 p.m. The meeting will be held at the James J. McCoart Building, Board Chambers, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192. Please see map for public parking, media parking and staging areas.
How to Participate in Hearings, In Person or Remotely
For those members of the public wishing to speak on any of the rezonings, signups will begin in person at noon in the atrium of the McCoart Building. Sign-up to speak in person will not be available prior to that time. To speak remotely, sign up online here before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
Please note that those who sign up will be given a number. That is the official order in which speakers will be called to speak. One must have an official number provided by county staff in order to speak during the meeting. If the speaker is not present when their number is called, they will have to wait until the end to speak. Also, those speaking in person will speak before those speaking remotely.
What to Expect During the Meeting
Members of the public can access the Board Chambers starting at 1:30 p.m. There will be some available seating available in the atrium.
Once the meeting commences, the Commission will hear presentations from the applicants and staff on all three rezoning applications (one presentation after another) and then have an opportunity to ask questions. After the Commission’s questions have been answered, all three public hearings will be opened at the same time and run concurrently, not consecutively. This means that members of the public who have signed up to speak will have up to three minutes to speak for each public hearing, for a possible total of nine minutes if they choose to speak on all three. Those representing an entity/organization qualified under the Commission’s Rules of Procedures will have up to five minutes to speak for each public hearing, for a possible total of 15 minutes. Speakers will be asked to identify their name, generally where they live, and the public hearing they are speaking about.
Once all registered speakers have spoken, the Chair will ask if anyone else who has not spoken would like to. After any individual who hasn’t spoken has the opportunity to do so, the Chair will close all three public hearings. The Commission will then have a discussion on any motion(s) for action on the applications.
Information about the Planning Commission and the Nov. 8 meeting, as well as the link for the live stream of the meeting is available here. Questions about the meeting can be sent to ClerkPC@pwcgov.org.
