Potomac Mills reducing commuter parking

This is a response to an email I sent to Frank Principi. Please Everyone ATTEND THE TOWN HALL MEETING!!!!

What I don't know and want to find out is if Simon Malls and VDOT and/or PWC are in negotiations for lease revenue of this parking lot. If not THEY NEED TO BE until a permanent solution is found. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

Thank you for your email concerning the commuter parking situation at Potomac Mills. This is an unfortunate situation, as I know these parking spaces are very convenient for many commuters. Residents rely on these parking spaces in order to use slug lines to get to work everyday.

County Supervisor, Michael May and I have created a small workgroup to find solutions to this problem. We held a meeting with VDOT and county staff this week to address the need for more parking spaces. I assure you that this issue is not something I plan on sweeping under the rug and forgetting about. Supervisor May and I will be hosting a town hall meeting on February 8, at the Ferlozzo building auditorium at 7 pm.In the meantime, there are several lots in the county that are not close to full capacity. Replacing the Potomac Mills spaces with these lots is not ideal, but I assure you that we will look at other options to remedy this situation. You may view the entire list of commuter lots on the PRTC’s website at http://www.prtctransit.org/myprtc/service-updates/service_updates.php?docid=265.

Thanks again for taking the time to email me. I love hearing from my constituents and finding out what is on their minds. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to call me at (703) 792-4646.

Sincerely, Frank J. Principi

We need to be organized about this. PM management has apparently forgotten that they are members of this community, too. There is a long history in this coutry of businesses doing more than they are legally required to, in order to be good corporate "citizens" of their communities. Here's what we need to do:

• Pledge to boycott any business that is built on or contiguous to the former commuter spaces, and ask your BOS rep to inform any businesses seeking permits for this area of this boycott pledge
• Inform all existing Potomac Mills area businesses that you frequent, that you will start frequenting businesses closer to the area where you will now be parking,
• Ask your friends and family members to join you in a community-wide boycott of all Potomac Mills shops and restaurants on VALENTINE'S DAY 2011, and
• Pass this information on to every Woodbridge Area slug and rider you come in contact with, including riders now parking after 7:30 a.m. at the Tacketts lot, as this affects them, too.

I have been handing out sample letters (addressed to PM Management with cc to the owners) and lists of PM businesses to all my riders for the past week and a half. On February 1, unless we hear about an alternate plan for commuters from PM management, I will start handing out fliers proposing a community-wide boycott of Potomac Mills on February 14, 2011. We need to show mall management that we are customers, too and that the entire Woodbridge community is incensed at the hardship PM management is imposing on members of this community.

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Originally posted by KennyP

Tick Tick Tick Tick. Time is ticking away for the powers that be to make a decision. Kmart would work, but there are no PRTC buses that go to that location. So, if you, by any chance can't get a slug ride, you are outta luck. As for Potomac Mills (PM) and stated by Geronimo, "With all this land, why is there no room for the Apache". Why can't PM allow parking in another part of the mall until, they and the County can come up with a viable solution to this problem. We all know that PM is a business and those of you that keep stating that during this forum, WE KNOW ALREADY. But PM needs to look at the big picture. This drastic move will cause hardship to the entire Prince William County community. We are asking for a little compassion. We are asking that you empathize with our situation as a whole, not just the slugging community. Allow us to move to the back of PM somewhere. Your choice, but don't permit this hardship on this community. Whether the powers that be admit it or not, this drastic change not only hurts the slugging community, it hurts all that commute by other means. Our roads, buses, and the like will definitely be affected. Our PWC officials need to get it together. Time is definitely ticking away.

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Exactly.

What about starting slug lines in the KMart parking lot?

It took full effect this morning. It was terrible to find a parking space in Horner Road commuter lot. After 1/25/2011 6:15AM this morning, I got the last parking spot.