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The Board of County Supervisors approved for-rent townhouses at the site of the Kid's Choice Sport & Fun Center that burned down.

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Redevelopment of the former Kid's Choice Sport & Fun Center into rental townhouses was approved 6-0 by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Tuesday.

The site of the proposal is where a December 2024 fire started at a single-family home spread to the Kid's Choice Sport & Fun Center in Woodbridge due to high winds in the forecast. The fire burnt down the center.

The redevelopment proposal calls for 80 for-rent townhouses and 243 parking spaces with garage parking in units. Eight of the units will be affordable to households making 80 percent of the area median income. For example, that income limit is $74,800 for a household of one and $85,450 for a household of two. The proposed density of the housing is 10.25 dwelling units per acre, which sits on the lower end of the eight to 24 dwelling units per acre in the county's planning guidelines for the area.

The townhouses planned for the site include 68 of the 2,200 square foot larger units and 12 of the 1,800 smaller units. Green space proposed at the community includes a dog park, exercise stations, open play area, community gathering area, grilling stations, tot lot, gazebo, walking path and trail access. The developers are planning 72,100 square feet of tree coverage, which is above requirements.

Developers presented supervisors with a traffic estimate showing 80 townhouses could produce an 696 average weekday daily trips. That's below what developers estimate for the children's sport club use — 2,397 average weekday daily trips.

Supervisor Kenny Boddye (D-Occoquan), whose district the project is located in, addressed resident concerns such as traffic, stormwater management and density near the two-lane Devil's Reach Road. The supervisor noted the proposal has been amended over time, including cutting units from about 160 to 80.

"To the folks broader throughout the Devil's Reach community, I know this is a special piece of paradise for you," said Boddye at Tuesday's meeting. "This is literally a semi-rural road surrounded by urbanized growth and I know that's part of the reason why you care about and take such pride in your road and your neighborhood. And that character's worth protecting."

Boddye pointed to the targeted renters for the townhouses such as military service members.

"At the same time, I recognize that are others that are drawn to this convenience and this sense of place, and this proposal would open that opportunity up to more people at various life stages who need more flexibility with housing options," said Boddye.

The supervisor added that he directed staff to look at a sidewalk project on Devil's Reach Road and said grant opportunities could be available.

"You have my commitment that even as this project is going through we're going to be looking at schools, we're going to be on top of VDOT, public works as was said is going to be coming in to address a lot of the stormwater management issues, and you have our commitment that we continue to stay on top of this and ensure you are neglected no more," said Boddye.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has scheduled a meeting on the ongoing project addressing a bottlenecked area of I-95.

WOODBRIDGE, VA — The Virginia Department of Transportation has scheduled a construction meeting on the improvement project affecting the busy Interstate 95 and Route 123 interchange in Woodbridge.

The "pardon our dust" construction meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the gym of Occoquan Elementary School, 12915 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, VA. A presentation will begin at 6 p.m., and project staff will answer questions after the presentation.

VDOT announced in May it was starting construction on the project, which addresses an area of Interstate 95 experiencing frequent bottlenecks. The project at the I-95 interchange with Route 123/Gordon Boulevard will replace the northbound Route 123 loop ramp to southbound I-95 with a signalized left turn to the ramp to southbound I-95. The southbound Route 123 ramp to southbound I-95 will be widened from one to two lanes. In addition, VDOT will move the Route 123 and I-95 Express Lanes ramp intersection slightly south, realign the southbound I-95 ramp to northbound Route 123, and widen and replace the beams and deck of the southbound I-95 bridge over Occoquan Road. A shared-use path will be added along northbound Route 123 between Annapolis Way and Devil's Reach Road.

There are extended lane closures on Occoquan Road (Route 906) for the project's utility relocation, storm drainage installation and the widening of the southbound I-95 overpass. The road is reduced from two lanes to one in each direction between Hylton Avenue (Route 1209) and Devils Reach Road (Route 748). VDOT expects the lane closures to continue through late 2026.

The $76 million interchange project is receiving federal and state funding. Construction along southbound I-95 and the bridge over Occoquan Road will be completed in late 2027, while all of the interchange improvements will be finished in late 2028.

Apple picking season is here, and there are options for pick-your-own apples and other fall activities near Woodbridge.

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Fall doesn’t officially start until the autumnal equinox on Monday, Sept. 22, but the season is already underway at apple orchards near Woodbridge.

There are plenty of activities at these fall attractions to appeal to all ages, especially kids.

Patch has compiled a list of some of the best apple orchards and family-friendly fall attractions about an hour from Woodbridge. Before you go, be sure to call ahead or check the orchard’s website to clarify hours of operation or to check for the availability of apples.

Details: Apples, pumpkins and other fall items for sale, plus hayrides and children's activities

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 5 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays

Address: 1524 Snowden Rd, Delaplane, VA 20144

Season dates: Late August through October

Details: Pick-your-own apples

Hours: Check the website for updated hours each week

Phone: 540-623-8854

Address: 3064 Hartland Ln, Markham, VA 22643

Season dates: Late August, September and October

Details: Apple picking for $10 a peck. Visitors are recommended to call ahead to check for any changes.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cost: Varies, $10 a peck

Phone: 540-364-2316

Address: 11587 Poverty Hollow Ln, Markham, VA 22643

Details: Pick-your-own apples. Weekends include live music and vendors like ice cream, kettle corn, wine and hard cider.

Hours: Check the website for updates on weekly hours

Phone: 540-364-3040

Corn mazes and pumpkin patches are also open or will open soon.

Address: 11812 Bristow Rd, Bristow, VA 20136

Season dates: Season begins closer to October, dates to be announced

Details: Pick-your-own pumpkins, corn maze scavenger hunt, cow train and more farm activities

Phone: 703-618-3782

Address: 1130 Tyler St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Season dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 26 weekends

Details: Fall festival with corn maze, hayrides, sunflower walk, pumpkin patch, family playground, concessions and more

Phone: 540-899-9848

Address: 1410 Belvedere Dr, Fredericksburg, VA 22408

Season dates: Sept. 13-Nov. 1, Thursdays to Sundays

Details: Fall festival with Great Adventure Maize Maze, Pumpkin Mountain, Roller Bowler, Racing Slides, Little Farmer's Corral, Olde Barnyard, Silo Ropes Adventure and much more.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays except Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays

Cost: Varies, $17.95-$26.95, free for children 2 and under

Phone: 540-373-4478

Address: 15621 Braddock Rd, Centreville, VA 20120

Season dates: Sept. 20-Nov. 9, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Details: Fall festival with farm activities, hayrides, fun tunnels, slides, Foamhenge, Cornundrum, Imaginature Trail, Tractor Museum, Goat Village and more

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry at 5 p.m. in September and October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry at 4 p.m. in November

Cost: Varies, $15-$30 per person

Phone: 703-830-4121

Address: 8275 Maple Tree Ln, Warrenton, VA 20187

Season dates: Weekends from Sept. 28-Oct. 26

Details: Fall farm activities like a corn maze, butter making, puppet shows, small animals, moo bounce, cow train, Maple Tree Express and more

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends

Cost: $15 per person plus service fee, or free for children 2 and under

Phone: 540-422-2007

Editor's note: Cows-N-Corn moved its operations to the Maple Tree Farm location.

Address: 6025 Catlett Rd, Bealeton, VA 22712

Season dates: Weekends from Sept. 20-Oct. 26 and Oct. 13

Details: Fall festival with petting zoo, corn maze, hayrides, candy cannon, barrel train, crunchkin painting, zip line and kids tattoos

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on open days

Cost: $15 per person, $10 for seniors, children 3 and under free

Phone: 540-439-8900

Address: 19246 James Monroe Hwy, Leesburg, VA 20176

Season dates: Sept. 20-Nov. 4

Details: Family-friendly activities like giant hill slides, moon bounces, wagon rides, petting zoo, pedal carts, the corn bin and more

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends, closed Tuesdays

Cost: Admission varies, $17.95 to $22.95, kids under 2 free

Phone: 703-433-0002

This should be a good year for apple picking, according to the 2025 forecast from the U.S. Apple Association, which estimates the harvest will be 6 percent higher than in 2024, for a total of 273 million bushels.

That estimate is based on USDA data from the top seven apple-producing states — respectively, Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Oregon and Virginia. When other states are considered, total production could be as much as 290 million bushels, the industry trade group said.