Prince William County's Doves Landing Park To Be Protected With Conservation Easement

MANASSAS, VA — A Manassas area park with wetland habitats and trails, will be protected under a conversation easement, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and Prince William County announced.

Doves Landing Regional Park spans 308 acres at 9305 Doves Lane in Manassas where the Occoquan River forms from Cedar Run and Broad Run. Much of the park is forest and has wetland habitats along the river with diverse wildlife. It also has three miles of trails and one mile of shoreline access to the Occoquan River.

Under the conservation easement, the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust will preserve Doves Landing Regional Park as a place for wildlife and people. Along with preserving the land, the partners will add outdoor education and passive recreational amenities.

"We are proud to continue and enhance our partnership with Prince William County by forever protecting Doves Landing for all to enjoy," said Alan Rowsome, executive director of Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. "Local residents spoke loudly and clearly about their desire to see this special place conserved for its natural beauty, and we are committed to working with the dedicated county parks staff to fulfill that promise."

County staff recommended the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust as the conservation easement holder. The trust has worked to conserve 8,000 acres in the region in the last 25 years and is involved in the Sinclair mill site across the river from Doves Landing.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors first acquired the park's land in the 1990s. It stayed vacant until plans to make it a park came to fruition in 2013. The county board designated the land as parks and open space, leading the county to create a master plan for the park. Another 73 acres of land was added in 2020.

The Prince William Conservation Alliance and other groups have been advocating for the park to be protected since it was opened. During a master plan update for the park in 2022, residents largely called for the land to be protected from development and to add passive recreational uses. The county is in the design phase of the master plan update, which seeks to address the 73 additional acres acquired in 2020 and the Sinclair mill site received as a proffer from The Preserve at Long Branch development.

The county is seeking public feedback on the park's current design as it develops a new design plan. A virtual community meeting will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 8, and feedback may be emailed to DovesLanding@pwcgov.org.