Smart Growth To Safety: 8 Strategic Goals Adopted By PWC Supervisors

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Eight strategic principles adopted by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors last week will guide the board over the next four years.

On Feb. 25, the board adopted the 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, which sets countywide goals and priorities with benchmarks for the next four years. The eight goals were developed with public input through town halls and surveys, as well as county staff focus groups, and individual interviews with the Board of Supervisors and executive leaders. Those goals include education, environment, government, mobility, quality of life, safe and secure community, service delivery and smart growth.

"The adoption of the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan marks a significant step forward for Prince William County," said Deshundra Jefferson, chair of the Board of County Supervisors. "It reflects our collective commitment to fostering inclusive growth, enhancing the quality of life for our residents and ensuring responsible stewardship of our resources."

To implement the strategic plan, County Executive Chris Shorter will create dedicated work groups for each of the eight goals. Outcome measures and key performance indicators will track progress of each goal. The county will share progress through a strategic plan dashboard, annual reports and other updates.

Here are the goals and key objectives of each goal:

Education: Advance high-quality learning opportunities that enrich residents and build and strengthen an educated and skilled workforce.

• Foster an integrated ecosystem that provides equitable lifelong learning opportunities for county residents of all ages.
• Partner with educational providers to deliver targeted workforce training programs that address current gaps and future needs.
• Elevate public awareness and access to educational and career opportunities in existing and emerging sectors to highlight future industry needs.
• Foster a deeper and more collaborative relationship with County educational systems to align county government policies and priorities with school infrastructure programs and services.
• Support and engage with existing and new county businesses to facilitate more workforce options that attract and retain residents and help businesses be successful.

Environment: Preserve the county’s natural beauty and resources so that open spaces are created and maintained, and residents can enjoy nature.

• Safeguard the quality of the County’s air, water, and other natural resources to ensure they are not compromised for the current and future generations.
• Enhance and expand public parks, trails, and green spaces while helping to ensure accessibility for all residents and visitors.
• Utilize and rely on the Community Energy & Sustainability Master Plan (CESMP) and Comprehensive Plan to guide the County’s decision-making and encourage leadership, businesses, and residents to help the Board achieve our climate mitigation and resiliency goals.
• Support and incentivize the development and use of renewable energy sources across the County to reduce impacts on air quality and the environment.

Government: Innovate and sustain a collaborative organizational culture that is high-performing, data-driven, customer-centric and values employees.

• Position the County as an employer of choice by cultivating a safe, diverse, and inclusive workplace where employees are treated fairly, compensated competitively, and recognized for their contributions.
• Enhance training and professional development opportunities that support the growth and knowledge of employees and leadership.
• Maintain persistent dedication to fiscal responsibility, accountability, and transparency to foster trust with residents, businesses, and the community.
• Innovate technology to enhance data analytics and automation and standardize processes to improve the County's continuous delivery of effective, efficient services.
• Develop cross-collaboration processes to enhance employees’ understanding of organizational operations and optimize the use of County services to deliver tailored solutions to residents.

Mobility: Foster an inter-connected and accessible transportation network that advances the county’s mobility infrastructure, broadens transportation choices and enhances safety.

• Enhance connectivity through transit-oriented development and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
• Support improving, expanding, and using the County's transportation network.
• Increase awareness and understanding of transportation options to support residents and the workforce in finding the best mobility solution to fit their needs.
• Develop mobility projects across the County to ensure timely access to multiple transportation options for residents and the workforce.
• Work with the community and stakeholders to identify and implement effective, safe, multi-modal solutions to improve access, safety, and connectivity.

Quality of Life: Enhance quality of life and increase resident retention by creating a resilient and healthy community where residents can afford to live, work, play and retire.

• Develop affordable housing options to ensure residents and families of all sizes, ages, income levels, and needs can find a home in the County.
• Advocate for diversity in existing and new County businesses to offer various workplace options that attract and retain residents.
• Proactively leverage future development opportunities to create or expand highquality amenities, entertainment, and recreational experiences for residents to enjoy closer to home.
• Design and develop intentional structures and services to support residents' aspirations to age in place.
• Attract residents and visitors with the natural beauty of County parks, trails, and green spaces.
• Highlight the County’s cultural, historical, and natural uniqueness to strengthen the County’s identity and reputation as a sought-after place to live and visit, where all residents and visitors are treated with dignity and respect.

Safe and Secure Community: Cultivate a safe and secure community that advances stakeholder engagement, collaboration and evidence-based results.

• Develop coordinated community responses that improve constituent access to programs and services, strengthen collaboration with residents, businesses, and stakeholders, and effectively resolve safety concerns.
• Expand data capabilities to improve community awareness, problem identification, resource allocation, and evidence-based decision-making to inform prevention, intervention, enforcement, accountability, and restoration strategies.
• Promote fair and equitable administration of the justice system.
• Foster and improve collaboration between local and state government agencies, stakeholders, businesses, and residents to increase preventative and inclusive evidence-based programming among youth and families to reduce harm.
• Anticipate, plan, and use a government-wide approach to major disasters and critical incidents.

Service Delivery: Provide transparent, exceptional and accessible county services to residents, businesses and partners.

• Ensure effective, efficient, and accessible County services to residents, businesses, and partners by improving coordination and collaboration amongst County agencies and using high-quality data to achieve positive outcomes.
• Continue to anticipate population growth and service needs to proactively forecast and plan staff capacity and capabilities to ensure readiness and maintain quality of service.
• Reduce barriers to access by providing County services beyond regular physical locations, with additional time flexibility, and in multiple languages.
• Enhance opportunities for engagement and communication between the public and the county government, fostering dialogue, feedback, and follow-up and promoting shared goals of trust, understanding, and transparency.

Smart Growth: Advance strategic and intentional community-oriented growth that strengthens and enhances the diversity and sustainability of the local economy and the county.

• Promote high-quality architectural design, thoughtful placemaking, and appealing public spaces to create vibrant and attractive environments for living, working, and recreation.
• Ensure the County’s growth addresses the impact on natural resources and infrastructure and enhances community and economic resilience.
• Preserve natural areas, parks, and cultural heritage sites while promoting sustainable development.
• Identify strategic emerging sectors to diversify the commercial tax base, lessen reliance on any single industry, and create and retain quality jobs for all residents.
• Support the expansion and preservation of agribusiness, agritourism, and maritime industries.
• Enhance small business support networks to strengthen local entrepreneurial ecosystems and empower underrepresented business owners.