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Irene Morales Ward, Realtor, ABR, e-Pro Northern Virginia Real Estate

Southern Gateway Redevelopment Forum

A public forum has been scheduled for Thursday, September 25th at 7pm at the Riverside Dinner Theater on Riverside Parkway in Stafford to discuss the Southern Gateway projects. The Southern Gateway is located on US-17 between its interchange with I-95 and Berea Rd. For those of you familiar with the 17 corridor in Stafford County, traffic and congestion are words commonly used to described it.

The roadway is used by travelers going from Midwestern and Northern states as well as Canada to the Southern states. It is also a bypass for those wishing to avoid Washington DC metropolitan traffic. Currently, the area is filled with industrial buildings and is serviced by small roads and driveways for access. The goal of the redevelopment is to "create an alternative development pattern which focuses on compact, mixed-use properties with access to new civic and cultural uses, shopping, work and public spaces."

Private investment is already underway in the form of several smaller projects as well as two large scale proposals. "Celebrate Virginia - Corporate Campus" is a 2,400 acre mixed-use development and "Carter's Crossing" is a 35 acre retail complex.

The Southern Gateway work is being most strongly supported by Stafford Board of Supervisors Chairman George Schwartz. "I am happy to champion this effort" said Schwartz, "because the Southern Gateway is an area of great potential. Redevelopment will allow us to offer more business, shopping, restaurant and entertainment opportunities to our residents while also improving traffic flow through the area. It will complete the work that we are doing with the redevelopment of Falmouth and help improve the quality of life for our citizens and our business partners along this major highway corridor."

For more information you can contact the Department of Economic Development at 540-658-8681 or on the web at www.gostaffordva.com/Southern-Gateway.cfm.

Irene Morales Ward, Northern Virginia Real Estate

Get Out and Register to VOTE!

The Stafford County Registrar of Voters has posted the schedule for voter registration and absentee voting related to the general election to be held November 4th.

The last day to register to vote in this election is Monday, October 6th. Forms may be obtained at the registerʼs office or on line through the Stafford County website.

Absentee voting begins this Monday, September 22nd and can be dropped off at the Registerʼs office until Saturday, November 1st or mailed in to the Register no later than Tuesday, October 28th.

By law, the Office of the Register will be open from 9am-5pm on the two Saturdays prior to the election; October 25th and November 1st.

MAILING ADDRESS

Registrar of Voters

PO Box 301

Stafford, VA 22555

OFFICE ADDRESS

Registrar of Voters

1300 Courthouse Rd

Stafford, VA 22555

Phone: 540-658-4000

Mortgage Rates on 30yr Fixed Dropped w/ Fed Intervention

As predicted, following the government take-over of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac nationwide survey reports released recently show that rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage have dropped to 5.93%. That is the first dip below 6% since late May.

The newly created Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), now in control of the two mortgage giants, announced new leadership for each organization. Philip A. Laskawy will be the new Chairman at Fannie Mae and John A. Koskinen will become Chairman at Freddie Mac. Mr. Laskawy spent over 40 years at Ernst & Young serving as CEO from 1994-2001. Mr. Koskinen served as CEO of the consulting firm Palmieri Co. from 1979-1993. He has held numerous government and corporate posts since then. Both men are highly qualified financial experts and will function as corporate board chairmen and report directly to the administrator of the FHFA.

The FHFA also announced this week hat they have taken steps to ensure that the ousted leaders of the two mortgage giants will not receive multi-million dollar severance packages --- at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Recycling Days in Stafford

The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board has set four days for county residents to rid their homes of old and broken electronics. Beginning Wednesday, September17th and continuing through Saturday, September 20th Stafford residents will be able to drop off various electronics at the Regional Landfill located at 489 Eskimo Hill Rd. This is a safe and environmentally safe way to dispose of electronics.

Since the county began this service in 2003 over 300 tons of unwanted electronics have been collected. Proof of residency will be required to drop off. The landfill will be open from 8am to 4pm. A list of accepted items is below. For additional information please contact the solid waste Board at 540-658-4579 or on the web at www.r-board.org.

∙ Televisions

∙ Computer monitors, CPU's, Laptops and external drives

∙ Printers, scanners, copiers and fax machine

∙ Computer wiring, uninterrupted power supplies and accessories

∙ Gaming systems

∙ Stereos and speakers

∙ VCR's, camcorders and cameras

Irene Morales Ward, Northern Virginia Real Estate