| Don't Supersize Loudoun! |
| www.LoudounsFuture.org |
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| We are deeply disappointed to report that Tuesday's final vote on the rural zoning was derailed. It has become clear that some members of the Board of Supervisors are playing games with our community's future. They are disregarding the public's clear consensus on the rural zoning and its impact on our taxes, traffic, and environment. Some elected officials are making last minute changes that prevent any decent analysis or meaningful public input. They are sending us into a never-ending cycle of public hearings without taking final action based on the will of the citizens. It's a poor way to plan the future of our community. In
this email: 1.
Rural Zoning Derailed Why do we have to go through yet another public hearing (possibly in November), when A-3 subdivisions continue to be filed and the community overwhelmingly supported the proposal that would have allowed 13,936 new houses in rural Loudoun? Supervisor Jim Burton, who represents a large part of the rural area, said that citizen input from across the county has been 15:1 in favor of the rural zoning proposal without the amendment. We are dismayed by the lack of respect for the clear will of Loudoun residents. As soon as we have confirmed the status of the proposal and number of houses, we will give you a thorough update. The addition of thousands of houses in a rural area with no jobs and many dirt roads will have an enormous impact on our taxes and competition for county services. We encourage you to read Supervisor Jim Burton's update and to watch the Board of Supervisors' debate on September 6th (items 10a and 10b) and September 7th, so you can witness their actions. Tell the Board of Supervisors to get it done. Recent
Press Coverage: |
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2.
Planning Commission Approves Plan for 33,821 New Houses The Planning Commission voted despite the fact that county analysis was released to the public only one business day before the public hearing. It is fair to expect citizens to review the analysis and give meaningful comment on the CPAM within one business day? The county also did not do a traffic impact analysis of 33,821 houses, despite serious concerns raised by the state about the impact on Rt. 50, the Greenway, and local roads such as Braddock. The tentative
date for the Board of Supervisors' public hearing has been set for
Tuesday, October 10. We'll let you know as soon as the date is confirmed. 3.
Route 50/Arcola CPAM
Public Hearing on Monday Public
Hearing with the Board of Supervisors County
Staff Report Concerns about thes proposed changes include:
Rural
Zoning Update from Supervisor Jim Burton Tonight, it is my unfortunate duty to have to share with you one of the great disappointments in my career as your representative. Despite continued verbal commitments to vote for the Clem-Burton plan as late as last Friday afternoon, we were two votes short of the six promised. As a result, the Clem-Burton plan failed. I consider this a betrayal of me personally, of the public process, and of all the Loudoun citizens, east and west, who rallied round this plan again and again and again. Tonight, Supervisors Clem, Tulloch, Staton, Snow, and Delgaudio voted to pass a substitute plan made by Supervisor Staton for which there has been neither advertisement nor public hearing. Mr. Staton's plan was only revealed to us after lunch at Tuesday's Board meeting. His plan, in essence, doubled the cluster density in the AR-1 district and also increased cluster density in AR-2, resulting in more than 4,000 additional units over and above the Clem-Burton plan. (Mr. Staton's plan was so hastily pulled together, that his original density calculations were incorrect by more than 3,000 units and had to be corrected in a third version this evening.) This new five-person majority planned to take this action in complete disregard of the County Attorney's advice Tuesday that this higher than advertised density plan would never stand up in court and in spite of being aware of the language of the Virginia Code which prohibits zoning "to a more intensive use classification than was contained in the public notice without an additional public hearing" (Code §15.2-2285.C). I believed this would be an illegal vote and I said so. I believed that those landowners who failed to vest prior to tonight's vote would sue, would win at the circuit court, and would be vested as a result, and we would still be faced with at least another three months of A-3 limbo as we proceeded through the public process yet again. This would have left us right where we were 18 months ago -- at A-3 zoning. Given the illegal nature of the vote, I could not support it. I then proposed that the Board undertake the necessary legal process. I do recognize that this will delay a vote for another three months and allow more A-3 applications to vest. However, I believe that such a delay will at least allow what was passed -- which is lower density than A-3, but not as low as Clem-Burton -- to stand up in court. There was one bright spot. Six supervisors -- Chairman York and Supervisors Clem, Tulloch, Waters, Kurtz, and I -- voted down an effort by Supervisor Snow to implement a lenient grandfathering clause. I am deeply disappointed in my colleagues who made promises to me and to the citizens of Loudoun that they supported the Clem-Burton plan and then voted against it. I am deeply disappointed in my colleagues who chose to delay and delay a vote on the Clem-Burton plan and then to submit and support a last minute alternative now rather than at the appropriate point in the process a year, or even six months, ago. I am deeply disappointed in my colleagues who have once again betrayed the trust of Loudoun voters. At this point I am considering what possible alternatives might exist, if any. If there are actions I can take, I will most certainly take them. That said, I want to thank the hundreds of citizens who have called and written the Board in support of the Clem-Burton plan -- over the last year the emails ran 15-1 for the plan. I want to thank the hundreds of citizens who turned out again and again for public hearing after public hearing in support of the Clem-Burton plan. For those of you whom I represent in the Blue Ridge District, I am honored and proud to represent you. You are a truly committed community. For those of you outside my district, I am honored and proud to share residence in Loudoun County with you. Ultimately, I believe we will find a way to make our vision for the County a reality. Best regards, Jim Burton Thank you
for your support, ------------------------------------------------------------- |
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