September 11, 2006: The Planning Commission
voted to recommend the Crosstrail project by a 5-2-1-1 vote. The
"yes" votes were Leesburg district commissioner Elgin,
plus Whitmore, Klancher, Syska and Volpe. Against it were Ruedisueli
and Doan, with Munsey abstaining, and Hsu absent.
It now goes to the Board of Supervisors to consider the 1,200
houses, 1 million sq. ft of retail (a little more than double
the Leesburg Outlet Mall's 476,200 sq. ft), plus 1.85 million
sq. ft. of office and industrial in the current version of the
proposal. Proposed traffic offsets are woefully inadequate and
spell gridlock for the southeast quadrant of Leesburg with a negative
impact on all traffic in the Leesburg area.
June 19, 2006: At the Planning Commission public
hearing, County and Town staff both made presentations and recommended
denial for the proposed changes to the growth plan and the rezoning
application. The Leesburg Airport Commission also made a presentation,
and recommended denial. Of all the speakers, only two (one--the
developer's rep, one from elsewhere) supported the application
as is. Next up, a worksession to discuss the issues raised--date
TBA. See the news
article.
June 14, 2006: The Planning Commission will hold
a public hearing on June 19, 2006, to simultaneously consider
the rezoning and CPAM applications.
January 1, 2006: A rezoning application (ZMAP) for
the property has been filed with the county.
The application is currently under technical
review. During this time, referrals are obtained from a variety of internal
and external agencies ( i.e. Virginia Department of Transportation, County Office
of Transportation, Environmental Review Team, Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun
County Sanitation Authority, the County Attorney, adjacent towns as appropriate).
County staff has 100 days to complete this process before addressing the resulting
issues with the applicant. The timeframe may take longer as the applicant
responds to queries from County staff.
March 1, 2005: The developer gave a presentation on the Creekside development
proposal to the Board of Supervisors. The county and the Town of Leesburg
remain in discussion over the proposal.
February 15, 2005: The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that
temporarily prevents the Creekside development and land swap with Phil Bolen Park,
and the Crosstrail development from moving forward.
In an 8-0-1 vote, with Supervisor Snow absent, the Board approved a resolution
regarding the Leesburg Joint Land Management Area (JLMA), where the Crosstrails
and Creekside developments would be located. They suspended any further action
or staff review of the Creekside and Crosstrails CPAMs until a joint planning
process is completed with the Town of Leesburg on the Joint Land Management Area
(JLMA).
We will continue to watch this proposal as the resolution language leaves the
door open for the developer to submit a rezoning application in the future.
This great news means that more local stakeholders, including Leesburg residents,
will be able to participate in how this area develops. The Leesburg Town Council
has previously expressed concern over the development proposals and opposes the
Phil Bolen Park land swap.
December 21, 2004: The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that
instructs county staff to give the developer the go-ahead to submit a plan for
Creekside. The developer provided few details about the project. See Supervisor's
quotes about this decision.
The price tag for the schools and recreational facilities are the most obvious
cost of these developments. Less discussed, but just as critical will be the long
term operating costs of the schools and facilities and the additional debt service.
