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Press Release
Loudoun Planning Staff Rejects Bulk of New Development Proposals
Today, the Loudoun County Planning Staff recommended that the county reject review of 17 of the 20 major development proposals that would increase the size of the County by 50%. The staff reported that only three proposals met the County criteria for review as amendments to the plan. The Planning Commission will make their decision whether to review the projects beginning October 25th.
The appointed Planning Commission is not obligated to act according to staff recommendations, so the big question remains what its decision will be.
“The professional planning staff recommended the supervisors move in the right direction by rejecting consideration of such monumental changes to Loudoun’s future through a side door process. The 20 proposals from developers would increase the size of Loudoun County by 50% and add as many as 400,000 car trips to eastern Loudoun,” said Laura Olsen, Assistant Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The staff noted that five of the largest proposals along Route 50 did not meet criteria and any changes in that area should be done with a full public planning process.
The three projects the staff recommended the county accept for consideration would still likely account for a thousand or more new houses if approved. “Even these three proposals would impact everyone who lives here now, putting thousands more cars between us and our jobs,” noted Andrea McGimsey with Campaign for Loudoun’s Future, “We are asking the staff to subject these to the highest level of scrutiny.”
The three recommended for further study are: Stonegate, Diamond Lakes I & II, and Victoria Station. A map of these projects is available at: www.LoudounsFuture.org. McGimsey said, “The county is growing enough already. We have 39,000 houses approved but not yet built, plus the 42,000 that the 20 amendments would add. Combined these would double the population. We should stick to our existing growth plan created with citizen input and deal with our existing traffic problems instead of creating more.”
The coalition of smart growth, conservation and civic groups challenging the developer amendments will work with citizens to closely evaluate the three proposals if they move forward. “Each of these proposals raises major questions about proposed uses, design and traffic,” said Ed Gorski, a planner with the Piedmont Environmental Council. “Like too much of the development in eastern Loudoun, these proposals involve conversion to industrial uses and may fail to create walkable, mixed-use communities.”
The coalition has challenged all of the developer sponsored proposals that would increase the population of Loudoun County by 50% and undo years of citizen involvement in the adoption of the last comprehensive plan. Last week, the groups released a map detailing the location and impact of the 20 proposed development projects. The map is available to the public at www.LoudounsFuture.org. The group’s initial analysis, based on data from Loudoun County and Virginia Department of Transportation, indicates that the 20 proposals would generate as many as 400,000 additional car trips each day.
“We will work hard to provide critical analysis of all of these proposals
and are available to meet with individuals and citizen groups,” said Gorski
of PEC. The coalition urges citizens to contact the Planning Commission (at loudounpc@loudoun.gov)
urging them to support the staff’s recommendation, while asking for very
close scrutiny of the proposals.
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• Maps showing the location and size of the 20 requested density increases and their relation to the Western transportation corridor
• Initial assessment of the traffic the proposals will generate
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