 |
 |
Excerpts from Loudoun County's Comprehensive PlanComplete Comprehensive Plan (link to Loudoun County's webpage) 1. General
Excerpts ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Loudoun County has long recognized the value of retaining the Rural
Policy Area as the location of a 240-year-old farming community. These farms and
communities are important economic, scenic and historic resources. Residents throughout
the County are concerned about keeping rural Loudoun a vital, identifiable place.
Loudoun County for almost two decades has worked to protect this valuable rural
resource.” [Revised General Plan p.7-12] To accomplish these goals, the County must limit the number of houses in the Rural Policy Area and direct new residential development, there and countywide, to locations that are consistent with County goals.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-14] “The Revised General Plan was prepared with extensive citizen involvement. Every effort was made to ensure that those people interested in participating in the comprehensive plan review and update process had the opportunity to do so. Community support of the revised Plan is vital to its implementation, and the County values the active participation of local residents.” [Revised General Plan, p 1-3] “Create distinct, well-designed and serviced residential and mixed-used communities with the essential supporting hierarchy of roads and transit networks” [Revised General Plan, p xi] “Link the county’s development and revitalization with financial
policies that assess fiscal impact, provide and equitable distribution of the
costs of development between direct beneficiaries and the citizens and large,
maintain acceptable levels of taxes and fees, reflect sound debt management and
provide for potential economic uncertainties and risk.” [Revised General
Plan, p xii] On rural commercial and agriculture ventures: “The rural economy is much more than traditional farming…It includes innovative agriculture, horticulture, forestry, commercial and non-commercial equine industry, other forms of animal husbandry, tourism, rural based public and commercial recreation, ancillary rural businesses and compatible rural institutional uses. The County’s suburban citizens benefit from the proximity of rural based activities and services and the rural enterprises benefit from the suburban markets for goods and services.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-7] “The county will allow a range of on-farm uses by right on working farms to allow a rural property-owner access to additional sources of income to supplement revenue from agricultural products…” [Revised General Plan, p 7-10] On prioritizing the rural economy to “ensure prudent fiscal management of limited public resources” “The Rural Policy Area’s land base supports a wide array of agricultural enterprises, as well as the majority of the County’s local tourist attractions, wineries, small retail and service establishments, home-based businesses, an some light industry. This kind of broad-based rural economy has been a net-revenue generator for the county because tax revenues generally exceed expenditures for rural populations.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-9] “The County recognizes its fiscal responsibility to protect the land resource for the rural economy to provide fundamental protection for rural businesses, to ensure prudent fiscal management of limited public resources and to provide needed protection of the public healthy and safety.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-9] “Bed-and-Breakfasts alone account for $4.5 billion a year in tourist dollars. However, there is room for expansion in this and in other sectors of the tourism industry. With so much untapped potential, rural Loudoun should be seen as ripe for investment and reinvestment.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-10] On limiting residential development to ensure adequate funding for transportation, schools, recreation and other services for rural and suburban residents “Citizen and public officials have continued to voice concerns about the impact of rural residential development on existing roads that may not be able to safely or effectively handle additional traffic. Any limited road-improvement funding the County does obtain must be applied to address traffic concerns in the Suburban Policy Area.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-7/8] “The County has attempted to discourage these forms of development [3-acre subdivisions and to some extent 10-acre subdivisions] because, “this pattern consumes prime agricultural soils that are important to the rural economy, is costly to provide service to and often exceeds the design capacity of the rural road network. It also results in a proliferation of individual, on–site wells and septic systems that threaten groundwater quality.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-14] “Rural Residential Policies: The County provides for clustered and large lots and low density to ensure the preservation of parcels at a size conducive for commercial and non-commercial rural economy uses, as well as to protect the Green Infrastructure, preserve rural character, minimize the problems of increased traffic, and reduce the need for additional public and commercial facilities and services.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-15] “The ultimate residential density of the Rural Policy Area and resulting vehicle trips must be coordinated with the capacity of the existing and planned rural road network in order to avoid significant traffic congestion and unsafe road conditions.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-20] Ensuring safe and adequate drinking water for Loudoun residents “The proliferations of individual wells and onsite waste disposal systems may pose a serious groundwater contamination risk.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-18] “Groundwater is a precious resource that is highly susceptible to fluctuation in quantity and quality…Preliminary findings of the County’s Groundwater Advisory Committee state that there may be a negative effect of additional withdrawal on the quantity of groundwater available to support new development.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-18] Protecting the County’s Natural, Historic and Recreational Resources “The preservation of the Rural Policy Area’s unique Green Infrastructure includes the preservation of the physical environment of public open space and trails, stream valley, floodplains, wetlands, and mountainsides as well as the scenic byways and vistas, historic and archaeological sites. The rural economy directly benefits from the protection and enhancement of the Green Infrastructure and it contributes to the quality of life of all Loudoun’s citizens.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-7]
There are many important features of the rural landscape that help define the rural, working landscape and help protect water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat and are critical for the health of the rural economy and the County. They include: hedgerows, meadows, farm fields, forests and tree cover, wild and domestic animals, bodies of water, topography, slopes and ridge-lines, stream valleys and wetlands,…cemeteries, agricultural structures, historic bridges, fence lines,…community spaces, hamlets and villages scenic vistas and the rural experience.” [Revised General Plan, p 7-17]
|