Two public input sessions to be held July 6 & 11 could mean big changes for Loudoun County residents (Background on these changes)
Please make time to attend one of these sessions. Our public officials will literally be counting the number of people who show up and speak up. Numbers matter! Remind the Supervisors that any changes to Loudoun's zoning should follow these principles.
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Citizens will have the opportunity to speak for 2-3 minutes at these sessions. Sign up begins around 6:00 and will continue for the duration. If you can't attend, you can send an email to the Board of Supervisors, or send us your statement and we'll read it (only with your permission) for you. |
How does large scale growth affect you?
TRAFFIC
Our roads are already clogged
with cars. More houses in the rural west far from jobs and stores will further
paralylize an overstretched highway system. Each new house means 10 more daily
car trips on Loudoun roads. MORE » |
TAXES Frustrated with constantly rising taxes? More houses mean more schools, roads, and the other services that run up tax rates. MORE » |
SCHOOLS
& COUNTY SERVICES Rapid growth is putting children in trailers and disrupting
lives with redistricting. School budgets are strained to cover school construction.
More rapid growth leaves basic County services like parks, ballfields, fire and
rescue lagging behind. MORE » |
RECREATION
The very qualities
that make Loudoun so desirable are being undermined. Do you drink Loudoun wine
or buy food at the farmer's market? Have you ever gone biking, enjoyed a scenic
drive, or spent an afternoon in a rural setting close to home? These activities
could soon be a thing of the past.
MORE »
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Although Loudoun has seen job growth in the last few years, the top categories include construction, manufacturing, and county workers (our taxes pay their salaries), not the kind of jobs needed to afford the expensive houses that would be built. Every household generates an average of 10 daily car trips, which includes commutes, shuttling to soccer practice, grocery store runs, and commercial vehicle trips (eg. delivery trucks, newspaper delivery, service vehicles). Adding thousands of new houses means tens of thousands new daily car trips on our roads! Can we afford road congestion at that level, financially or mentally?
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Related Information Background on the Virginia Supreme Court Decision Comprehensive Plan Rural Policy Area Chapter (PDF file) Loudoun County Annual Growth Summary Just released! County Press Release on the Input Sessions
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2. Taxes
Loudoun's rural economy is a large part of our tax base. Every three acres maintained as rural/agricultural land in Western Loudoun saves us - both Easterners and Westerners - more than $6,000/year.
The farms and open space of Western Loudoun generate more tax revenues than they demand in services from county taxpayers. The rural economy is a net generator of income to the county treasury and saves taxpayer money.
The horse industry alone
brings in $80 million annually and employs almost 2,500 people, which rivals most
large businesses in the east. Other rural
industries are booming in Loudoun, too.
Do we want to irreparably harm such a large part of our local economy and then
pay more taxes to subsidize the growth? Adding thousands of new houses to our
rural areas makes no fiscal sense for Loudoun taxpayers.
3. Schools & County Services
Schools,
fire and rescue services, parks, rec centers, ball fields.... The
cost of these public resources is shared by all of us. New residents
cost more in services than they pay in taxes, so adding thousands of houses to
Western Loudoun means either tax increases or greater county debt.
Debt means added interest (paid by current taxes) plus the owed principal (paid
by future taxes).
Roughly 75% of the county's
expenditures go for schools. With a majority of new residents being young
families with children, that could translate into very high tax bills for all
of us in the coming years.
4.
Recreation
Many of us
chose to live in Loudoun County for its unique character and regional identity.
Loudoun has so much to offer, from hiking and wine tasting, to summer festivals
and Civil War & colonial history, to suburban amenities and rural areas.
Many more miles of high density developments will forever change the sense of place we all cherish - and take these resources away from our children.
A recent poll showed just how valuable these resources are to us:
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96% of Loudoun residents said historical & cultural assets are important to them,
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97% said parks & natural resources are important, and
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91% said farmland is important.
We can't allow Loudoun's resources to be lost forever.
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Thank you for your
continuing support,
Andrea & Rebecca
Campaign for Loudoun's Future
http://www.loudounsfuture.org/
mail to [email protected]
Together,
We Are Fighting to Protect the Quality of Life in Loudoun
Please Help Us Reach You Better
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