This month, the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will address three issues that have the potential to add thousands of new houses to Loudoun County. If you are a Loudoun County resident, taxpayer, and commuter, you need to speak up!

May 15 Board of Supervisors Vote
Vote on 1,000 new houses near Leesburg
May 21 Public Hearing
Public hearing on 1,400 new houses in Ashburn, and
Don't let developers decide the rules of the game

Crosstrail: 1,000 New Houses

The Board of Supervisors will vote on the Crosstrail proposal at their business meeting on Tuesday, May 15, starting at 9:30 AM at the County Government Center. County staff recommends denial of this proposal, and the Planning Commission forwarded it without a recommendation for approval or denial.

Email the Board of Supervisors and ask them to vote NO on this proposal. We are concerned about this proposal because:

1. It would add 1,000 new houses next to the Leesburg Airport where the county growth plan calls for keynote employment uses. The proposal would change this land from office space to 1,000 houses with regional retail, likely big box stores, and some office space.
2. It would be too close to the Leesburg Airport. Building houses on this land hurts the future economic vitality of the airport.
3. 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.

More information:
Leesburg Today article
County staff report
Summary of outstanding issues (PDF)
Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council

May 21 Planning Commission Public Hearing:

Kincora: 1,400 New Houses in Ashburn

The Planning Commission is holding a public hearing for yet another town center, called Kincora, at the intersection of Routes 7 and 28 -- right across from Dulles Town Center, and just down the road from the recently-approved One Loudoun. How many town centers can eastern Loudoun handle so close to each other?

Planning Commission Public Hearing on Kincora
Monday, May 21, starts at 6:00 PM
Agenda Item #10
County Government Center

Speak up and ask our elected officials to say no to Kincora. We are concerned that:

• Town centers are being considered on an individual basis without a comprehensive community plan for our eastern communities, like the county is supposed to have done.
• The Route 7 corridor has enough built and planned retail to meet demand for the next 20 years, according to the recent Route 7 Retail Study commissioned by the county.
• This land was set aside for keynote employment, but the developer is planning 1,400 new houses plus commercial, office, and retail space. We don't need to accept 1,400 new houses that will add to our taxes and traffic in order to get the new jobs.

More Information
Kincora website
Summary of outstanding issues (PDF)
Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council

Don't Let Developers Decide the Rules of the Game

Developers are once again trying to open the door to more new houses in eastern Loudoun. A developer-led committee is recommending significant amendments to our county's zoning ordinance that would increase developer profits while leaving us with the burden of increased taxes and traffic.

If approved, these changes would allow developers to build more houses per acre than previously allowed without a public hearing -- and they wouldn't have to pay proffers for the extra houses. Does this make sense when there are still more than 30,000 new houses approved but not yet built?

Tell the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors it is unacceptable to consider wholesale changes to our county's zoning ordinance without a fair and transparent process with meaningful citizen engagement. We hope you will also speak out at the public hearing:

Planning Commission Public Hearing
on Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance
Monday, May 21, starts at 6:00 PM
Agenda Item #11
County Government Center

More Information
Proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance (PDF)

What is zoning? An ordinance that divides the county into different districts or zones.  The land in each zone is assigned specific use or uses, either "by right" or as a "special exception." 

Land can be zoned for residential, business, commercial, industrial, agricultural, open space, etc, uses.  Within each district, the intensity of land use can vary.  For example, an area zoned residential could include townhouses, apartments, and/or single family detached houses.

Zoning is also used to ensure that land uses are appropriate and compatible. For example, an area zoned as residential prohibits land fills, factories, etc that would be undesirable neighbors for the residents. Also, environmentally sensitive areas can be zoned for uses that won't threaten a drinking water supply or crucial wildlife habitat.

--Campaign for Loudoun's Future

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Together, We're Fighting to Protect the Quality of Life in Loudoun

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