Dear Neighbors,

In the past four years, the outgoing Board of Supervisors approved more than 18,000 new houses. Now with one month left in office, they are considering proposals for 3,000+ new houses.

Please join us in asking the Board of Supervisors to make their final votes count by saying NO to 3,000+ new houses. At tomorrow's board meeting at 9:30 AM, they may vote on:

• Braddock Village, near Stone Ridge, would add 860 new houses while also opening up the Transition Area to suburban development.
• Arcola Center, at Routes 50 and 606, would add 1,194 new houses and a town center along the traffic-choked Rt. 50, behind the airport.

And at a public hearing on Tuesday, December 11, they will consider:

• Ridgewater Park, between Leesburg and Ashburn, would add 996 new houses on land that protects Ashburn's drinking water source and open the Transition Area to suburban development.

Ridgewater Park: A Threat to Ashburn's Drinking Water

Ask the Board of Supervisors to say NO to Ridgewater Park, a proposal for 996 new houses in an area currently planned for only 38 houses. The increase in density is almost 26 times what's currently allowed, and on land that protects Ashburn's drinking water source.  This land is off the Greenway west of Goose Greek, between Ashburn and Leesburg in the Transition Area.

The Board of Supervisors voted to keep the existing growth plan for this area, and this proposal is clearly far beyond what the plan calls for. See this chart for a comparison of the impacts.

Tell our elected officials to:

• Say NO to Ridgewater Park
• Save taxpayers millions of dollars in capital and operating costs
  
• Prevent thousands more daily car trips (plus commercial traffic!) on the Greenway, Route 7, and local roads in Leesburg and Ashburn
• Protect Ashburn's drinking water
• Protect our Comprehensive Plan

More Information

• Information about the risks to our drinking water
  Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council
• Impacts of the proposal (Word doc)
  Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council
• County staff report
• No Recommendation for Ridgewater Park (By Erika Jacobson, Leesburg Today)

Our Drinking Water Quality at Risk
The drinking water for Ashburn and City of Fairfax would be negatively impacted by this development. The proposed development for 996 houses directly impacts the drinking water supply in the Goose Creek reservoir.

County staff previously told the Planning Commission that our drinking water is at risk, because there is no chance for toxic chemicals, bacteria, and other pollutants to be diluted before they go right into the water intake. 

Arcola Center: Can Rt 50 Handle It?

Tell the Board of Supervisors to say NO to Arcola Center, a proposal for a town center and 1,194 new houses near the intersection of Route 50 and Gum Spring Road. The land is currently zoned for commercial and industrial uses, not new houses.

Can Route 50 handle the traffic from 1,194 new houses and a town center that will draw customers from around the region?

Our concerns include:

1. Traffic! The transportation impacts have not been adequately addressed, and Route 50 is already overwhelmed with traffic. Remember VDOT's study predicting gridlock?
2. Along Route 50, there are about 11,000 new houses in the pipeline, and 2.8 million square feet of retail space built and approved but not yet built.
3. The developer has not adequately addressed environmental concerns. County staff has asked for better protections for the streams on site.
4. This project is being rushed through the process. The Board of Supervisors doesn't have to make a decision until February 2008.

More Information
County Staff Report (pdf, may take a minute to load)
Arcola Center website
Summary of the proposal (pdf)
Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council, with excerpts from the County Staff Report

Braddock Village: 860 New Houses on Land Zoned for 66 Houses

Ask the Board of Supervisors to say NO to Braddock Village, because it doesn't conform with our county's growth plan and would put the Transition Area at risk. This proposal for 860 new houses on land currently zoned for only 66 houses would be south of Braddock Road, west of Route 659 relocated, and east of Lightridge Road.

The Planning Commission recommended denial of Braddock Village in March 2007.

Our concerns include:

• The Board of Supervisors said no to the Dulles South/Transition Area CPAM, and now they should say no this rezoning application.The proposal is in the same area of the CPAM, which would have allowed up to 33,800 new houses in an area with no jobs and little infrastructure.
• The proposal does not match the vision for this area set forth by our Comprehensive Plan.
• Approval of this proposal would set a dangerous precedent for the Transition Area. It would open the whole Transition Area to suburban development.

More Information
County Staff Report (Word doc)
Summary and Impact chart (pdf)
Prepared by the Piedmont Environmental Council, with excerpts from the County Staff Report

Sincerely,

Gem Bingol , Piedmont Environmental Council
On behalf of the 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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