January 2024

Welcome to the January 2024 edition of the Dulles Direct newsletter. I hope your year has been off to a healthy and productive start. 

The new Board of Supervisors term began on January 1, with 8 of the 9 members returning. I know that we have some newsletter readers from just west of the Dulles District in communities like Willowsford and Lenah, and you have a new Supervisor, Laura TeKrony. I look forward to working with Laura and am glad that we have another representative from the Route 50 corridor on the Board. 

This year, the Board asked me to return to a role I held from 2015-2021 and serve as Chairman of the Finance, Government Operations, and Economic Development Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to take on this leadership position. As Finance Chairman, I work closely with staff on budget development, and the Committee takes up operational issues. I also will play an enhanced role in economic development once again, and be participating in the County’s credit ratings review on Wall Street. Supervisor Mike Turner of Ashburn will continue to serve as Chairman of the Transportation and Land Use Committee, while the Board will have a new Vice Chair, Juli Briskman of Algonkian. 

The Loudoun County School Board has entirely new membership. I’d like to congratulate Melinda Mansfield, who is the new Dulles District representative on the School Board and was selected to serve as Board Chair. Melinda and I have had several conversations and I will work closely with her on issues of importance to our district and LCPS. If you have school related questions or issues, she can be reached at melinda.mansfield@lcps.org.



Our area had some excitement on January 16th as Southern Airways Express #246, a Cessna Caravan operating from Dulles to Lancaster, PA with 5 passengers, made an emergency landing on Loudoun County Parkway near the IHOP. The aircraft departed to the west on Runway 30 and apparently experienced engine failure. Loudoun County Fire Rescue Engine 609 happened to be driving on LCP at this exact spot and moment, and was immediately on scene. The aircraft was towed back down the street to Dulles, and the NTSB is now investigating. I will share their findings when they are available. I am very thankful that there were no injuries associated with this incident.  

Metro has a significant budget shortfall. As Finance Chairman of the Metro Board, I have been heavily involved in preparing plans both to help close the gap with internal savings and to obtain new funding from our partners in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Last week, I joined General Manager Randy Clarke and Board Chairman Paul Smedberg in Richmond to visit with House and Senate Leadership and Governor Youngkin. We had very productive meetings, and all affirmed their support for Metro as a catalyst for economic development and an essential tool to reduce congestion in the DMV. I also had the opportunity to visit with some of our Loudoun delegation on various issues.  

(Left to right) Metro GM Randy Clarke, myself, Governor Glenn Youngkin, and Metro Board Chairman Paul Smedberg

I will be holding my next Dulles Direct Town Hall meeting on the evening of Monday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at Mercer Middle School (42149 Greenstone Dr.). I will be focusing on retail in our area and joined by representatives from Rappaport (South Riding Market Square and Cedar Terrace) and Beatty (Dulles Landing) to discuss their developments and future planning. I will also be providing updates on the proposed FY25 Budget, giving an overview of ongoing road and infrastructure projects, and taking questions from those in attendance. If you can't make it, the event will be livestreamed on my Facebook page. I look forward to seeing you there!

Arcola Mills Drive Detour Now in Place

The previously delayed closure of Arcola Mills Drive between Arcola Boulevard and Yardley Ridge Drive is now in effect. The closure will last about 4 months and will allow the Arcola Center developer to expedite completion of widening Arcola Mills from Arcola Boulevard to Yardley Ridge. There is a significant box culvert that needs to be constructed under the road and closing this area will shave months off the project. There have been extensive discussions about how to complete this segment, and it was determined by the engineers and agreed by VDOT that although this closure is disruptive, it will be worth the disruption for a period of time to get the whole project done much quicker. The new section of Arcola Boulevard between Arcola Mills and Loudoun County Parkway/606 (north of Arcola Mills) is open as a detour route. I want to make it clear to everyone that Arcola Boulevard between Dulles West and Arcola Mills will remain closed during the detour. However, because of this decision, I am hoping that the entire project - from Dulles West all the way up to 606 - will be ready to open by this summer.

The County worked with VDOT, LCPS, and LCSO to make sure notifications went out and signage was in place before the detour. Traffic that currently uses Arcola Mills to access Loudoun County Parkway, and vice versa, can still do so during the detour period by using the newly constructed portion of Arcola Boulevard. Yardley Ridge Drive will still be accessible either directly from Loudoun County Parkway or on the southern side of the closure area. I’ll keep you posted should anything change.

Opening for Dulles District Animal Advisory Commission Representative

The Dulles District position on Loudoun County’s Animal Advisory Committee is currently open and seeking applicants. If you have experience in the field and would like to submit an application, you can do so by clicking here. You can find more information on the AAC here. For a full list of vacancies on the County’s boards, commissions, and committees, please click here.

Thanks to David Brent who served as my representative on the AAC for the last four and a half years.

Other Dulles District Appointees

I have re-appointed several individuals to continue their service on Loudoun Boards and Commissions. I also made a new appointment, Kirk Myers, to serve as an at-large representative on the Fiscal Impact Committee, which looks at how much developers should contribute on rezoning projects. Kirk is a Dulles South resident who has been engaged on County issues for many years. There was much competition for this position, with 7 nominees for 3 slots, but Kirk received 7 votes of the 8 Board members present at the meeting and was confirmed.  

Other individuals recently re-appointed include:

Commission on Aging: Samiah Bahhur

Advisory Commission on Youth: Randy Faleski

Heritage Commission: Bill Wilkin

Transit Advisory Board: Charles Liles

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Board: Kristen Reed

Planning Commission: Madhava Madireddy

Cedar Terrace at South Riding

LEGI-2023-0019

At the Board’s January 10 Public Hearing, we voted 8-0-1 to forward an application from Toll Brothers for the parcel that was previously part of Peterson’s proposal at Avonlea to the February 14, 2024 Public Hearing for action. If you recall, the original Avonlea parcel was split into two separate components, one owned by Peterson and one by Toll. Following adoption of the County's updated Airport Impact Overlay District much earlier this year, Toll submitted revised plans for their proposed Cedar Terrace development. Cedar Terrace would be located on the property behind Home Depot in South Riding, wrapping around between Tall Cedars Parkway and South Riding Market Square.

Toll’s original proposal for this property included a mix of multifamily units and townhomes numbering 1,100 residential units with only 81,000 square feet of commercial. The proposed residential was almost entirely within the areas identified as 65+ DNL in the 2019 Noise Contour Study completed by MWAA. In meetings with Toll Brothers, I told them I would not support that much density, and that new residential in the 65+ DNL would not be permitted. I asked them to reimagine the project with a larger retail component and less housing.

As a result, Toll submitted a new proposal that consists of 393 residential units, made up of mostly townhomes with some multifamily units, all outside the 65+ DNL area. Approximately 13% of the residential units would be designated as Affordable Housing Units. The amount of retail/commercial space has now been increased to over 220,000 square feet and will be laid out as an extension of the existing South Riding Market Square. The proposal provides over 25% of the property as open space.

We have to be realistic about what we can expect on this site, given its long and complex history and the fact that it’s virtually bisected by the DNL 65 noise contour for Dulles Airport. The noise contour makes it very difficult to achieve a true mixed-use vision with first floor residential, but I think that the plan that has been presented is reasonable and has the potential to bring us some good new amenities. Some of the retail proposed in the application is being developed in a main street-style layout, while another section is a more traditional format, allowing for a mix of users. Rappaport, the current operator of the South Riding Market Square shopping center, is involved in this project as a partner as well, and I have had discussions with them about potential tenants for the new spaces. They believe that there is strong interest including with some users that are new to our area.  

If you would like to sign up to speak at the February hearing on this or any other application, please click here. 

Stone Ridge Section 40

LEGI-2023-0042

This month, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the Stone Ridge Section 40 application, which will be coming before the Board at the March 13 Public Hearing. The rezoning application would permit 152 dwelling units, comprised of 79 single family detached and 73 single family attached. It would include 19 affordable dwelling units and 7 workforce housing units, as well as a recreation building and active recreation facilities for the Stone Ridge HOA.

As part of the application, the developer would complete missing sidewalk and trail links from Pepperbush Place to Greenstone Drive and along the Greenstone frontage connecting to the existing trail. A new sidewalk will be built along Gum Spring Road from Greenstone to meet the existing trail at Destiny Drive, as well as a trail connection to Kudu Court.

Application for Data Center in Fairfax County

Many of you may have seen in the news that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently approved an application for a 110 ft. tall data center to be located on the south side of Route 50, just west of Stonecroft Boulevard in Chantilly. I want to share some information on the application as it relates to concerns from those on the eastern end of our district. The specific property in question is about 0.7 miles from the Loudoun County border and the cul-de-sac on Eastgate View Drive, with the Cub Run floodplain and Lafayette Business Park between.

On land use matters such as this, each County has its own Comprehensive Plan and land use designations within its borders. In some areas they align, but the Route 50 corridor in Fairfax is more commercial and industrial due to proximity to the airport while in Loudoun we have allowed areas of residential development on the south side of Route 50 where the airport noise impacts have been lesser. We don’t have a say on how Fairfax County manages their land, use just as they don’t on ours.

In our review of the information that Fairfax County used to evaluate the proposal, we found that the applicant is proffering to certain sound levels based on a noise study. This study showed that noise levels during normal daily operation would be 40-45 dBA in the area of Lafayette Business Park to our east. During an emergency situation, when all generators are required to be in operation, the noise level in the Lafayette Business Park area would increase to 45-50 dBA. These levels are considered within the allowable range for Fairfax and would also be within the allowable range for residential areas within Loudoun were this to be within our borders. There will be a post development study completed to confirm that they are within the proffered levels. You can view the noise study here.

The applicant also completed a drone visibility test last summer. This was specifically done to evaluate how much of the building would be visible from the Pleasant Valley neighborhood in Fairfax. This neighborhood is about 1000 ft. closer to the subject property than homes in Loudoun and has similar elevations to the East Gate area. The drone test found that there was no visibility of the 110 ft. tall building past about 0.25 miles from the site. They stepped the drone height up to 150 ft. (40 ft. taller than the proposed building) and determined that it may be minimally visible at that height. You can view the drone test information here.

One question about this proposal is how the site will be served by power. Dominion is planning a new substation in the Avion Parkway/Stonecroft Boulevard area that will need to be connected by transmission lines. My office has reviewed the routing proposals with Dominion and confirmed that the only routes being considered would be within the commercial corridor well north of Route 50 and not require extending the lines directly on the road frontage.

I think one of the most relevant considerations with this application was the alternative use. The application contains an alternative option to develop a warehousing facility on the site. This facility is anticipated to send truck traffic from the east down Route 50 to use the Fairfax Pleasant Valley Road and Lafayette Center Drive intersection as a turnaround to then go east and access the property. This scenario would be problematic for traffic on Route 50 to the east. I believe that this use as a whole may be worse for Loudoun residents than the data center, despite the height.  

Dulles Greenway

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain and cold to come down to South Riding and testify at the State Corporation Commission’s hearing regarding TRIP II’s proposed toll hikes on the Greenway. Toll Road Investors Partnership II, LP (“TRIP II”), the company that owns the Greenway, is asking the SCC to approve a request (Case # PUR-2023-00089) to increase the maximum tolls for most drivers to $8.10 during peak hours, up from the current $5.80; and to $6.40 during off-peak hours, up from $5.25. It is my opinion, and the opinion of the vast majority of residents, that tolls on the Greenway are already ridiculous and that this increase will further “materially discourage” drivers from using the road. Users should not have to bear the brunt of the road’s $1 billion in debt.

In addition to the January 9 hearing, the SCC held a telephone hearing on Tuesday for folks to call in and voice their concerns.

In July, Loudoun County announced its opposition to the proposed rate hike. In September, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to file a “notice of participation” with the SCC in the case. The notice of participation ensures that Loudoun’s Board will have access to all information provided to the SCC as it considers the application for a 40% increase in the maximum toll for passenger vehicles on the Greenway. It also allows the Board to provide the SCC with testimony and analysis independent of that offered by the owner of the toll road.

TRIP II claims the increases are necessary to meet its debt obligation, however my contention is that this debt should not be our problem since the cost of the road was $300 million over 30 years ago. The data shows that use of the Greenway is down because of its already high toll rate. Traffic on the Greenway decreased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not returned to pre-COVID levels.

To promote use of the Greenway by more motorists, Loudoun County has consistently supported changing the Greenway’s toll structure to distance-based tolling while also lowering toll rates. The Greenway operator has the lawful ability to implement both changes now.

Virginia law enacted in 2021 provides objective criteria for evaluating toll increase proposals, including a requirement that proposed Greenway toll rates are “reasonable” to users in relation to the benefit they are deriving from using the road so that the rates do not “materially discourage” use of the road. Loudoun County believes TRIP II’s proposed rates will further discourage the use of the Greenway. The SCC uses the objective criteria to evaluate toll rate increase proposals and Loudoun County supports the SCC review process.

In addition, Loudoun County has opposed any legislation that would potentially permit automatic toll rate increases each year of an unknown amount and an extension of the Greenway’s operator’s license for an unlimited period of time, which is not good for Loudoun residents. Unfortunately, Delegate David Reid of Ashburn has once again filed his bill that would remove SCC oversight and allow the Administration to cut a long term deal with the Greenway to guarantee toll rate increases and an extension of their franchise agreement. This time, he added language requiring a 25 percent reduction in tolls and distance based pricing—both good things—but don’t be fooled. That’s only for the first year. The reason why the Greenway is lobbying for his bill is that they know that over the long term, they stand to gain by locking in guaranteed rate increases for decades to come. This is a bad deal for Loudoun and the Board of Supervisors opposes this bill, as does our Senator, Suhas Subramanyam. We will be working hard this session to kill this bill, as we have done in two previous sessions. 

FY25 Budget

The Finance Committee has been hearing budget development items for several months, and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet will present the County's operating budget proposal on February 14. The budget will be presented with a proposed 87.5 cent per $100 assessed rate, with options to go above or below depending on needs. There will be opportunity for public input beginning in February after Mr. Hemstreet’s proposal. At that tax rate, which is the same as this year’s, there may be an increase to tax bills due to rising property values, although we have not yet seen the data on assessments.

The largest component of our budget is schools. As you’ll recall, the Board does not have line-item authority over the LCPS budget, but we are responsible for appropriating their funding each year from taxpayer dollars.

Superintendent Aaron Spence submitted a budget request of $1.8 billion, a 9.4% increase over the current budget and an increase of $131 million (11.3%) in local tax funding. LCPS has stated that two major associated costs will be the opening of Henrietta Lacks Elementary School and Watson Mountain Middle School this fall (which together will require about 60 full time staff to operate). About 40% of the new positions in the proposed budget are ESL and special education teachers, needs which LCPS says are on the rise. 74% of the total budget increase request is to support teacher recruitment and retention, which continues to be an issue in the County. 73 positions are requested to support school-based initiatives, and 26 to support programs such as Title IX and digital security/tech support.

I will be carefully reviewing both the LCPS and County budgets. I am concerned that the level of growth in both is not sustainable over the long term. We have been the recipient of new data center revenue most years which covers a large portion of cost increases, but that rate of growth will slow down eventually. One instrument that we now have in place is a data center Revenue Stabilization Fund, which has been set up to receive surplus funding in years that we have it, and to make up a deficit when there are shortfalls.  

Public input sessions on the budget have been scheduled for Wednesday, February 28 at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 2 at 9:00 a.m. These meetings will be held at the Government Center, located at 1 Harrison St. SE in Leesburg.

Tax Year 2024 Personal Property Tax Rates

At the Board’s January 16 Business Meeting, we voted to affirm the Tax Year 2024 personal property tax rate at $4.15 per $100 of assessed value. This rate applies to vehicles, boats, motor homes, motorcycles, tractor trailers, heavy trucks, trailers, campers, and all vehicles of similar classes. You may recall that the Board voted since the pandemic to reduce the rate from our typical $4.20 to $4.15 in light of much higher assessments for vehicles due to supply chain shortages and inflation. Furthermore, elderly and disabled residents have a further reduced rate of $2.10 per $100 assessed.

Traditionally, the Commonwealth of Virginia has provided tax relief for vehicles. The problem is that the relief is provided in one lump sum that is pre-apportioned to localities and was never indexed. Therefore, the percentage of tax relief has gone down over time as the amount of eligible residents has increased. That hurts Loudoun and other places that have seen population growth. The Board of Supervisors has requested that this be changed, but of course there is no appetite to change it in other jurisdictions. Governor Youngkin did bring up car tax relief in his State of the Commonwealth Address, but without new revenue coming to localities, that isn’t going anywhere. His administration suggested that the localities can increase sales taxes to make up for personal property taxes. I’d like to see some of the state's surplus go toward actual indexing of car tax relief. 

Your personal property tax bills come due in May and October. To pay them online, click here. If you have any questions about your bill, please reach out to the Commissioner of the Revenue’s office.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS

VDOT Winter Weather Information

As our LCPS students will fondly remember, we’ve already been hit with several winter weather events this year. VDOT is responsible for clearing over 14,000 miles of road during winter weather events in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VDOT encourages folks not to drive if it is snowing, and to be safe in the case of a storm. If we do get snow, VDOT's goal is to have one passable lane on every road within 24 hours when snowfall is 2-4" and within 48 hours for 4-6". Over 6" is expected to take at least 72 hours. VDOT will prioritize getting the roadways as safe as possible before moving on to shoulders, ramps, turn lanes, intersections, park and ride lots, and more. If you feel that your street is missed after these time frames have passed, you can use the resources below to get more information on plowing status and/or report your issue directly to VDOT:  

• https://www.virginiadot.org/about/emer_response.asp for news releases, important messages, frequently asked questions and links to many other resources, including: 
• @VaDOTNOVA on Twitter
• http://www.511virginia.org for road conditions and traffic cameras 
• http://www.vdotplows.org for neighborhood status and locations of plows 
• http://www.virginiadot.org or 800-FORROAD (367- 7623) to report issues  

PRCS Winter Policies

The County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services is reminding residents of their winter weather policies. If there is inclement weather and your event is scheduled for an LCPS or Loudoun County Government facility, you can check closure information online at loudoun.gov/prcsclosures.

In the case of inclement weather, participants can contact facility or program staff to confirm which classes/activities will operate as scheduled and which are canceled or check for updates on social media. Find PRCS Facilities/Programs Facebook pages here: https://www.loudoun.gov/4899/Connect-with-Us.

Water Quality Grant Opportunities

The Loudoun County government and the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD) are partnering in a program to provide funding to homeowners interested in implementing water quality improvement projects on their property or in their neighborhood. They will be hosting an informational meeting about applying for grants for the projects on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road NW in Leesburg.

Subject matter experts from the Loudoun County Stormwater Management Program, LSWCD, and the Virginia State Department of Forestry are scheduled to speak about the grant application process for eligible projects. The projects include:

• Tree planting: Both riparian (streamside) and upland areas are eligible for funds to plant native species to reforest non-forested areas. These plantings help filter nutrients, trap sediment, provide shade and provide important habitats while reducing mowing and maintenance costs associated with turfgrass. Planting areas can be as small as one-quarter of an acre or as large as three acres for any individual project.
• Pet waste stations: Pet waste stations are designed to encourage pet owners to pick up after their animals in public places to prevent waste from being transported off-site by stormwater runoff. Pet waste stations typically include a covered waste can and bags for picking up the waste. Grants support regular maintenance fees to keep the cans empty as well as installation costs.
• Livestock exclusion fencing: Fencing helps to keep livestock out of waterways and prevents nutrient runoff from agricultural operations into the water. Farms under five acres that are not eligible for the state of Virginia’s cost-share programs can access this funding.

In addition, information will be available about the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), a water quality improvement cost-share program administered by LSWCD. VCAP funds projects to reduce erosion and runoff through actions such as rain gardens and conservation landscaping. Private residential, industrial, commercial and homeowner associations in Loudoun are eligible to apply for funds for the projects.

Loudoun County and LSWCD have often partnered in past years on water quality projects in the county. This year’s effort has been enhanced with additional grant funding from the county and the addition of pet waste stations as an eligible project.

Supporting local projects that enhance watershed conservation and promote watershed stewardship is part of the Environment and Energy Work Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors.

For more information about the county’s environmental initiatives, visit loudoun.gov/environment.

Route 50 Safety and Operational Study Public Input Meeting

Loudoun County is hosting a meeting to gain input from the public on the Route 50 corridor February 15, 2024, in Aldie. The study corridor is approximately 14 miles of Route 50 from Northstar Boulevard to the Fauquier County line. The study will identify safety and operational issues and present recommended solutions.

The Route 50 public input meeting will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2024 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. in the Willard Middle School cafeteria, 40915 Braddock Road in Aldie. At the meeting, the public will receive an overview of the study and participate in interactive activities to provide input on safety and operational issues in the corridor. Following the meeting, a survey will be available at loudoun.gov/route50study to gather more comments on the corridor. The survey will be open until March 1, 2024.

More information about the Route 50 Safety and Operational Study, including a link to sign up for updates, is available at loudoun.gov/route50study.

Loudoun Symphony Orchestra

Join the LSO for an unforgettable musical journey where the essence of history intertwines with nature, and each note captures the power and resilience of the human spirit. The concert includes Respighi's Pines of Rome, Coldplay's Viva La Vida, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, and the world premiere of Traveler in the Mist, which is inspired by David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors and FREE for children 12 and under. Loudoun Symphony participates in the Passport Program and provides WIC cardholders FREE tickets which can be reserved by emailing info@loudounsymphony.org.

Showtimes are as follows:

• 7:30 PM, February 10 at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Ashburn
• 3:00 PM, February 11 at Independence High School, Ashburn

Visit www.loudounsymphony.org for all the details.

Donations to Local Food Banks

Donations to the Dulles South Food Pantry (DSFP) can be made in person at the pantry at 24757 Arcola Mills Drive on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or on Mondays from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., or online. DSFP provides food assistance up to twice a month to any person who resides in the attendance zones for the following high schools: Freedom, John Champe, Lightridge, Independence, Rock Ridge, and Briar Woods. Call 703-507-2795 or email info@dsfp.org to schedule an appointment. See the pantry's website for information on how you can help fight local hunger. The pantry is currently looking for plastic bag donations as well. 

Donations to the Dulles South Soup Kitchen can be made on their website or at their location by appointment. Call (202) 930-3775 or email to make an appointment. The Dulles South Soup Kitchen distributes fresh and nutritious hot meals to anyone in need within Loudoun County every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the StoneSprings Hospital Center parking lot by Route 50. Registration is required on their website.

Blood Donation

To schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets with the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org/give-blood.

Inova Blood Services also takes donors by appointment. Visit https://www.inovablood.org/ to schedule an appointment.