Observer Online | Planners to Review One Loudoun

Edition of Sept. 22, 2006

Planners to Review One Loudoun

By Katie Murphy

Observer Staff Writer

The Loudoun County Planning Commission will review at a work session Monday, Sept. 25, a rezoning application for One Loudoun, a proposed residential and commercial development that would include the World Trade Center Dulles Airport.

One Loudoun would be located at the intersection of Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway and would include about 3 million square feet of space for office buildings. The development also includes a proposed 600,000 square feet for retail use and plans for 1,935 residential units.

The project is a venture between Miller and Smith and Meridian Group, and the developers have committed to contributing funds to the interchange at Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway. The amount of funding they will provide depends on how many residential units they are allowed to build. Current zoning allows for the construction of about 900 units, about 1,000 fewer than planned.

Bill May, CEO of One Loudoun, could not be reached for comment by The Observer's deadline Tuesday.

Also in One Loudoun would be the World Trade Center Dulles Airport. This center would be part of the global World Trade Centers' Association (WTCA), a nonprofit organization of individual trade centers that are a part of a worldwide network that promotes trade, economic development and peace.

Because Dulles's World Trade Center will be able to access over 750,000 member businesses from over 277 world trade centers in 75 countries, it plans to be a strategic alliance for the area's businesses.

Services at the center will include assisting foreign companies that are trying to enter the U. S. market in fields such as biotechnology, information technology, and Internet and telecommunication. Other services would include helping such companies with office relocation, technology transfer, mergers, acquisitions, real estate needs, immigration, human resources and customer service training. The trade center also would provide U.S.-based companies wishing to enter or expand their business overseas with similar services.

The Planning Commission work session is scheduled for discussion will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25. Visit www.loudoun.gov.