| Residents
Support One Loudoun |
By Katie Murphy
Observer Staff Writer |
| More than a dozen residents spoke in favor of the proposed
One Loudoun development during the Board of Supervisors' public
hearing Tuesday. |
| Of the 17 residents who addressed the board about the development,
13 said they were very impressed with One Loudoun, especially
with the international possibilities for businesses that the
World Trade Center, a proposed business within the center,
would provide. |
| One Loudoun, which would be built near the intersection
of Loudoun County Parkway and Route 7, also would feature
about 1,500 homes. |
| Terry Sharrer, a Waterford resident, said he commutes to
Washington, D.C., for his job at the Smithsonian, but even
though he is very familiar with the traffic, he still feels
One Loudoun is the best thing for the community. The development
would fit nicely with Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia
Farm and the Washington Dulles International Airport, he said.
|
| Alan Hansen also said Janelia Farm, America Online and the
World Trade Center fit together because they have one thing
in common: they are all international. Therefore, One Loudoun
is in the perfect location and easily fits into the plan around
Route 7 in Loudoun County, he said. |
| Bob Moses of Ashburn said that of all the proposed town
centers in the county, One Loudoun is the shining star. |
| Unlike Crosstrail, which is a proposed development near
the Dulles Greenway and the Leesburg airport, One Loudoun
would bring real jobs that only would enhance other surrounding
businesses, Moses said. The development also would enhance
the education of area children by exposing them to these types
of businesses, he said. |
| That One Loudoun would provide better opportunities for
area children was a common theme among supporters. |
| Scott Beisler of Round Hill also said One Loudoun would
open up the possibilities of companies having satellite offices
in the area, which would give children a place to work. He
said Loudoun already provides area children with a great education,
and the county should also give them jobs to stay in the area.
|
| Sara Howard O'Brien, speaking on behalf of Loudoun County
Public Schools, said One Loudoun proposes to build an elementary
school and it offers one of the best sites with easy road
access and a central location where schools are currently
overcrowded. |
| She said the county plans to utilize the area for a proposed
elementary school, which is scheduled to open in 2008. |
| Those opposing the development said they believed the town
center was not in the right location. Some said it would cause
congestion and that it had too much retail and residential
space proposed rather than commercial businesses. |
| While the developer promises One Loudoun would bring a lot
of jobs, so did WorldCom and that was a disappointment, said
Gem Bingol, a Catoctin resident. |
| Rebecca Perring, speaking for the Coalition for Smart Growth,
said One Loudoun was not a model for smart growth in the area.
She said the development was awarded the Smart Growth Alliance
Award because of the design within its structure; however
the award did not examine details that determined whether
it was a smart growth development for the community. |
| Representatives from One Loudoun said at the beginning of
the meeting that theirs was the first and only development
in Loudoun County to achieve the smart growth award. |
| Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run), who has been working
with One Loudoun for two years, said the proposal still needs
a lot of tweaking, including negotiation of another interchange
at Route 7 and Ashburn Village Road in addition to the one
planned for Loudoun County Parkway and Route 7. Waters also
said she would like to see the proposal more commercially
driven. |
| The supervisors agreed the proposal still required revision,
and they have granted an extension until Dec. 7. |
