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Business owners see Leesburg guidelines as too limiting
Leesburg was once again labeled non-business friendly when downtown business owners complained the town's Board of Architectural Review draft guidelines for building and design limit economic growth.
Several business owners who spoke at a public hearing Nov. 19 said the review board's guidelines properly address preservation of the historic district, but they do so at the expense of economic development.
The BAR is updating its guidelines, which fit in with the town's efforts to streamline the land-use application process, said town's preservation planner Annie McDonald, who has been working with BAR members on the guidelines for more than a year. The review board is on its second draft, which is more than 140 pages.
“There were some issues with regard to clarity” in the guidelines the town currently uses, McDonald said, adding that the changes will make the guidelines more user friendly.
Leesburg Town Council voted unanimously Nov. 14 in favor of streamlining its project application process to create a more business-friendly environment.
The economic impact of telling land-use applicants to tone down a design's mass, height and scale means that larger businesses cannot set up shop in Leesburg, said Peter Burnett, who owns several properties in Leesburg's downtown.
“These economic realities have to be on the table for the BAR,” Burnett said. “How will Leesburg look in 50 or 100 years if we keep repeating the past?”
He said current restrictions of mass and height prevent companies from coming to Leesburg.
Companies need more than 2,000 square feet of commercial space to operate in Leesburg, he said, but the guidelines preclude that.
Fellow business owner Don Culkin, who owns property at 105 Loudoun St., agreed, saying he “encourage[s] the BAR to come up with policies that will promulgate change.”
“If we don't, we could see businesses leave the town,” he said. “We seem to have policies that encourage successful businesses to leave.”
Other speakers pleaded with the Board of Architectural Review to change its guidelines so the town can bring life back to the historic district.
Once the list of speakers was exhausted, BAR Chairwoman Teresa Minchew pointed out that many of those who spoke at the hearing did not live in Leesburg, although all of them own property in town.
Minchew said the BAR is trying to improve its relationship with the business community.
“Hopefully we're not fencing with you,” she said. “We are listening to you.”
She asked that comments from business owners be sent to the BAR's staff representative, Annie McDonald, at AmcDonald@leesburgva.gov.
Later in the meeting, the BAR approved plans for a 500-space parking garage on Church Street with a 6-1 vote. Minchew's was the only nay vote. A second garage project at 218 Wirt St. was denied by a 4-3 vote because it did not meet the guideline requirements for mass, height and scale, Minchew said. Both projects were proposed by Waterford Development.
Contact the reporter at hhobbs@timespapers.com
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