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New board changes focus
Be it a consequence of a distressed housing market, a change in mind-set or a combination of the two, the focus of Loudoun's Board of Supervisors has noticeably changed of late from big-ticket housing proposals to smaller, so-called quality-of-life issues.
Over the course of the coming weeks and months, supervisors will tackle proposals to step up efforts to rid Loudoun of graffiti, ban the practice of people asking motorists for money along certain intersections and further restrict commercial vehicles from parking in residential areas.
“These are all issues I pushed for,” said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), whose district is plagued by many of these issues.
He said his “colleagues” on the board who left office in December had little time for “smaller” quality-of-life matters because much of their attention was consumed by rezoning proposals.
“This explains why there was so much turnover” on the board last November, he concluded.
Comparisons between 2007 and 2008 do indicate a drop-off in large housing proposals. This time, a year ago, supervisors faced five rezoning applications that would have each added at least 800 homes to Loudoun: Arcola Center, Braddock Village, Crosstrail, Kincora and Ridgewater Park. Of those, only Arcola Center was approved.
Today, according to the county's Planning Department, only two similarly sized rezonings still course through the county pipeline: Dulles Town Center with 1,230 homes and Dulles South's Westport with 1,761 homes.
“I think it's less potent right now, but growth will always be a big issue,” said Glen Caroline, the new chairman of the Loudoun County Republican Committee, who also took the opportunity to praise the "civility" he says the current board, which is comprised of five Democrats, two Republicans and two independents, is showing early on in its tenure.
Rebecca Perring, with the slow-growth group Campaign for Loudoun's Future, applauded the slow-growth path the new board is taking. But she warned that thousands of additional homes still wait to be built once the market rebounds.
Like Delgaudio, she said the previous board was so bogged down by development matters that the smaller problems the current batch of supervisors is addressing fell by the wayside during the last four years.
“Developers monopolized county staff from all the other needs in the county,” she said. “It's important we now concentrate on the needs associated with a growing county.”
The board's next business meeting is May 6 at the county's Government Center in downtown Leesburg.
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
Developers did not monopolize the prior BOS. The tens of thousands of your new neighbors and the issues surrounding accommodating them within the borders of Loudoun County monopolized the time of the BOS. Blame your neighbors, they are the ones who bought the homes that inconvenience you so.
Posted by SomeGuy
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The developers have there own parking spaces and seats in B&D and zoning. The developers brought those neighbors to the county with the white elephant dreams. The developers and those neighbors wanted the quick buck ( which the developers got) and let the rest to hold the bag to clean up the elephant manure
Posted by DandeWithTheWolf
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Developers need customers. Without the endless lines of new residents waiting to buy homes the developers would have moved on. Northern Virginia has been the crown jewel of many a national builder for at least 10 years because so very many people came here to live. It will always grow because the Federal Government is here.
I'll say this again, the developers pay dearly for the privilege of subdividing and selling lots. On the flip side, the "quick buck" you claim was made has evaporated with many builders and developers going out of business or pulling out of this market which proves my first point. My second point is that the developers don't have the luxury of raising taxes to cover a down market so they must make money. Why begrudge a business that fueled most of our prosperous economy for the last decade throughout the nation? Does your company make money? Of course it does or it wouldn't exist. Now that the market has receded you'll see many people who made a living off the housing market struggle and become burdens on our varied governments because they have lost their jobs. What's worse, a strong housing market that increases everyone's home values like the house you live in or a lousy market where droves of carpenter, electricians, roofers and more hit the welfare system?
It's not a crime to make money. It's the basis of our entire nation and how we survive. Stop begrudging builders and developers their success. It's cyclical and without it NoVa would be in much worse shape. The housing market paid everyone's bills and supported the economy when other industries were weak.
Why blame the private industry for the mess that you feel has been created? Start asking the tougher questions of your local government like why they pay so much for things you can buy for less. What happened to the improvements that were supposed to be part of a proffer? When will that work get done? Never because they wasted the money. It's very simple. They were paid to make improvements and just never got around to it. You are going to blame a developer for 40 years of neglect by VDOT?
Posted by SomeGuy
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