Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The holiday season is upon us and I hope you and yours enjoyed Thanksgiving. At this time of year it is important to appreciate all that we have. In Loudoun County, we have much to be thankful for however, there are those among us who are in need of assistance. During this time please consider giving to those less fortunate.
You may be aware that there has been some controversy surrounding the Loudoun County Courthouse Grounds holiday display. The Courthouse Grounds and Facilities Committee recommended, and I supported, county-sponsored displays which represent multiple religious traditions and secular symbols of Christmas. They will include a Christmas tree with lights and ornaments, a Nativity Scene, a Menorah, and a Santa Claus with reindeer. You should consider coming to historic downtown Leesburg to see the displays and do some holiday shopping.
Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Warmest Regards,
Ralph
Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
EDUCATION UPDATES
Discovery Elementary School (ES-22)
The boundary process for Discovery Elementary School (ES-22) and Moorefield Station Elementary School (ES-16) is currently underway. In establishing attendance zones for the two new schools, the current attendance boundaries for Ashburn, Belmont Station, Cedar Lane, Creighton’s Corner, Dominion Trail, Hillside, Legacy, Mill Run, Newton-Lee, Rosa Lee Carter, Sanders Corner, Seldens Landing, and Steuart W. Weller Elementary Schools will be reviewed.
The final School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing is Monday, 3 December, 2012. Adoption of the Elementary School Attendance Zones will occur during the regular School Board Meeting on Tuesday, 11 December 2012. The elementary school attendance zone changes will become effective in the fall of 2013.
Lansdowne Area High School (HS-8)
During the 13 November Public Hearing the Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted to approve the land use applications associated with the Lansdowne Area High School. (HS-8)* The motion passed 8-1. The application process began in 2010 and the school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015. All of this information is available on the Loudoun County Public Schools website and on the Loudoun Online Land Applications System (LOLA).
*ZCPA-2011-0010, SPEX-2011-0033, ZMOD-2012-0004 Loudoun County Public Schools (HS-8)
Trailside Middle School (MS-6)
Groundwork has begun at Trailside Middle School which is co-located with Newton Lee Elementary School. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. Elevations and floor plans of this 2-Story, 178,000+/- SF school are available to be viewed.
LOUDOUN HOUNDS STADIUM
During the 16 October BOS Business Meeting Chairman York moved that the BOS initiate a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM) to designate a portion of the One Loudoun development as a Special Activities area in order to rezone to Planned Development-Special Activities (PD-SA) to allow a baseball stadium.
Three years ago, county officials signed off on a zoning plan to allow the 5,500-fixed-seat stadium to be built at the Kincora development at the intersections of Routes 7 and 28. However, the estimated time frame for the ballpark to be built was pushed back and the Loudoun Hounds chose to move the new minor league baseball stadium to One Loudoun, at the intersection of Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway, with a completion date of 2014 (pending approvals).
There will be a full public process to vet the merits of this project over the coming months. The Planning Commission is tentatively slated to review the CPAM during their February Public Hearing with the final vote (if approved by Planning Commission) by the full BOS in March 2013.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
Ashburn Village & Route 7 Interchange
This project is moving forward! An outstanding issue with Loudoun Water and One Loudoun with respect to the interchange design are in the process of being resolved and should be completed soon. A proposal is underway to address the issue of design concerns. A tri-party agreement is being drafted for consideration by the BOS, One Loudoun and B. F. Saul that should resolve this issue. That agreement will be presented to the Board at a January Business Meeting. The 60% redesign will be completed in 90 days from issuance of notice to proceed. If the cost of the alternative design is less than the current design, One Loudoun will proceed to final design and right of way can be acquired. Construction could begin in 2013.
Eastern Loudoun Transportation Study Segment Analysis - Phase I
During the 7 November Board Business Meeting county staff presented the first phase of the Eastern Loudoun Transportation Study Segment Analysis. The in-depth analysis of 27 identified transportation segments in the Phase 1 study area is available for review.
The report includes each segment’s name, location, category of improvement, estimated cost, funding options, map location and analysis of the applicable proffers/conditions tied to the specific road segment.
Metrorail Service District Updates
The Metrorail Service District item has been added to the 11 December Public Hearing, as an additional section to the service district has been proposed. The area involved is bounded by Waxpool Road (east and south), Ashburn Village Boulevard (west), and Farmwell Road (north); basically a triangle that starts at the ice rink heading west on the south side of Farmwell Road.
These parcels were not originally included in the Metrorail Service District as the majority of the land was county owned and not on the tax rolls. The BOS recently sold that land to Raging Wire and Chairman York brought forth a proposal to add these parcels to the district.
The proposal is a maximum of $0.20 per hundred dollars of assessed value, not 20%. At todays’ tax rate that is just under 14% at the maximum $0.20. I am in the process of meeting with landowners and business owners as I am not sure if I agree with the inclusion of this segment at this late date. I also want to stress that not one single residential property in the Ashburn District is included in the proposed Metrorail Service District.
Street Smart Event
A Street Smart public awareness and enforcement campaign sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board was held on 14 November at the W&OD Trail crossing at Belmont Ridge Road. This was a perfect location for a regional coalition to announce its program aimed at reducing pedestrian/bicycle accidents and fatalities. During the event, it was noted that last year there were more than 430 crashes in the region involving pedestrians in November and December alone. I urge you to take the time to familiarize yourself with ways to improve your safety by reviewing the information provided by Street Smart.
