Opinions Shared at Ashburn Metro Outreach

A sparse crowd turned out for the county’s first work session, held at , about the proposed Metro extension to Ashburn. County staff members were present to answer questions, along with a few members of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors.

A random sample of those attending found both support and opposition to the project.

“I think it’s good for the county. This is one of those things that’s painful to do, but it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Ashburn resident Larry Deigh. “This is too big of an opportunity. They should work it out, make it happen.”

Sterling resident Mehdi Kohanbani—who commuted to work via rail when he lived in New Jersey and now commutes via car, bus train and bus—said he’d like to see Metro extended to Loudoun.

“With the growth that we have and with the real potential that we have in Loudoun County for other businesses to come in, it’s critical,” said Kohanbani, who works in recruiting at the U.S. Army National Guard. “We need another option for people.”

But Ashburn resident Bob Zottoli said he was hearing “lots of hyperbole” about economic benefits, but “it’s not substantiated.” He also questioned why service districts under consideration to help pay for the project extended up to two miles from rail stations when a county-sanctioned study show the primary benefit would extend only half a mile.

“Which on is it?” Zottoli asked, adding that the county might be better off focusing on roads, ballfields, schools and other existing needs. “This is not the best investment. I’d really like some data behind the statements.”

Evelyn Christman owns two homes in Ashburn and has long anticipated construction of the Silver Line to Loudoun.

“The Metro has been in the works for many, many years,” she said. “I’m one of the people who moved here because of the Metro. I look forward to riding it.”

Christman also said rail would provide an option that saves on gas, tolls, and wear and tear on personal vehicles in exchange for the cost of parking and the train ride. But she also expressed concerns that real estate values could fall without Metro.

“The cost of Metro has been kind of built into our home prices for years.” Without the rail extension, she said, “It could drive property values down.”

Members of Loudoun Opt Out attended the meeting, but were barred from distributing information. On May 25, the group also expressed concerns about information distributed during the outreach session, particularly affirmative assertions made about the impact of property values on the second page of the attached PDF.