Board Kills Dulles Growth Plan

A proposal to lift development limits in the county's Transition Policy Area in the Dulles District went down in defeat Wednesday evening after a majority of supervisors said they simply could not endorse dramatic increases in residential density in that area.

On a 6-3 vote, supervisors Wednesday night killed the Upper Broad Run/Upper Foley Subareas Comprehensive Plan Amendment, also known as the Transition CPAM, but vowed to keep working with George Mason University to bring a full-service campus to the county.

"We've decided this is not the right time and not the right place," said Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run), adding that she would no longer support the applicant-initiated CPAM process that allowed several developers to propose increased densities because of the time it took the board to finish its review. "I will never again, never again support applicant-initiated CPAMs. Two and a half years of struggle can be avoided in the future."

Supervisors counting votes during a work session Monday realized there were five votes against the proposal to increase residential densities and called for an immediate vote to end debate and bring the issue to final resolution.

Despite attempts by Greenvest, the largest developer in the planning zone, to sweeten the pot by offering to lay the groundwork for a full-service George Mason University campus along Rt. 50, a majority of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors rejected the prospect of increasing densities by even 5,000 homes, much less than the nearly 34,000 that could have potentially been built under the version endorsed by the county planning commission.

The first trimming came after Vice Chairman Bruce E. Tulloch (R-Potomac) determined there was not support for changing the county's land use plan south of Braddock Road. That geographic section was removed from the CPAM. However, he continued to make the case that he believed George Mason University should build a new campus in the county and that the 123 acres Greenvest had planned to donate to the school just east of the Transition Area would be an appropriate spot.

But on Monday, Supervisor Mick Staton (R-Sugarland Run) joined other dissenters and made it clear that he did not support the increased density, prompting County Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) to ask to cut the board's debate short, cancel remaining work sessions on the item and recommend denial to the full board during this week's board meeting.

Staton said he had been intrigued with the development proposals when first introduced more than two years ago in part because of the possibility of using a Community Development Authority, which essentially serves as a tax district in which new homeowners pay for infrastructure, rather than taxpayers countywide. He also liked the idea of balancing the amount of commercial space in the county with residential uses and questioned the nature of the Transition Area, but ultimately did not believe the proposal was worth his support.

"The CDAs seem to have gone by the wayside and no one seems to be interested in talking about that balanced mix," he said, indicating that he did not like the way the proposal evolved.

While the GMU angle appeared to spark great interest among some supervisors, as the details of the proposed campus were revealed-such as the potential need for county investment and the contingency that Greenvest's rezoning plans be approved before it would donate the land to the school-that aspect lost its sheen.

GMU representatives told supervisors in recent meetings that the university would require a vibrant community surrounding it to achieve the type of full-service campus they envisioned with graduate and undergraduate degrees. They also told supervisors they were planning to come to Loudoun regardless of the supervisors' decision on Greenvest's proposal, which initially called for about 15,000 homes with the promise to pay for significant road and school construction.

However, letters from Greenvest and GMU made the situation clearer, and led some supervisors to wonder whether the two entities were being forthright. In a letter from Greenvest CEO Jim Duszynski to the board, Duszynski said Greenvest would convey 123 acres to GMU "promptly following approval by Loudoun County of the Arcola/GMU rezoning."

Without an approved rezoning, Duszynski explained that the university would have six months to purchase the land.

In addition, GMU representatives told the board that Prince William County had rezoned land to construct a town center near the GMU campus there. In fact, Prince William has re-planned an area near the university, but had not yet rezoned it. And the school indicated it would locate in Loudoun regardless of the CPAM decision, but later wrote: "Absent the infrastructure to support it, a George Mason campus in Loudoun County will have little chance of success."

"George Mason has a credibility problem with me," said Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge). "I don't know what we're dealing with."

GMU representatives said they would be willing to work with the county on creating a campus on another site, but again pointed to the need for infrastructure as well as at least 120 acres.

"I think we all were a little bit surprised with their presentation on a number of fronts," Waters said. "If they want to put a larger campus in Loudoun, I'm still open to that, but I don't think this is the right spot for it, because so much of the infrastructure is not there. It's too high of a cost to get it there."

Tulloch, who was absent from the Nov. 5 work session with GMU, said he was "disgusted" when he watched the tape because of shifting answers from GMU, but added "I still believe GMU needs to come to Loudoun County with a full-service university."

He said the site near Rt. 50 may be appropriate because it would provide the school with a clean slate from which to construct its new campus.

He also said those who say the prevailing issue with the Transition CPAM is affordable housing are wrong, calling such suggestions, "a joke."

York said making the focus of the CPAM review about GMU was also misguided because the idea of the school came along well after the initial land use proposal for higher residential densities.

"I came in here needing two aspirins. I now need a full bottle," he said. "The discussion wasn't about GMU."

But then, he said, GMU became the focus, which meant there was a need for infrastructure, leading to the call for increased density to construct market-rate homes so that developers could pay for that infrastructure.

York and Tulloch were authorized to meet with GMU leaders to evaluate the school's needs outside the Greenvest proposal. They also will contact Gov. Timothy Kaine (D) in an attempt to get the state to help lure GMU to Loudoun with incentives, such as money to buy the land Greenvest offered the school.

Snow continued to make the case that without permitting larger-scale projects, the county ends up with by-right development that pays no capital facilities contributions, no road proffers and provides no affordable dwelling units.

"I think that's poor government and you haven't served the people well," he said about rejecting the CPAM.

Snow questioned the accuracy of staff reports about the potential impact of the proposed development increases. Meanwhile, staff members raised concerns about a fiscal analysis report contracted by Greenvest.

Snow said Greenvest's report, by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., indicates Loudoun faces a shortage of 50,000 homes by 2030 and that the board is not doing enough to provide housing in the county. While county planning staff members had tried to pull together information sought by board members, they acknowledged that the information was not perfect because of the rushed time in which they had to produce it, and Snow said there was not enough information to make an informed decision.

"That's not good data," Snow said of the planning staff information, while referring to information provided by Greenvest to make his case that there would be a housing shortage.

However, Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ben Mays pointed out that the Lesser analysis indicated that single-family detached homes would run out in four years, but that townhouses and multifamily homes are in supply for as many as 20 years.

Snow made last ditch efforts Monday and Wednesday to win support for some version of the plan by scaling it back. While the board had previously agreed to narrow the scope of the planning commission's recommendation, which had the potential for more than 33,000 homes, by about one-third, Snow's late proposal called for only approving increased residential densities north of Rt. 50. That would result in the potential for as many as 7,523 homes in three areas that are currently planned for as many as 2,212 homes. A late proposal Wednesday called for even fewer homes, but was not accepted by supervisors.

Snow's motion on Monday failed on a 2-6-1 vote with just Supervisor Jim Clem (R-Leesburg) giving his support. Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) was absent from the meeting. Clem left the meeting after that vote. Snow's smaller proposal Wednesday failed 3-6 with Clem and Delgaudio supporting him.

Snow accused the board of purposefully deciding to leave Loudoun residents in gridlock and causing higher taxes by allowing by-right development rather than approving the CPAM.

"What you guys are doing and what you ... have perpetrated on our taxpayers ... you're not going to get Rt. 659," Snow said, referring to Greenvest's and other developers' proffers to construct the realignment of that road from the Dulles Greenway south to the Prince William County line. "What are you going to do for all of these roads?"

He also hammered away at board members because he said they were refusing to provide homes for future county workers. "Where are the people going to live?" he asked.

Snow promised to work with residents and activist groups, including the Piedmont Environmental Council, to develop a bond proposal to pay for infrastructure needs in the Dulles South area. Other supervisors said they looked forward to participating in those discussions.

York's motion Monday to end the CPAM debate and recommend denial to the full board passed 5-2-2 with Snow and Tulloch voting against it. Delgaudio and Clem were absent for the vote.

York's motion on Wednesday for the full board to kill the CPAM passed 6-3 with Snow, Delgaudio and Clem voting against it.