The Loudoun County planning commission has been working diligently to review the draft comprehensive plan prepared by the Stakeholders Committee (described in the September 2017 edition of Virginia’s Land Sense) and forwarded to the planning commission by the board of supervisors in July. The planning commission held several special work sessions in August and September, and they continued these work sessions on October 11 and October 17. As would be expected with a comprehensive re-write of the county’s comprehensive plan, the topics under discussion were widespread and far-reaching. In particular, the planning commission has been revamping the place types described in the draft plan and the associated land use maps, considering the demand for residential and non-residential uses and appropriate density, and specifically addressing the proliferation of data center uses in the county. The Countywide Transportation Plan also is being re-written as part of this exercise. Most recently, the planning commission has been reviewing the policies addressing coordination between the county and the seven incorporated towns within the county’s borders, including recommendations provided by the towns. The planning commission public hearing on its draft plan is scheduled tentatively for November, allowing time for revisions before presenting the planning commission’s draft plan to the board of supervisors in January 2019.

The attorneys and planners in the Leesburg office continue to monitor the Envision Loudoun process and can assist clients preparing public hearing testimony or written input for the planning commission’s consideration during its review of the plan.