Tag: Loudoun County Board of Supervisors

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Approves Belfort Park Drive Townhomes

Posted on by Brigitte Flores

Walsh Colucci assisted the applicant, Davis Drive, LLC, in the recent approval of a rezoning and zoning modification application for a 1.98-acre site to accommodate the development of 20 townhomes. The site is located on the north side of Belfort Park Drive between Glenn Drive and Davis Drive. The recently approved General Plan designates this property as in the Suburban Compact Neighborhood Place of the Suburban Policy Area. The General Plan calls for this place type to provide opportunities to develop small infill parcels near traditional suburban neighborhoods. This place type envisions a mix of housing types, with townhomes listed as a core use.

The development of 20 townhomes at this location will provide a complementary addition to the surrounding community in the Sterling area. The future residents of these townhomes will enjoy an active recreation space approximately 8,000 square feet in size that will include garden features with various trees and shrubs, picnic tables, and park benches. There is also an extensive pedestrian network that the residents may use to visit the commercial areas in the vicinity. During the rezoning process, several challenges arose prior to the approval of the application. In particular, County staff and the Planning Commission expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of parking for the project and the applicant’s plan to convert the existing and currently VDOT-maintained stormwater management pond located on the property to an underground stormwater detention facility to be maintained by the homeowners’ association. Additionally, neighboring residents from the adjacent community voiced their concerns about the application.

The applicant addressed these concerns by hosting multiple community meetings and agreeing to proffer commitments that mitigate the impacts of the application. Specifically, the applicant agreed to increase the contribution amount of seed money to the homeowners’ association for the maintenance of the underground stormwater facility; increase the amount of affordable housing units; provide an enhanced vegetative buffer along the northern boundary of the property to mitigate visual impacts for the adjacent community; increase the amount of parking spaces for a total of five parking spaces per townhome unit; and install traffic improvements for the intersection of Belfort Park Drive and Glenn Drive.

With these approvals, a vibrant residential piece will be added to this area which will help fulfill Loudoun County’s vision for quality design and affordable housing. The development will provide a compatible addition to the existing neighborhood and help address the spectrum of unmet housing needs in Loudoun County. Through its ability to work collaboratively with County representatives, the applicant was able to find a path forward and gain near unanimous support for the Belfort Park Drive Townhomes project from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on November 17, 2020.

Loudoun County land use attorney Sashenka Brauer led the development team through the approval process. For more information about this project or to learn more about our Land Use & Zoning practice please contact sbrauer@thelandlawyers.com.

 

 

 

Image Source: Urban, Ltd.

County Board Approves Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company’s Rezoning ​

Posted on by Brigitte Flores

In the first landowner-sponsored rezoning in the Village of Waterford, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recently approved a rezoning and two special exceptions to allow for Loudoun County’s oldest continually-operated business, Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company, to grow its business at its location in the historic Village of Waterford.

Loudoun Mutual established its business in the Village of Waterford in 1849. In 1949, before there was a Zoning Ordinance in Loudoun County, Loudoun Mutual built its current office building in full conformance with all Loudoun County zoning and land development ordinances and regulations as they existed at that time. Revisions to the County Zoning Map occurred in 1993 that changed the designation on the property to a residential zoning district, which does not allow commercial office uses. Due to this oversight, the property was never granted commercial zoning.

Loudoun Office Managing Shareholder Randy Minchew and fellow land use attorney Sasha Brauer shepherded Loudoun Mutual through the County’s application process to rezone the property to a commercial zoning district and bring the property into full conformance with Loudoun County zoning requirements. Additionally, in order to facilitate the expansion of its current office building, the approval included a special exception for a building greater than 10,000 square feet, and a special exception to reduce the amount of off-street parking.

Loudoun Mutual agreed to install a pedestrian path on the property and to implement tree preservation measures and storm water best management practices. Because the property is located in the Historic District of the Village of Waterford, the expansion of the building will require a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic District Review Committee. Allen Kitselman of Main Street Architecture, PC prepared preliminary architectural renderings that integrate design elements compatible with the existing office building and the character of Waterford.

With these approvals, Loudoun Mutual looks forward to continuing its long history of operating and doing business in Loudoun County and the Village of Waterford. Loudoun Mutual’s President, Chris Shipe, expressed his appreciation to Walsh Colucci, specifically Randy Minchew and Sasha Brauer “for all their help and work guiding this through the process to allow Loudoun Mutual to continue to operate in the place where we were founded.”

 

Image Source: Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company

 

Church & Market Project in the Heart of Leesburg’s Historic Downtown Approved

Posted on by Brigitte Flores

Church & Market

In a land use approval that will bring new vitality and high quality mixed-use architecture to Leesburg’s Old and Historic District, the Leesburg Town Council recently approved an application known as “Church & Market.” This application features 116 rental multi-family units, 11,500 square feet of office space, 3,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, and a 2,300 square foot “maker space” with a 169-space structured parking facility integrated into the building. The Church & Market project features architecture designed by Torti Gallas + Partners that received its final certificate of appropriateness last month following detailed review by the Leesburg Board of Architectural Review.

Loudoun Office Managing Shareholder Randy Minchew and Christine Gleckner, Senior Land Use Planner, shepherded the application through the Town’s detailed application processes on behalf of the developer, L4 Capital Partners. The new building will be located in the heart of Leesburg’s Old and Historic District in the underutilized surface parking area behind the historic buildings at the southeastern quadrant of Market Street (Rt. 7) and King Street (Rt. 15). As such, the massing of the project is significantly reduced and is shielded by the historic frontage buildings that remain unchanged. This signature building is the first multi-family rental building built in the Historic District and its uses will add to Leesburg’s vibrant downtown featuring some of Northern Virginia’s finest restaurants, micro-breweries, and wine bars.

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Approves Expansion of Inova Loudoun Hospital

Posted on by Michael Romeo
INOVA Loudoun Hospital
Source: HDR Architecture

Last month, at the first business meeting of the year, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning and special exception application that will facilitate the continued expansion of Inova Loudoun Hospital. The approved rezoning will enable Inova Loudoun Hospital to realize the full potential of its zoning density on the 88-acre property.

A total of 1,585,584 square feet, including up to 1,238,000 square feet of hospital uses, can now be developed on the property. Given the layered history of zoning actions and density provisions that apply to the property, complex discussions and negotiations with Loudoun County staff and the Lansdowne Conservancy were necessary to accommodate the rezoning.

The approved special exception allows for acceleration of the many ancillary items to be developed in advance of previously approved timing provisions. The creation of a preliminary phase as part of this special exception approval will enable the immediate development of areas including a new loading dock, materials management area, kitchen expansion, generator enclosure and utility structures, and expansion of the linear accelerator totaling up to 56,000 square feet.

The approval of these applications will facilitate the ongoing expansion of Inova Loudoun Hospital in line with its expansion schedule and will accommodate significant future expansions as the hospital continues its transformation into a tertiary care hospital serving the residents of Loudoun County.