Tag: Loudoun

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.

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.

WaterWalk Corporate Lodging Facility Approved in Loudoun County

Posted on by The Land Lawyers

Loudoun County’s growing corporate presence has drawn the attention of an innovative new lodging company known as WaterWalk, which owns and operates a version of an extended stay hotel known as a corporate lodging facility. With the assistance of Walsh Colucci, WaterWalk recently gained approval of a special exception application to accommodate a 153-room, four-story corporate lodging facility on a 5.49-acre property within Commonwealth Center abutting Route 7 and Russell Branch Parkway. The property is located within walking distance of One Loudoun.

As a growing brand, WaterWalk is focusing its efforts in areas with high concentrations of corporate headquarters/Class “A” office markets, high relocation rates, and technical training – all of which require longer stays. As Loudoun County’s economy continues to add corporate workers throughout many diversified types of businesses, demand has increased for newer extended stay hotel concepts which combine the amenities of apartment living and the economics of an extended-stay hotel into one facility.

WaterWalk is composed of silver and gold packages that operate as one facility. The silver package is priced on a monthly basis and includes one, two, or three bedroom units which include all utilities, internet, local phone, gym membership, trash service, and television service. The gold package is priced on a daily basis and includes every item in the silver package plus a custom furniture and sleep package, kitchen, customized breakfast options delivered weekly, full service housekeeping, and access to a lounge that is open 24 hours a day.

The WaterWalk concept provides an alternative to the traditional model of corporate lodging – that is, where companies lease apartments, furnish them, and rent them to employees in order to control inventory. It is anticipated that companies using WaterWalk for their corporate lodging needs will find an added level of convenience and quality over other corporate lodging alternatives. This includes a national sales team and full support staff that are accessible and available on-site 24-hours a day for any guest needs, increased flexibility in lengths of stay, competitive pricing, and premier safety and security measures.

Town of Leesburg Initiates “Envision East Market” Planning Process

Posted on by Christine Gleckner
East Market Street area
Source: Town of Leesburg

In its 2016 winter newsletter, the Town of Leesburg’s Planning and Zoning Department reported it had initiated “Envision East Market” in a move to establish a clear vision for the future of the critical eastern gateway to the Town.

“Envision East Market”—the name given to the East Market Street Small Area Plan—was established on February 1 and stems from a Loudoun County Design Cabinet charrette held in 2014. The plan ultimately will provide detailed land-use planning, transportation network planning, and design guidance for the critical eastern gateway to the Town.

Students from the University of Virginia’s Graduate Planning Program will assist staff on this project. Currently, the Town is seeking input from affected property owners, community members, and any other stakeholders. Contact Andrew Painter or any of the land use planners in the Loudoun office if you would like to obtain more information or provide input. The Loudoun office has handled many properties in the small planning area and is well suited to assist interested parties during this year-long planning process.

New Study Debunks Myth Concerning Cost of New Housing in Loudoun County

Posted on by Andrew Painter

Leesburg, VA—Two recently published articles in The Washington Post and the Loudoun Times-Mirror call attention to a new study stating that, for each new residential unit, Loudoun County pays 42 cents less than calculated in an earlier study. Shareholder Andrew Painter is quoted in both articles, stating that the purpose of the study “is to show that the homes that are being built are positive for the county.”

All-In Loudoun, a group of Loudoun County citizens, companies, and development entities, commissioned the study to respond to the County’s assertion that new homes are a burden on its coffers, which assertion is based on a 2011 study that found every new residential unit in the County costs $1.62 for every $1.00 in taxes paid by the unit. In a press release issued by All-In Loudoun, Andrew states that the new study “shows that new homes are raising the average assessment in the county and that most of the product we’re building is helping to dilute the historic burden of housing. And that’s a good thing for taxpayers.”

First Wawa Approved in Loudoun County

Posted on by Kimberlee Welsh Hise
Wawa Logo
Source: Wawa, Inc.

Our client, Wawa, Inc., sought to obtain approval to construct the first Wawa store, including gas pumps, on Old Ox Road in Loudoun County. The proposal was to rezone the property from the 1972 Planned Development – General Industry (PD-GI) zoning district to the current Revised 1993 PD-GI zoning district with special exception approval for an automobile service station.

Wawa worked with WCL&W’s Prince William County office to obtain several approvals for Wawa stores in Prince William County. Knowing that approval of a Wawa store in Loudoun County would require local land entitlement experience and political connections, Wawa hired Shareholder Randy Minchew and Senior Land Use Planner Kimberlee Hise (f/k/a Cummings).

Rezoning and special exception approval was necessary prior to construction. In order to achieve approvals, multiple meetings with elected and appointed officials, as well as community outreach, was required. During processing of the applications, the opposition provided numerous documents and statements containing misleading and inaccurate information to thwart the approval of the applications. Randy and Kim provided factual information to counter the misinformation, leading to a successful result.

Despite significant opposition and lack of County staff support, the applications were approved by the majority of the Board of Supervisors on December 3, 2014.

Wawa’s site plan application is currently under review by Loudoun County. It is anticipated that construction will begin later this year.

Andrew Painter talks big-picture and long-term growth for Loudoun and Fairfax Counties now that the Silver Line is up and running.

Posted on by thelandlawyers

Bisnow PhotoKeane Enterprises chairman Brian Cullen, with Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh’s Andrew Painter, says Loudoun has a mere eight years worth of detached single family home supply left. Brian praised the county for forging ahead with so much residential – it made up 46% of building permits issued in Virginia the last few years. But he urged leaders to plan with western areas of the county that don’t have public utilities for future growth.