On January 13 the Board of Supervisors voted to send the entire land purchase/exchange agreement to the Finance, Government Operations and Economic Development committee. Our hope is that this committee will help clarify significant unanswered questions about Loudoun’s financial and legal responsibilities, Mojax’s appraisal for the properties in question, and other elements of the proposal that could be detrimental to the future of Aldie and its community members.
Growth, Development & Traffic
Citizen input in planning for Loudoun’s future is critical — particularly when some are pushing for more residential development at a faster pace than the county and general public have planned for.
Ask the Loudoun Board to save St. Louis without destroying Aldie
Loudoun is considering trading too much residential development in St. Louis for too much commercial development in Aldie.
Standing with St. Louis…And Now Aldie
When a developer, Mojax LLC, bought the Howards’ ancestral land in 2017 and proposed a development of 27 homes with individual wells, the community was understandably concerned. “As a widow and a senior citizen on a budget, the development could drive up the taxes and force me to dig a new well, which I can’t afford,” said Peterson. Besides the water issues and property values, residents worried about losing the historic cemetery, undiscovered graves of enslaved people, and the cultural history of the place.
Middleburg Planning Commission Conditionally Approves Banbury Cross Reserve Project
The Middleburg Planning Commission conditionally approved the Banbury Cross Reserve project at their special meeting in August, citing the three conditions noted in Loudoun County staff’s final report. Per Middleburg regulations, the applicant has 90 days to fulfill the conditions. Local news media have reported a lawsuit challenging the title to the property, which would have an as-yet unknown impact on the project.
Banbury Cross Tabled for Two Weeks
I wanted to provide another quick update on an issue we wrote to you about two weeks ago: the Banbury Cross development before the Middleburg Planning Commission.
Banbury Cross – Public Hearing on July 27
Today I wanted to give you an update about the proposed Banbury Cross residential development outside of Middleburg. This proposal was first submitted back in June, 2019 and was rejected by the Middleburg Planning Commission after the public hearing in September due to deficiencies in the application. Reconsideration of the application has since been delayed due to a variety of factors including Covid-19.
Banbury Cross Update
The Middleburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 27, 2020 for the Banbury Cross residential development application, which had its first public hearing in September 2019.
The application is for 28 clustered lots that are between 1 and 4 acres in size and 10 Rural Economy lots that are a minimum of 25 acres each. The entire development is on 570 acres that lay partially within the One Mile Subdivision Control Limits of the Town of Middleburg. It has been in a holding pattern since the Middleburg Planning Commission denied the application in September. In its rejection, the Commission required the applicant to fix many deficient and missing details that the Commission had noted.
Loudoun Development Tracker
Loudoun County continues to be one of the fastest growing jurisdictions in the nation. Therefore, both the number and types of development applications filed each month can be overwhelming. In an effort to track development applications that could impact important natural, cultural and historic resources, as well as the quality of life for Loudoun residents, PEC has created a shared spreadsheet that anyone can view.
Loudoun Land Use Update – March 30, 2020
On Wednesday, March 25th, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting to adopt a 60-day Emergency Ordinance (click to download) that will guide the Board’s actions during the previously adopted local State of Emergency. …
Banbury Cross Application
Banbury Cross Reserve is the first major cluster subdivision application in at least 10 years in the AR-2 Rural Policy Area to move forward. It sets a precedent for other developers who may contemplate larger scale residential subdivision opportunities in the area. PEC remains concerned with the unnecessary impacts of intensive rural housing development associated with the proposal.