Even after many months, what exactly the Planning Commission is doing with Dulles south planning is still tricky for residents to figure out.
"I'm just very confused," said Aldie resident Cheryl Hutchison at Monday's property owners meeting with the Planning Commission.
A letter inviting property owners to the meeting talked of "subareas" and "Upper Broad Run" and "Upper Foley" — county terminology for land in the Dulles south area.
What it all meant, however, was unclear in the letter.
Turnout at the property owners' meeting was likewise relatively low, compared to the overflowing auditoriums at previous Dulles south planning meetings.
Those meetings had been driven by a sense of urgency about developer proposals for the area: six submitted last fall that could add 22,000 homes if approved.
The Board of Supervisors combined the six developer-initiated proposals into one, overall comprehensive plan amendment that will take a look not just at the developer-owned land, but the surrounding land north and south of Route 50 and west of South Riding as well.
The land is officially called the Upper Foley and Broad Run subareas of the Transition Policy Area, which is a swath of land intended to act as a buffer between the higher-density Suburban Policy Area to the east and the Rural Policy Area to the west and north.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, the developers who initiated the original proposals spoke out in favor of remapping the area on Monday.
Christine Gleckner, a representative for developer Randolph Rouse, said Rouse even wanted to add land onto his 927 acres already under consideration.
According to his original proposal, Rouse wants to put a mixed-development of up to 3.5 dwelling units per acre on his land, which touches the border between the study area and the more rural, less dense area to its north.
"It is in the Rural Policy Area, but because of the road configuration, and being adjacent to the rest of the area, [Rouse] is requesting" that it be considered for higher density development, Gleckner said.
George McGregor, a planner representing Arcola LLC, a division of Greenvest, reiterated the need for planning in the area.
"We believe this is an opportunity to address the growth pressures and accommodate the future growth," he said.
The six developers who originally initiated plans to remake Dulles south are Greenvest LC, Toll Brothers, the Shockey family, Randolph Rouse, Van Metre and Winchester Homes.
KEN HOVATTER, who has farmed off Braddock Road for 50 years, expressed his doubt that this push for higher density would pay off for anyone.
"Over the decades we've see the land boom and bust," he said. "One may wonder, will this fall apart as it has in the past?"
Hovatter participated in a series of biweekly planning input meetings Greenvest hosted four years ago. In 2002, the input meetings abruptly stopped. The next communiqué Hovatter received from Greenvest was a letter requesting permission to survey his land.
"They're no longer talking with the property owners, but talking at us," said Hovatter.
Greenvest vice president Packie Crown said the company ceased gathering resident input because the previous Board of Supervisors wouldn't consider its proposal.
"We were able to take every bit of that information and fold it into the proposal," she said.
But Aldie resident Carol Taylor still didn't see the need for additional density in the area.
"I don't see the rush to get it all built, and get it all built yesterday," she said.
The Planning Commission's public input gathering on the future of Dulles south is complete until a public hearing, which will be held later on Sept. 26. In the meantime, the commission will draft revisions to the current Dulles South Area Management Plan.
For More Information
Visit http://www.loudoun.gov/compplan/transition.htm.