One Loudoun, the large development project located at the southeast corner of Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway, has undergone some major changes in its path to gaining approval from the Board of Supervisors.
In the weeks since the project's mid-November public hearing, where many residents expressed their support for the project, representatives of McLean-based Miller and Smith Land Inc. have agreed to several changes to the mixed-use development project.
If approved, One Loudoun would rezone approximately 358 acres in Ashburn to allow for the development of single-family homes, townhouses, multi-family units and affordable dwelling units. The proposal also includes up to 4,439,200 square feet of office, commercial and retail.
THE PROJECT originally called for 1,569 total residential units, but Tony Calabrese, a partner with Cooley Godward Kronish who represents the applicant, said they have willingly dropped that number considerably.
"We are committed to having 1,026 units," he said. "Of those, 943 are market rate [houses] and 83 are affordable dwelling units."
Following the Nov. 14 public hearing, Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run), who has worked extensively with the applicant, said she believed the residential development should be capped at 880 units, with the focus of the project remaining office and employment.
"I think this site should be commercially-driven, commercially-oriented," she said.
IN ADDITION to the drop in residential units, Calabrese said the applicant has addressed Supervisors concerns over the way the construction would be phased. After the public hearing, some Supervisors said they were worried that the residential would all be built before any significant amount of commercial development was done.
Under the adjusted phasing plan, the first phase of One Loudoun will now require one million square feet of nonresidential construction, 500,000 of which will be office space. In the second phase, One Loudoun must be built with an additional 2.1 million square feet of nonresidential development. Each phase will include the construction of 450 residential units, Calabrese said.
"We've created a more refined phasing process," he said.
Miller and Smith Land Inc. has also adjusted some of its planned areas, including adding a church site, enhancing the civic space allotment and adding a central, open-air amphitheater and stage, which would be open to the public.
THE ONE OUTSTANDING issue for One Loudoun is the proffered interchange it included at Loudoun County Parkway and Route 7. In this year's Nov. 7 election, county residents approved the use of county money to fund the project, but Supervisors said the applicant would still have to pay proffer money equivalent to the cost of the interchange.
"We are still working fruitfully with Supervisor Waters and the board on a very significant commitment to the construction of the Ashburn Village Boulevard and Route 7 interchange," Calabrese said.
While Calabrese said the applicant is still working with the county on the timeline for design, construction and opening of the interchange, he believes it will be beneficial to the One Loudoun project.
"It helps the region. It helps the Route 7 corridor," he said. "So ultimately it helps our project."
Calabrese said Miller and Smith Land Inc. is still committed to building a 4.5-acre right of way at the Loudoun County Parkway interchange.
The company also hopes to be able to create a public and private partnership with the county for the Ashburn Village Boulevard interchange.
"That is the subject of an ongoing dialogue," Calabrese said.
At a Dec. 7 work session on the project, Supervisors voted 5-0-4 to send One Loudoun to their Dec. 19 business meeting for further discussion. Supervisors Jim Clem (R-Leesburg), Stephen Snow (R-Dulles), Bruce E. Tulloch (R-Potomac) and Chairman Scott K. York (I-At large) were absent for the vote.