More Hearings Set
<bt>The Loudoun County Planning Commission has sent letters to property owners who would be affected by proposed zoning, subdivision and Comprehensive Plan changes in rural Loudoun, specifically the Rural Policy Area of the county.
The letters were mailed notifying property owners of the proposed new zoning classification that will affect allowable uses and densities of their property.
The letters also notify property owners of the upcoming Planning Commission public hearings on the proposals scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Loudoun County High School auditorium, 415 Dry Mill Road, S.W., Leesburg, and Saturday, Feb. 11, at 9 a.m., in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E. in Leesburg.
The proposed amendments would restore the Agricultural Rural zoning designation to the areas predominately zoned A-3 Agricultural Residential. The proposed amendments would allow a property owner to create a subdivision one lot at a time or as a cluster subdivision or as a conventional subdivision. Many uses that are currently allowed by a special exception process in the A-3 district are proposed to be permitted by right pursuant to a number of performance standards within the Agricultural Rural zoning districts.
Copies of the proposed amendments are available on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/rural or at the government center
at the public counters in the Department of Building and Development and the Department of Planning.
<sh>Wolf Meetings
<bt>U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10) will hold a series of town meetings across the 10th District in February. Locally, he will be in Chantilly, 9:30 a.m., at Franklin Middle School, 3300 Lees Corner Road; and in Ashburn, noon, at Loudoun County School Board Administration Building, 21000 Education Court, both on Saturday, Feb. 11.
<sh>Townhouse Fire
<bt>A townhouse fire at 24 Howard Place in Sugarland Run around 2:41 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28, displaced a family of four, according to the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services. The fire, which has been ruled accidental by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office, resulted in approximately $85,000 damage to the structure and contents. The fire appears to have started in a clothes dryer.
First arriving units from Sterling reported heavy smoke visible from the front and rear of the structure. There were no reported injuries to the residents or emergency responders.
Staff from the county's "After the Fire" program and the Red Cross were also on the scene to assist the displaced residents.
<sh>Five Arrested in Robbery
<bt>Three juveniles and two adults were charged in an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday, Jan. 25, in
Sterling, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Smith Kriengsakchai, 19, of Herndon, Reth Run, 19, of Sterling and three 17-year-olds all remained in custody Wednesday. According to the Sheriff's Office, Kriengsakchai, a 17-year-old from Herndon and a 17-year-old from Fairfax are charged with
robbery. Run and a 17-year-old from Sterling are charged with robbery and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The robbery occurred around 12:30 a.m. when the victim was returning home and a white car passed him on Fontwell Square. The car then turned around and drove back down the road. As the victim was going into his home three males dressed in dark clothing approached the man and demanded money. They left the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.
A lookout for the car was broadcast to neighboring jurisdictions and approximately one hour after the crime a Herndon Police Officer located the car and took the five suspects into custody.
The three juveniles were being held at the Loudoun Juvenile Detention Center and Kriengsakchai and Run were held at the Loudoun Adult Detention Center.
<sh>Gunlocks Available
<bt>The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is encouraging gun owners to pick up free safety kits.
The agency has received more than 1,000 gunlocks donated by Project ChildSafe, a nationwide firearms safety education program, in effort to prevent gun accidents in the homes of county residents.
The safety kits, which include a gunlock, will be distributed on a first come-first serve basis at the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Administration Building, 39 Catoctin Circle, S.E., Leesburg, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will distribute millions of firearm safety kits throughout the country over the next year.
Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gunlock. The locks fit on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home.
By partnering with Project ChildSafe, the Sheriff's Office is participating in a growing national effort to promote firearms safety education to all gun owners.
Project ChildSafe will distribute gunlock safety kits to all 50 states and the five U.S. territories. A U.S. Department of Justice grant funds the program, with additional funding provided by the firearms industry.