287-g: A section of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which permits states and/or local law-enforcement agencies to designate officers to perform immigration law-enforcement functions, pursuant to a memorandum of agreement between the local law-enforcement agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The designated officers receive training from and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
BRMC: Broadlands Regional Medical Center, a 164-bed hospital proposed for the Broadlands neighborhood, currently involved in court cases with the county and Inova Loudoun Hospital.
CDAs: Community Development Authority. Allows the county to create a special tax district to pay for infrastructure improvements. Dulles Town Center was built using a CDA. They have only been used on commercial property in the past.
Comprehensive Plan, Revised: approved July 23, 2001; intended to serve as a guide for development of the county over the next 20 years.
CPAM: Comprehensive Plan amendment; a policy change requested by developers generally to allow higher density building. The county also initiates CPAMs when it wants to add to or alter Loudoun's comprehensive plan.
Dulles Greenway: Region's only 65-mph freeway; runs between Leesburg and Dulles Airport; toll at the main toll booth is $3 during the weekdays and $2.80 on the weekend.
Dulles South: Area along the southeastern part of the county, generally stretching from Chantilly to Arcola north and south of Route 50; currently the site of several new developments.
Dulles Toll Road: Eight-lane limited access highway that runs from Dulles Airport into Fairfax County. Connects to the Dulles Greenway after Route 28.
Eminent Domain CPAM: County is currently reviewing a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would disapprove the use of eminent domain for economic purposes and would remove language that calls for the redevelopment of established communities.
Inova Health Systems: Northern Virginia-health-based system; merged with Loudoun Hospital in 2005; currently planning new facilities throughout the county and recently opened a new care center in Dulles South.
Journey Through Hallowed Ground: The Journey Through Hallowed Ground is a 174-mile stretch of highway from Gettysburg, Pa., to Charlottesville, Va. The area includes eight presidential homes and numerous Civil War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812 historic sites. There are 23 sites in Loudoun. It is currently before the federal government, seeking designation as a National Heritage Area.
LHI: Loudoun Healthcare Inc. Owns 155-bed Loudoun Hospital Center in Lansdowne and outpatient facility on Cornwall Street in Leesburg. Now a subsidiary of Inova Health Systems.
Metro to Loudoun: Not going to happen any time soon. The project will not bring rail from Falls Church to Reston until 2011, but the cost estimate has already nearly doubled to $2.4 billion — and that's phase one. Phase two will bring rail to Route 772 in Loudoun — that's Ryan Road, which turns into Ashburn Village Boulevard — by 2015, "subject to available funding."
Phil Bolen Park: Underfunded, unfinished 460-acre park southeast of Leesburg. Predicted opening is October 2009. Supervisors are pushing for the ball field to be open sooner, in order to better serve the local sports groups.
Proffers: Monetary and infrastructure donations given by developers in exchange for higher density building rights; most proffers involve money for schools, roads and public safety. Cost of proffers is added onto each home price.
Route 15: The symbolic barrier between suburban eastern Loudoun and rural western Loudoun.
Route 50: Heavily traveled four-lane highway that takes Loudouners to Fairfax County to work every day. There are several development proposals are currently in consideration along the highway.
Route 50 Task Force: Group of developers and residents created by the Board of Supervisors in 2004 to give input and recommendations on key issues facing the Route 50 corridor
Rezoning: Another method of requesting higher density; sometimes stands alone, other times follows a CPAM.
Supervisors: Officials in charge here. Eastern Loudoun supervisors are: Bruce Tulloch (R-Potomac), Mick Staton (R-Sugarland Run), Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) and Stephen Snow (R-Dulles). Chairman Scott York (I-At large) is a Sterling resident.
Sycolin Road, Braddock Road: Two heavily traveled gravel roads in eastern Loudoun just a couple football fields' length from major thoroughfares.
Toll Brothers, Winchester Homes, Van Metre, Washington Homes, Lansdowne Community Development: Developers currently involved with the continued development of the county.
Transition Policy Area: Area east of the Rural Policy Area and west of Arcola; several new development applications are located in this area.
Upper Foley/Upper Broad Run: Subareas within the Transition Policy Area
Western Bypass: Long-wrangled-over highway proposed to cut through Loudoun County and connect to Maryland. Currently in bureaucratic doldrums; maybe be resurrected in the future.