The Planning Commission's decision Monday, July 24, to hold another work session on the Rural Policy Area Comprehensive Plan (CPAM) amendment, thereby delaying a final decision until after the county's August recess, has affected more than just the decision makers. Everyone who has a stake in the board's decision on the downzoning of the rural western two-thirds of the county, from developers to special-interest groups to landowners, are feeling the frustration.
Following the July 24 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors had hoped to take a final vote on the CPAM at a July 27 special meeting, the board's last before the August recess. The Planning Commission stymied the board's plan when it could not reach a majority recommendation and instead opted to send the amendment to a work session.
The delay would give both developers and private landowners an extra month to receive preliminary plat approval, the point in a subdivision application where the state considers an applicant vested under the higher-density A-3 zoning. Many people have said they believe the delay is simply a political move and have expressed disappointment at the month-long delay.
"We are incredibly frustrated," said Laura Olsen, of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. "It is unbelievable the number of calls and e-mails we have gotten. People are really upset."
WHILE, OLSEN SAID, the coalition has no monetary stake in what happens with the downzoning, they are committed to helping Loudoun residents understand what is happening in their area.
"It is about ensuring the folks in each region are making informed decisions," she said. "Our biggest thing is seeing the frustration from our members."
Organizations such as the Coalition for Smarter Growth have been present at every Board of Supervisors public hearing to make their voices heard. Many have set up tables in the lobby of the Government Center, passing out information to people entering and exiting.
While attending events and sending out information can take a great deal of time, Olsen said, the coalition is going to continue to do its job for as long as the debate goes on.
"We will continue to provide a resource for residents to understand these issues," she said.
Olsen said delays on major issues, such as the rural zoning, change the kinds of questions residents begin asking.
"As time goes on they want to know more," she said. "They want to know what they can do, how they can get involved."
IN ADDITION TO the Rural Policy Area, the board delayed voting on the Route 50/Arcola CPAM until September and on the Transition Policy Area until some time in October. These delays could have an impact on the developers who have submitted development applications for the areas, who must wait for a final vote before they can be certain what type of development they will be moving forward with.
"I think most developers are developing rezonings, but are concurrently developing a by-right plan," said Roy Barnett, senior vice president for Van Metre Companies.
Packie Crown, vice president of planning and zoning for Greenvest LLC, said the developer is processing a by-right community at the same time it is working on its rezoning applications for the Transition Policy Area just in case the CPAM is not approved.
Both Crown and Barnett said they are optimistic about the future of the three CPAMs and hope they do not have to move forward with a by-right plan.
"A by-right planning policy doesn't give anything back to the community," Crown said.
Barnett said that, while rezoning an area at a higher density does add more houses, it also provides proffer money for schools, parks and public safety as well as new road construction and improvements.
For every $10 million of investment a landowner has, it costs the landowner approximately $1 million per year in interest, Barnett said.
"That's money that could have very easily gone to the county as proffers," he said. "It is money spent without any benefit to the people."
THE LONGER THE delays continue, the more the money available decreases, Barnett said.
"They affect what money you have available to spend," he said. "Delays take away from what we can give to the county."
While Barnett added he does not think the Loudoun CPAMs will get to this point, he said there comes a time where a developer will have to develop the property by right.
"There comes a point where it is not economically viable to continue with a rezoning," he said. "It is a reality. It has happened."
Neither the Van Metre nor the Greenvest projects would have been ready to begin construction if the county had resolved the CPAMs before the August recess, and so the next month will continue as other months before it has, working with the county on their applications.
"Honestly, we still have a lot of work to do," Crown said. "There is a lot of room for evaluation of projects in this process and that is a healthy thing."
However, both companies do hope there will be some resolution in the fall and their projects can move forward.
"There is a maturity of the process that has to occur," Crown said. "But I always stay optimistic."