In a previously unscheduled action, the Board of Supervisors overturned their approval of the Townes of Avonlea development project at its May 2 business meeting. The board voted 6-2-1 to deny the application for the Townes of Avonlea, with Supervisors Stephen Snow (R-Dulles) and Jim Clem (R-Leesburg) voting against the motion and Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) abstaining.
If approved, the application would have allowed for the development of 117 single-family homes across 31 acres. The planned development would have been located west of Loudoun County Parkway and south of Route 50 in the Dulles district.
The item was reconsidered following a motion by Chairman Scott K. York (At Large) who was absent at the original vote after having to leave the April 18 meeting early. The application was passed originally with a 4-2-3 vote. Supervisors York, Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) and Bruce E. Tulloch (R-Potomac) were absent. Both Waters and Tulloch voted to deny the application the second time.
The decision to deny the development of the Townes of Avonlea caused friction between other supervisors and Snow, who would have been the supervisor for the proposed development.
"This is not providing certainty to the development community and our citizens is a shame," Snow said. "It's a good project, it's a proper project. It gets us the transportation that we need."
Snow told other board members that approving the development would allow for the completion of Tall Cedars Parkway, which, he said would "take the weight off of Route 50."
York said that he believed Snow's comments were a "snow job of the citizens" and that "the application does not adequately implement the comprehensive plan."
Supervisor Mick Staton (R-Sugarland Run), who had originally voted to support the development, decided to change his mind and deny the project based on concerns he had.
"I now feel that the project that was approved 9-0 by the Planning Commission has just too many houses and is not appropriate at this time," he said.
AS PART OF the consent agenda, which requires no discussion, the board voted to add the proposed changes to voting districts and polling places to the June 14 public hearing agenda.
The proposed changes would split precinct 813-Seldens Landing to create the new precinct 815-Belmont Ridge in Broad Run. In addition, Belmont Ridge Middle School would become the polling place for precinct 815. In the Dulles District, the proposed changes would split precinct 106-Eagle Ridge and 108-Mercer to create the precinct 111-Briar Woods and establish Briar Woods High School as the precinct's polling place. The changes would also split precinct 109-Hutchison and create precinct 112-Freedom with Freedom High School as its polling place.
Also added to the June 14 public hearing was the issue of a possible through-truck restriction along Peach Orchard Road (Route 624) in Loudoun. If the restriction is supported by the board, the issue will be sent to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for evaluation. Alternative routes would take trucks along New Road (Route 600) to U.S. 15 and into Prince William County. Supporters of the restriction are concerned that Peach Orchard Road is partially unpaved and only two lanes wide.
As a part of continuing road improvements, the board voted to request that VDOT transfer $1 million of fiscal year 2004 revenue sharing funds from Claiborne Parkway as well as $127,620 in fiscal year 2005 supplemental revenue sharing funds and $1 million in fiscal year 2006 revenue sharing funds from the Route 28/Sterling Boulevard interchange project to the construction of Pacific Boulevard between Sterling Boulevard and Cedar Green Road.
The $2.127 million is revenue generated by the Route 28 tax district and is being transferred between projects within that district, Delgaudio said.
THE BOARD ALSO voted to support the Loudoun County Chapter of TRIAD, a triangular partnership among law enforcement, senior service care-providers and senior citizens. The county chapter was created in late 2004 to improve the overall quality of life for senior citizens through physical and financial safety awareness, knowledge of criminal trends, education and communication.
In addition, the board supported the formation of the Loudoun Health Council, which would bring together representatives from local government, the school system, the private health, business and faith communities as well as concerned citizens to address multifaceted health concerns.