Chapter 2 - Land Use

Table of Contents

Quality Development ......................................................................................................................... 5 Vision ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 5 Expected Growth and Development Patterns ............................................................................... 6 Place Types ................................................................................................................................. 7 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 12 Infill and Redevelopment................................................................................................................ 17 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 17 Opportunities............................................................................................................................. 19 Emerging Reinvestment Issues .................................................................................................. 19 Challenges.................................................................................................................................. 20 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 22 Urban Policy Areas ......................................................................................................................... 28 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 28 Development Approach ............................................................................................................. 28 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 29 Design Guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 32 Place Types ............................................................................................................................... 33 Suburban Policy Area ..................................................................................................................... 43 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 43 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 43 Background ................................................................................................................................ 44 Development Approach ............................................................................................................. 44 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ............................................................................................... 47 Design Guidelines ...................................................................................................................... 51 Place Types ............................................................................................................................... 52

Transition Policy Area ............................................................................................................ 72 Vision................................................................................................................................. 72 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 72 Background ........................................................................................................................ 73 Development Approach .................................................................................................... 74 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 75 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 79 Place Types ....................................................................................................................... 80 Rural Policy Area..................................................................................................................... 97 Vision................................................................................................................................. 97 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 97 Rural Residential............................................................................................................... 99 Rural Economy ................................................................................................................. 99 Farmland Preservation and Protection ............................................................................. 101 Future of Rural Strategy.................................................................................................... 102 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 103 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 106 Place Types ....................................................................................................................... 107 Rural Historic Villages ............................................................................................................ 108 Vision................................................................................................................................. 108 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 108 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 110 Design Guidelines............................................................................................................. 111 Rural Policy Area & Rural Historic Village Place Types........................................................... 117 Towns and Joint Land Management Areas.............................................................................. 124 Vision................................................................................................................................. 124 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 124 Development Approach .................................................................................................... 124 Policies, Strategies, and Actions ....................................................................................... 125 Leesburg............................................................................................................................ 127 Hamilton ........................................................................................................................... 128 Hillsboro ........................................................................................................................... 130

Lovettsville .................................................................................................................... 132 Middleburg..................................................................................................................... 134 Purcellville ..................................................................................................................... 135 Round Hill...................................................................................................................... 137 Design Guidelines.......................................................................................................... 139 County/Town Annexation Agreement/Corporate Boundary Line Adjustment ................. 140 Reference Maps ............................................................................................................. 141 Joint Land Management Area Place Types ................................................................... 142

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

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CHAPTER 2-4

Quality Development

Vision

Loudoun will carry forth our successful land use and growth management policy while promoting the well-planned development of unique and appealing places providing a full spectrum of housing and employment options that are linked to supporting commercial, entertainment, educational, agricultural, and recreational activity.

Introduction

Loudoun County has accommodated a high rate of growth over the past decades, concentrating new development in the eastern portion of the County where utilities and roadways have been constructed to serve the population efficiently. Much of Loudoun’s success is due to land use planning that has guided, managed, and directed growth to appropriate locations. Loudoun County’s growth management strategy has comprised an approach that 1) focuses the location and intensity of development in eastern Loudoun and around towns, which maintains the agricultural character, pastoral landscapes, and natural resources of the County’s rural areas; 2) uses service standards and development forecasting to plan the location and timing of investments in infrastructure, facilities and services; and 3) calculates a fair share contribution by new development towards associated capital facility impacts. This approach recognizes that more concentrated population centers better facilitate the provision of emergency response services, roads, utilities, and public facilities. Further, the location of such services and facilities often guide subsequent development patterns. By concentrating these services in the areas of the County where development has been planned and appropriately scaling their availability and levels of service in the less developed areas, the County facilitates growth patterns that help achieve long-term land use, environmental, economic, and fiscal goals.

Previous planning efforts in Loudoun County have focused on promoting quality of life by establishing and delivering a shared vision. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) and, more specifically, the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (General Plan) build upon previous efforts and encourage a range of priorities that will further enhance quality of life in the County through a renewed vision. To realize this vision, Quality Development (QD) addresses a range of topics important to future growth and development that will have a lasting and positive impact on current and future generations in the County. QD represents a level of excellence and a commitment to inclusiveness in future planning efforts. It is a holistic approach that seeks to maintain and build upon the high quality of life that residents have grown to enjoy.

To further enhance and improve the quality of life in Loudoun County, this chapter presents countywide policies that will allow the County to address growth and development in future planning and implementation initiatives. The goal of QD in Loudoun is to support these initiatives based on the following aspirations:

• Make great places through development that complements, strengthens, and benefits surrounding communities.
• Encourage a mix of complementary land uses and project designs that ensure the long-term sustainability, or environmental and economic health, of both the individual development and the broader community.
• Foster places with distinctive identities through the use of high-quality design, siting, landscaping, architecture, signage, sustainability, and other design elements.
• Integrate land use and transportation policies that prioritize development at the Metrorail stations and provide the most compact and accessible development.

QD also encompasses key qualities that will ensure future development positively contributes to the daily life of citizens by establishing and building upon traditional growth patterns and creating places that are conducive to a range of daily activities. Consideration of the following characteristics will help ensure future development and coordinated placemaking enhance quality of life in Loudoun:

• Sensitive integration of the natural and built environments,
• Context-sensitive site and building design between adjacent developments and land uses,
• Architecture that is appropriate for its context,
• Sustainable energy technology,
• Walkable and pedestrian-friendly environments that promote activity and connectivity in spaces between buildings and developments,
• Multi-modal choices that offer a range of transportation opportunities, and
• Accessible and connected parks and open spaces.

Emphasis on the incorporation of these characteristics in existing and future development is integral to QD. Their thoughtful consideration will help ensure high-quality design and aid in the creation of communities that have distinctive identities.

Loudoun will continue to be an attractive place for development given its geographic location, school system performance, business-friendly practices, and notable quality of life. However, new policies and approaches in the General Plan provide guidance to address emerging issues and trends in the County and region. These emerging issues and trends, include a constrained land supply, the County’s connection to the regional Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail network through the Silver Line extension in 2020, availability and affordability of housing, and a growing demand for new development options. The Plan streamlines its presentation of design concepts, providing specific design guidelines for each policy area in subsequent sections of this chapter. Future implementation of the design policies in the General Plan will require thoughtful revisions to zoning regulations that will help accommodate the flexibility and adaptability of a new land use planning approach in Loudoun.

Expected Growth and Development Patterns

Building upon the County’s successful planning policy, the General Plan is largely organized by geographic policy areas that serve to prioritize areas for new growth and development based on

the availability of existing and planned infrastructure and public facilities. Accordingly, this chapter describes the policy areas that provide the geographic framework for the County’s growth management and land use strategies. Policy areas in the General Plan include the Suburban Policy Area (SPA), Transition Policy Area (TPA), Rural Policy Area (RPA), Towns & Joint Land Management Areas (JLMAs), and newly-established Urban Policy Areas (UPA).

The UPAs are intended to accommodate living, working, shopping, and playing in a dense urban environment, creating complete communities that will serve as centers of activity for the County. The Plan designates two areas around the Silver Line Metro stations as UPAs, envisioning these areas to develop as dense urban centers. Both areas represent major growth opportunities for the County and are planned to provide for walkable mixed-use and transit-oriented development that will more efficiently absorb much of the County’s anticipated growth, offer a diversity of housing to meet changing housing needs, and offer flexible land use policies to allow for innovation and changing market demands.

The SPA continues to be planned for additional growth and development though at a lesser intensity than the Urban Policy Areas. However, rapid growth in the SPA in recent decades has significantly reduced the amount of developable land and subsequently reduced this area’s capacity to accommodate substantial growth. This represents a significant juncture in the County’s planning and development history as development efforts will increasingly emphasize infill development on the few remaining undeveloped parcels in the SPA as well as the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

The TPA is intended to be visually distinct from the Suburban and Rural Policy Areas with a development pattern focused on retaining substantial open space within the context of an assortment of community designs. The open spaces serve as dominant landscape and development features that provide opportunities for public recreation and facilities interwoven through a land use pattern that is predominantly residential with limited commercial and industrial uses.

The RPA comprises nearly two thirds of Loudoun’s land area in the western portion of the County and contains twelve historic Rural Villages. This area is planned as an enduring rural landscape of working agricultural lands, rural economy uses, and limited residential development. Protection of the RPA helps to ensure the preservation of farmland, natural, environmental, and heritage resources, open space, and vistas that are vital aspects of Loudoun’s identity.

Place Types

While the policy areas described in this chapter provide the geographic foundation for the County’s growth management and land use strategies, the Plan refines the County’s policies to better adapt to rapid changes in technology, demographics, and market factors without losing sight of the County's vision and goals. Central to this more adaptable, enduring approach to land use is the “place type” concept.

The Place Type approach differs from the County’s previous approach to land use planning in that it provides a way to shape the future of Loudoun by concentrating on context – the look and feel of places, their form and their character – instead of focusing only on conventional land use

categories and specific uses. Place Type categories define not only the basic expected land uses for specific areas in the County, but also preferred development patterns, streetscapes, and design features that make places and environments visually distinctive and functional for people.

The Place Type approach is intended to create distinct and “complete” residential neighborhoods, employment centers, open spaces, and other areas. By providing greater flexibility in development types and uses while providing additional guidance on design expectations, place types can also facilitate more dynamic, livable neighborhoods and allow for established areas to evolve and improve. In the next graphic you will find the transect of the County, which transitions from rural to increasingly urban place types. A transect defines a series of Place Types that transition from sparse rural farmhouses to the dense urban core. Each Place Type contains a similar transition from the edge to the center of the neighborhood. The transect does not show all Place Types found in the plan, but rather a few to show the transition at a higher level. Through the use of Place Types in the General Plan, the County aims to achieve Loudoun’s vision for a prosperous and inclusive community consisting of great places in a variety of settings.

The Place Type Transect

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What Makes a Place?

Many characteristics of the natural and built environment contribute to an area's sense of place, or the impression a particular place leaves on residents and visitors. These factors include:

• The size, scale, and configuration of the buildings and the spaces between and surrounding them,
• The uses in the buildings (although these may change over time),
• The patterns of activity in the spaces between buildings,
• Views to and from the buildings and spaces, and
• Special details such as historic structures, landscape elements, and public artwork.

These elements help define a place in our minds and give it a distinct identity. It is this human dimension of place types – their relationship to the way we experience our environment – that makes them such a useful tool in describing the type of development desired in Loudoun County.

Using Place Types

The Place Types described in this chapter have been carefully chosen to complement the current built and natural environment of the County while fulfilling the land use patterns and community characteristics envisioned for each policy area. Place Types emphasize form and function in addition to expected land uses. This makes Place Types especially useful tools to guide future decisions regarding growth and development in each community, taking into account variable priorities such as: economic development, land preservation, protection of natural, environmental, and heritage resources, efficient transportation options, and the provision of public facilities and services.

Each of Loudoun's policy areas is divided into distinct place types that reflect their unique form and character. Collectively, the defined elements of each Place Type help to ensure that future development creates the desired character and function of each respective policy area. Each policy area section in the Plan provides a detailed description of each corresponding Place Type, including:

• A summary of the general development pattern, scale, form, function, and how the Place Type complements or fulfills the larger visions or policies described elsewhere in the Plan
• Use categories expected in the area
  • Including core and complementary uses that will fulfill the intent of the Place Type
  • Appropriate conditional uses
  • Special Activity and Parks and Recreation are listed as conditional uses in all Place Types and will be reviewed on a case by case basis
• The expected physical form of each Place Type in terms of
  • Street pattern—shown below are all configurations that will be found in the Place Types

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

• Block length consistent with the 2019 CTP
• Setbacks based on roads and pedestrian features
• Parking
  • Accessory – a parking facility that provides parking for a specific use or uses. The facility may be located on or off the site of the use or uses to which it is accessory.
  • Short-term – lots and/or spaces designed for people who are dropping off and picking up passengers and/or goods.
  • Shared – a parking facility that may have spaces reserved and other spaces open to another use
  • Garage – a building or room, common to single-family residential neighborhoods, used to park vehicles or store items. Garages can be attached to a residence or located in an adjacent standalone building, and are typically accessed via a residential driveway.
  • Shown below are other types of parking:

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• Design amenities
  • Including sidewalks, street trees, street furniture, shade trees, bike racks, lighting, crosswalks, plazas, pedestrian malls, network of green space, and public art
• Retail and service
  • Retail commercial development in residential and employment place types will be designed to respond to the particular characteristics of the place type.

CHAPTER 2-10

In residential areas, retail and service uses will be characterized as Neighborhood or Community serving dependent upon the size of the area being served and the characteristics of the site (i.e. access, location, function). They will be located internal to the areas that they serve and will provide convenience or routine shopping and personal services. Retail and service uses in the employment place types are intended to provide convenient retail and personal services supporting the employment uses and are based on a percentage of the uses they will serve.

• Open space in terms of the following
  • Recreational – for both passive and active recreation
    • Passive - trails (hiking, biking, walking, or equestrian), picnic, community gardens, camping, or fishing areas
    • Active - ballfields, tennis or basketball courts, swimming pools, tot lots, golf courses, dog parks, and other areas for recreational sports and games
  • Community – plazas, playgrounds, pocket parks, gardens, public art, amphitheater
  • Natural, Environmental, and Heritage – forests, stream valleys, wildlife habitats, floodplains and their buffers, steep slopes and ridge tops, meadows, hedgerows, wetlands, heritage resources, and land contributing to the context of heritage resources, which may be incorporated into publicly accessible parks and preserves.
  • Agricultural land including fallow land and working lands (agriculture, horticulture, and silviculture)
• The expected development intensity in terms of floor area ratio (FAR) and/or residential density (dwelling units per acre) to better define the anticipated massing, scale, and level of activity expected
• A discussion of how design elements, variations in land use, and changes in density can be applied to ease transitions among different place types and uses, ideally minimizing the need for intrusive screening or other structural mitigation measures

Place Type Implementation

Place Types are not meant to directly parallel use-based zoning districts, but rather are a direct way of connecting the day-to-day experiences and preferences of the community with the more specialized and technical discipline of land use planning. The Place Types in the General Plan are:

1. Used to describe the desired future condition, environment, and development of our community’s places;
2. Mapped similarly to a traditional future land use map and used to guide future development; and
3. Linked to a future comprehensive Zoning Ordinance revision, which will create enhanced design standards and may include new districts that better align with the desired character of the place.

See Appendix A for general place type considerations – prompts that should be considered while devising and developing a project to assess whether a proposal is compatible with the Place Type and improves the site and its surroundings.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply countywide.

QD Policy 1: Provide flexible design guidelines in all policy areas and in priority areas of the County to create more specific design guidelines that encourage innovation and appropriate architectural, site, and landscape design in all development.

Strategy

1.1. Identify and prioritize areas in the County where more specific design guidelines are desired.

Actions

A. Develop user-friendly, illustrative design guidelines. The design elements will promote an overall sense of place through design elements that in-part relate to block size, circulation and connectivity, streetscape and street sections, building form, placement (setbacks), orientation, articulation, parks and open spaces, public and civic uses, landscaping, and sustainability that give a high quality form to the built environment.

B. Create incentives that provide the opportunity to implement design guidelines.

C. The County will consider the development of zoning regulations and design standards that implement the design guidelines of this plan and any design guidelines that may be created in the future.

Strategy

1.2. Encourage the submission of site development and architectural guidelines for new developments.

QD Policy 2: Where appropriate to the Place Type, create compact, walkable development patterns characterized by smaller blocks, shorter distances among uses, inter-parcel connectivity, greater diversity of uses on the same street, and connected open spaces that facilitate social interaction and offer affordable and convenient lifestyles.

Strategy

2.1. Ensure County guidelines, zoning regulations, and design standards encourage a compact, walkable development pattern in areas where pedestrian activity should be welcomed.

Action A. Develop and implement zoning regulations or design guidelines that support a compact, walkable development pattern in areas that are appropriate for pedestrian activity.

QD Policy 3: Provide diverse environments and experiences in all development.

Strategy 3.1. Ensure that context and development potential are considered by integrating uses with the natural environmental features of the site.

Actions A. Develop flexible guidelines, regulations, and design standards that support diverse environments and experiences.

B. Create incentives to ensure a mix of environments and experiences within a development.

C. Use a design process that integrates natural environmental features into the development.

D. Incorporate the Loudoun Equity Action Plan (2025) into a review of the General Plan to ensure the General Plan provides diverse and equitable experiences and environments.

QD Policy 4: When appropriate for the Place Type, design spaces to maximize pedestrian, bicyclist, and other multimodal activity, comfort, and convenience.

Strategy 4.1. Development must ensure pedestrian and bicyclist connectivity and safety in areas appropriate for multi-modal activity while pursuing high-quality design to include establishing easements and right of ways.

Actions A. Create guidelines, zoning regulations, and/or design standards that ensure bike lanes, shared spaces, and paths of travel are created in areas where multimodal activity should be encouraged.

B. Create guidelines, zoning regulations, and/or design standards that ensure traffic calming designs.

QD Policy 5: Ensure greater interaction between activity inside buildings and the public realm where appropriate to the Place Type.

Strategy 5.1. Ensure that design emphasizes the quality of the pedestrian experience in public spaces within mixed use developments and residential communities.

Action A. Develop design guidelines, zoning regulations and/or design standards, and additional design elements that contribute to the quality of the human experience in the built environment.

QD Policy 6: Within mixed use developments and residential communities, promote high-quality design and a mix of uses to encourage activity and longer stays in spaces, in order to create vibrant areas and a sense of place.

Strategy 6.1. Ensure the development of inviting public spaces that encourage longer stays and increase the vibrancy of the area, such as public/civic gathering spaces, outdoor rooms, public art spaces, and passive/active recreation spaces.

Action A. Create guidelines that address public seating, art, landscaping, outdoor rooms, safety, and other innovative elements that can maximize opportunities for the public.

B. Create guidelines that ensure public spaces are universally accessible and safe from potential hazards.

QD Policy 7: Ensure high quality development where the natural and built environment contribute to an area's "sense of place."

Strategy 7.1. Ensure the place types complement the current built and natural environment of the County, while fulfilling the land use patterns and community characteristics envisioned for each policy area.

Actions A. The density or development potential of a place type designated for a site will be defined by gross area of the site. Development potential can be transferred within a project to protect natural and cultural features and to meet the design objectives of the place type.

B. Structured parking and open space areas are not included within the floor area ratio of a site when assessing it by the designated place type.

C. The open space requirement for each respective place type will be measured as a percentage of gross area.

D. The three use lists of a place type are a guide where: core uses are most prevalent in the place type, complementary uses support the core uses, and conditional uses are to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

E. Follow the preferred mix of uses for each place type which is an approximate amount that would be needed to achieve the full intent of the place type. Allow the use mix of a development to differ from the preferred ranges noted in the place type, when street and open space network, project size, surrounding context or other factor supports flexibility to achieve the development objectives of the Plan.

F. When evaluating building height, consider compatibility of surrounding development, exisiting and approved, as well as setbacks and sightlines.

G. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to implement place types. It may be necessary to utilize incentive provisions in order to achieve the maximum development intensity or residential density stated in this Plan for any individual place type.

H. Within the Urban Policy Area, projects less than 3.5 acres in size will not be strictly held to the use mix specified for that place type if the effect of a proposed development is to shift the use mix for an area within ¼ mile of its boundaries closer to the preferred mix for the place type. Such projects will be evaluated by IR Policy 3, Strategy 3.1.

I. Within the Suburban Policy Area, projects less than 10 acres in size will not be strictly held to the use mix specified for that place type if the effect of a proposed development is to shift the use mix for an area within ½ mile of its boundaries closer to the preferred mix for the place type. Such projects will be evaluated by IR Policy 3, Strategy 3.1.

J. Infill developments greater than five acres with a residential component that exceeds 90 percent of the overall use mix will be evaluated by SPA Policy 2, Strategy 2.1 Action K.

Strategy 7.2. Consider allowing interim uses that contribute to the community and are planned to efficiently and easily evolve to more intense uses called for by the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, when market forces support additional development.

Actions A. Ensure interim development uses, design, locations, ownership, or intensities are not a deterrent or barrier to implementing the long-term community vision for Loudoun County, as well as the policies and objectives of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

B. Require projects that are proposing a phased development program or an interim use to commit to a plan that achieves the ultimate development of the site, consistent with the intent of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

C. Require development proposals for interim uses to design and build infrastructure, buildings, parking lots, and parks and landscaped areas to support the ultimate, higher density development.

D. Determine acceptability of interim development phases and land uses against:

i. Location, site constraints, relationship to surrounding uses, ii. How well the interim use complements and supports community life and activity of the surrounding development, and iii. How well the project retains the capacity to achieve the ultimate development pattern and meet the policies and objectives of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

E. Encourage development in its ultimate condition to rely on structured parking but consider a mix of structured parking, on-street parking, and surface parking as an interim land use.

QD Policy 8: Development should utilize universal design principles to increase functionality, usefulness, and marketability to persons with diverse abilities.

Strategy

8.1. Promote equitable access to streets, sidewalks, public and private buildings, civic spaces, and transportation facilities.

Actions

A. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to require the provision of continuous, accessible, step-free paths of travel throughout new employment, retail, and mixed use development proposals. B. Amend zoning regulations and design standards to incorporate accessible and inclusive design features into public and civic spaces such as community centers, parks, plazas, and playgrounds. C. When reviewing new proposals, favor accessibility features that encourage universality of access and utility as seamlessly as possible. D. Review and revise county sign regulations to facilitate signage and way-finding at appropriate heights that incorporate Braille, tactile markings, and other accessibility improvements.

Strategy

8.2. Promote the use of universal design features at the site and building level.

Actions

A. Encorage universal design features into all residential development. B. Incentivize the use of design mechanisms that ensure universal functionality within new construction. C. Examine the feasibility of establishing a technical and financial assistance program that assists property owners and tenants of older structures in removing impediments to accessibility and incorporating universal design elements into renovation projects.

Infill and Redevelopment

Vision

A community where careful public investment in services, facilities, and growth management can maintain neighborhood vitality; reinvest in underused areas; and facilitate complete, connected, and distinct communities.

Introduction

Loudoun County is a maturing community. For the last several decades, the approach to planning and zoning focused on managing and directing rapid suburban growth to primarily undeveloped land, or greenfields, in eastern Loudoun County – areas designated for growth in the Revised General Plan. Today, much of the Suburban Policy Area (SPA) has been developed and there is a limited supply of land remaining for new greenfield development, creating new planning challenges and opportunities in this area.

Some existing neighborhoods, commercial developments, and employment centers are aging or underutilized, and thus vulnerable to disinvestment and decline. Other newer developments that never realized their full commercial potential present additional opportunities for redevelopment. As these maturing commercial centers and neighborhoods evolve over the next two decades, the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) seeks to ensure that they do so in a way that meets the County’s long-term land use, housing, economic development, and public infrastructure goals.

This section focuses on several interrelated concepts that are integral to successful projects and initiatives in previously developed areas: redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse. Table 1 provides a definition of each of these terms, the intent and goals of each, and the kinds of locations in the County where their use may be most appropriate. These are not mutually exclusive concepts, and a project or initiative may include elements of one or more of them. Generally speaking, redevelopment describes the conversion of any existing developed property into other uses or a different intensity of use. Adaptive reuse is a form of redevelopment that repurposes existing, oftentimes obsolescent or historically significant structures for new uses. Infill refers to the development of substantially undeveloped or underutilized properties that exist in otherwise built areas with existing or planned infrastructure and service capacity to handle more intensive land uses. Although not a form of redevelopment by definition, infill may be coordinated with redevelopment projects to better realize the planning vision for a particular area, sometimes as a part of a larger investment program. Redevelopment aims to encourage new vitality and economic activity in a community.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Table 1. Infill and Redevelopment Terms and Concepts

The Loudoun County 2019 General Plan's (General Plan) planning approach reflects a greater emphasis on redevelopment of aging areas, infill for the few remaining undeveloped parcels, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings, complemented with investment as needed. These types of development bring unique challenges and opportunities inherently different from greenfield development. The policies and implementation steps of this section are intended to support these development types.

CHAPTER 2-18

Opportunities

With redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse come opportunities. Redevelopment offers communities the opportunity to reimagine underutilized or underperforming sites to create unique places and provide amenities desired by residents. Other redevelopment projects may maximize commercial potential, increasing neighborhood commerce and enhancing property values. Infill can maximize the use of public investments and existing infrastructure, create opportunities to achieve more cohesive development patterns, encourage reinvestment, and better connect neighboring developments. Adaptive reuse projects can support historic preservation goals, generate activity within vacant buildings and underutilized areas, and preserve iconic or prominent buildings exemplifying community character while maintaining compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. Adaptive reuse, infill and redevelopment also can provide opportunities to diversify housing stock. These projects can upgrade or retrofit older or substandard infrastructure for the site and surrounding area, which generally increases the value of a property and contributions to the tax base.

Emerging Issues

Most of Loudoun County’s suburban development is relatively new, but as Loudoun’s communities continue to age, County policies and initiatives to support and enhance these neighborhoods and commercial centers will be increasingly important.

The Potomac and Sterling communities are two of the oldest and most diverse communities in Loudoun County. With neighborhood development beginning in the 1960s, the communities are mostly built-out. Housing stock has been in place for approximately 50 years and a need for investment has emerged. The 2007 recession also significantly affected Potomac and Sterling. The largest concentration of foreclosures and subsequent vacancies in the County occurred in these communities, compounding the area’s challenges.

Recognizing the need for investment in Potomac and Sterling, the Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning undertook a community outreach project in 2008. During the outreach, residents identified needs and desires to help encourage investment within areas of the community. Community members expressed concerns that poor neighborhood maintenance created blight conditions and contributed to an increase in crime. Furthermore, residents worried that their neighborhoods lacked law enforcement personnel, neighborhood volunteer watch groups, and teen programming. The General Plan’s more flexible, incentive-based regulatory approach is intended to encourage private interests to undertake a range of context-sensitive redevelopment, and infill, projects with support from County programs and targeted planning and community outreach efforts.

In recent years, Loudoun County undertook certain recommendations originating from the Potomac and Sterling community outreach project. To address the foreclosure issue and the deterioration of housing, the County made considerable investment of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), tax dollars, and Neighborhood Stabilization funds; provided grants to non-profit housing providers to purchase and renovate homes to sell to low and moderate income families; and provided direct loans and grants to qualified residents through several programs. The

County also revised the Zoning Ordinance to address community aesthetics, began proactive code enforcement, and established a full service Eastern Loudoun Sheriff’s Substation in Sterling Park.

As other neighborhoods continue to mature, the County will look to emulate and improve upon past public engagement efforts and collaborative planning solutions. It is important, however, that the County considers the diverse needs, desires, and vision of each affected area. Some smaller scale projects, such as incorporating a mix of residential and new retail uses into a declining strip commercial center, may be appropriately handled through the rezoning process, which provides for public hearings before the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission. Larger scale infill or redevelopment projects that are likely to displace large numbers of business or residential tenants may warrant a more in-depth, collaborative public input process. The Policies, Strategies, and Actions of this section are intended to clarify the County’s interest in adaptive reuse, infill and redevelopment and the planning tools and processes available to encourage and shape these efforts.

Challenges

Redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects may also face or present different challenges than greenfield developments, including:

• Land development regulations that are generally designed to guide greenfield development and lack the flexibility needed to facilitate redevelopment, adaptive reuse, or infill projects.
• Redevelopment sites and adaptive reuse projects may require infrastructure improvements and experience other fiscal challenges that result in costlier projects than greenfield development.
• Sites that are often owned or leased by multiple entities, making it difficult to craft a unified vision and project.
• Potential opposition from the community for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects.
• Redevelopment projects that may displace populations because market-provided attainable housing is demolished or rents and property taxes increase due to the new development.
• Redevelopment projects that may displace established employment uses, adversely affecting the diversity of the County’s commercial tax base.

Considering the complexity of challenges related to these projects, developing a community vision that anticipates redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects is critical. The County should take a leading role in developing this community vision by identifying and prioritizing areas that would benefit from redevelopment, and by conducting proactive planning efforts to establish this vision. In addition, Loudoun County should require developers to consider and include community input for significant infill and redevelopment projects, especially those that are most likely to displace established residents and tenants. A community vision endorsed by the locality provides assurances to both developers and the community. It also identifies the locality’s role in advancing such projects.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

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Addison McDonald residential development is an example of infill in Brambleton. Two parcels, each originally with a residence, and totaling approximately 7 acres were developed with 39 townhouses surrounding a village green.

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Lucketts Community Center. Loudoun County has adaptively reused several historic schools for community centers in rural villages, providing gathering places while protecting iconic buildings and community character.

Redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse, projects within the County should result in great places that complement, strengthen, and benefit surrounding communities. Such projects should enhance the quality of life and help build a strong sense of community, where people feel connected to each other and to places that are expressions of community character. The following Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the General Plan will foster this vision of compatible infill development within existing neighborhoods, and quality redevelopment of aging or underutilized commercial and employment areas. They encourage efficient use of land and maximizing the use of existing infrastructure, public facilities, and community amenities, while benefiting established communities and alleviating development pressure outside of planned growth areas.

CHAPTER 2-21

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply countywide.

IR Policy 1: Ensure redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects will enhance quality of life and neighborhood character, fulfill community needs, and improve economic opportunities.

Strategy

1.1. Where infill, and/or redevelopment, initiatives could affect established neighborhoods, facilitate community engagement to address County and community concerns and build support for future projects.

Actions

A. Develop criteria to identify and prioritize areas for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse, with the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map serving as the source for initial areas of focus.

B. Create a common vision and objectives for areas identified for redevelopment, infill development, and/or adaptive reuse, through a public process.

C. Address redevelopment, infill, and/or adaptive reuse, as part of community plans. Pay particular attention to a community’s historic assets and function in areas with under recognized historic resources or limited historic resources protections, such as the legacy village cores of Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling (see Legacy Village Cores Map).

D. Identify methods for ensuring developers will follow through on commitments to communities that are products of a facilitated engagement process between the developer and the surrounding neighborhoods and developments.

E. Evaluate the creation of infill overlay districts to encourage flexibility for residential and non-residential projects in priority/targeted areas.

Strategy

1.2. Support projects that provide community amenities, fulfill community needs, and benefit the surrounding communities.

Actions

A. Conduct analysis of local market demands to determine what is needed to foster successful redevelopment.

B. Identify priority redevelopment areas and targeted strategies through the community planning process.

C. Ensure residential and mixed-use projects increase and diversify housing opportunities when in conformance with other Plan policies.

D. Require redevelopment projects to replace, at a minimum, market-provided attainable units lost through a redevelopment process.

E. Develop strategies to address housing attainability and displacement prevention – or mitigation when unavoidable – during redevelopment projects.

F. Require the provision of comparable community amenities to any lost through a redevelopment process.

G. Encourage annexation of residential projects into adjoining homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to make the provision of amenities more economical.

H. Develop criteria, such as site constraints, important resources, and community amenity gaps, to identify infill sites appropriate for use as park, civic, and open space rather than private development.

I. Promote the development of interim uses on underutilized properties that are compatible with the surrounding development pattern, such as community gardens, playgrounds, park-and-ride lots, and farmer’s markets

Strategy 1.3. Enhance established residential communities.

Actions A. Identify and prioritize neighborhoods with an emerging need for investment and work with these communities to identify needs and desires and build support for reinvestment.

B. Identify strategies to preserve and enhance a community’s sense of place, social fabric, and historic assets and functions.

C. Identify, and include in the Capital Budget, capital facilities improvements necessary to support investment in targeted areas.

D. Identify and utilize funding sources for community reinvestment strategies.

E. Educate the community about funding sources for home improvement and repair.

F. Facilitate the provision of community amenities, such as pedestrian/bicycle facilities, sidewalks, traffic calming, street lighting, bus stops, cultural centers, and community gathering places.

G. Develop incentives that encourage the private sector to improve retail and commercial establishments in targeted areas.

H. Provide resources for community-based initiatives, such as neighborhood volunteer watch groups and teen programming.

Strategy 1.4. Facilitate redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects through technical assistance, an improved regulatory framework, and streamlined review processes.

Actions A. Provide general project guidance, such as best practices, tool kits, examples of “approvable” development types, and profiles of successful projects.

B. Develop and maintain a County redevelopment webpage with information and

resources on redevelopment activities.

C. Develop flexible zoning regulations and design standards that account for existing conditions, allow for creative design and emerging development types, and provide certainty and clear direction for developers.

D. Encourage the use of Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning Districts for infill sites smaller than 20 acres in the Urban and Suburban Policy Areas when a proposal needs more than five zoning modifications.

E. Develop creative incentive programs for projects located within the priority areas for redevelopment identified on the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map and other qualifying projects, such as increases in permitted density where infrastructure is available, reduced fees, or expedited review processes.

Strategy

1.5. Incentivize redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects, in priority areas to be established by the County, using the Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map to determine initial priority areas.

Actions

A. Evaluate and implement the use of fiscal tools to incentivize redevelopment, such as tax increment financing (TIF) and public improvement districts (PID) and attainable housing development loan programs.

B. Evaluate entering into public-private-partnerships to initiate redevelopment and adaptive reuse efforts and reduce development risks in priority areas.

C. Direct public investment and resources to priority areas to facilitate redevelopment.

D. Establish programs to assist in business retention, expansion, and recruitment when commercial redevelopment projects occur.

Strategy

1.6. Achieve unified site design, efficient use of existing infrastructure, and maximum land development potential through the consolidation of small, adjacent, underutilized properties.

Actions

A. Facilitate redevelopment of multi-ownership sites through a planning process that engages owners and the larger community in the creation of a shared vision for the area.

B. Create incentives for parcel assembly and funding opportunities for infrastructure improvements associated with redevelopment projects to alleviate private sector risk and costs.

C. Encourage road abandonment requests associated with a zoning map amendment or zoning concept plan amendment applications to provide additional attainable housing in exchange for the abandoned or vacated section of road, where deemed appropriate/applicable.

Strategy 1.7. Ensure that projects proposed for eastern Loudoun’s legacy village cores – including Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling – complement the scale, form, and historic land use patterns of these areas (see Legacy Village Cores Map).

Actions A. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that emulate existing lot patterns in the legacy village cores of Ashburn and Arcola with buildings oriented to the street, encouraging pedestrian activity. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that promote a mix of land uses including residential, retail, office, institutional, public facilities, parks, playgrounds and other uses in the legacy village cores where such uses do not otherwise conflict with existing uses or anticipated noise impacts from Washington Dulles International Airport. C. Develop or maintain zoning regulations and design standards for the legacy village core of Ashburn that limit residential densities to four (4) units or fewer per acre. D. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that limit commercial, flex, or industrial building footprints to 10,000 square feet (SF) and building heights to three (3) stories. E. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that discourage new automobile-oriented retail uses in the legacy village cores. F. Where compatible with surrounding land uses, allow residential or mixed-use development in areas of the legacy village core of Arcola that fall outside the Ldn (day-night average noise level) 65 or higher aircraft noise impact area of Washington Dulles International Airport, applying the standards of the Suburban Neighborhood Place Type. G. Encourage residential development above first floor retail or employment uses in the village cores. H. Use the community planning process to develop a unified planning vision and targeted implementation actions for Ashburn, Arcola, and Old Sterling.

Strategy 1.8. Promote the retention or development of small-scale industrial, employment, and manufacturing uses in order to promote local provision of jobs and services and maintain a diversified commercial tax base.

Actions A. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that discourage the displacement of legacy flex, industrial, and employment uses by new large-scale uses. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that expand opportunities for small-scale manufacturing in place types allowing flex, light industrial, industrial, and employment uses. C. Amend zoning use definitions in industrial, flex, and employment-centered zoning

districts to accommodate makerspaces, emerging small-scale manufacturing sectors, and the marketing and retail of goods produced on-site.

D. Explore zoning changes that would support small business/entrepreneurial activities in infill projects.

IR Policy 2: Recognize adaptive reuse of existing unused or underutilized buildings as an opportunity to establish or reinforce a community’s identity and sense of place.

Strategy 2.1. Support adaptive reuse projects that provide cultural activities and community gathering places.

Actions A. Use the Heritage Preservation Plan to guide the adaptive reuse of historic resources. B. Establish collaborative programs and partnerships for adaptive reuse projects to foster entrepreneurship and encourage innovative ways to reuse buildings and sites and encourage housing as an adaptive reuse.

Strategy 2.2. Prioritize adaptive reuse of existing buildings with historic significance or importance to a community over demolition.

Action A. Consult with communities to ensure all unused or underutilized buildings representing their history and character are identified, protected, and adaptively reused.

Strategy 2.3. Revise County regulations to accommodate creative adaptive reuse designs.

Action A. Review zoning regulations, design standards, and building code regulations to identify regulatory encumbrances to adaptive reuse projects. B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards that provide ample flexibility for adaptive reuse projects without compromising the health, safety, or welfare of users.

IR Policy 3: Promote redevelopment and infill projects that balance compatibility and integration with new housing choices and creative designs.

Strategy 3.1. Redevelopment and infill projects will be evaluated based on compatibility and the integration of the development within the context of the surrounding development patterns.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Actions

A. Ensure redevelopment and infill is compatible with he surrounding development. As appropriate, elements of the Place Types should be incorporated to the fullest extent possible. B. Ensure residential development on infill sites is designed to fit into the surrounding context. C. Consider allowing development proposals seeking to be considered infill and requestion flexibility in terms of use mix and open space if all the following project elements are provided: 1. Proffered perspectives, drawing, and/or illustratives that demonstrates the proposed infill will be compativle with existing development. 2. Explanation of how the proposed infill will have minimal infrastructure impacts and is proximate to open space. 3. For proposed residential infill development, documentation of how the predominant and majority types of dwelling proposed will add to housing attainability and/or diversity. 4. For development to a use not envisioned by the Place Type in the General Plan, provision of market studies, appraisal data, vacancy data, and/or data regarding proximity to similar uses that demonstrate such a change is warranted.

CHAPTER 2-27

Urban Policy Areas

Vision

The Urban Policy Areas (UPA) will be the target area for much of Loudoun’s future growth in the immediate future. UPA communities will accommodate living, working, shopping, learning, and playing in dense urban environments of walkable mixed use and transit oriented development. These areas will possess high-quality public environments with accessible and connected places, and a rich mix of uses that establish a distinctive sense of place. UPA communities are envisioned to support development types, patterns, and densities that will create jobs, grow the tax base, and be fiscally sustainable.

Introduction

The new UPAs are planned and designed to be strong, diverse regional activity centers and economic drivers. As such, UPAs will provide new opportunities for regional employers to locate near complete urban communities with multiple transit options and access to Washington Dulles International Airport. The UPA has been in the making since the Toll Road Plan, with transit-oriented nodes and then building upon them in the Revised General Plan with Transit-Oriented Development areas in the Suburban Policy Area. The UPAs encompass areas around three Metrorail stations: Innovation Center (in Fairfax County), Loudoun Gateway, and Ashburn (for reference, see Urban Policy Areas Place Types map). The areas around the Metrorail Stations are envisioned as transit-oriented communities with a dense urban core consisting of the greatest intensity of development in the County. These areas emphasize mixed-use development throughout and are the highest priority growth areas in the County. Due to their current suburban nature, the process of transitioning these areas to walkable communities may involve partial infill and redevelopment as described in the Infill and Redevelopment section of this chapter.

The expansion of Metrorail service into Loudoun County presents an unprecedented opportunity to create dynamic urban places that respond to the community’s evolving needs and demands. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) integrates multimodal transit options with high quality urban and environmental design guidelines to shape livable, vibrant, and active UPA neighborhoods with a balance of business, commercial, and residential uses. The UPA communities will provide a variety of housing choices that offer diverse options for families, empty-nesters, individuals, couples without children, and older adults across socioeconomic groups, helping to provide the housing continuum described in Chapter 4. They will be communities that are rich in amenities including networks of publicly accessible green spaces, such as the Broad Run Stream Valley Park and Trail, that simultaneously protect valuable environmental resources.

Development Approach

The Loudoun County 2019 General Plan’s (General Plan) design policies and guidelines recognize that urban form is essential to creating places that are functional and attractive to a diversity of users. Urban design characteristics in the UPA speak to the design of individual structures and

spaces, the spatial relationship among structures, the relationship of buildings to the streetscape and other public places, and transitions between areas of differing densities or intensities. Building façades set at the back of the sidewalk and ground floor retail uses with transparent façades will help activate the streetscape. The guidelines also encourage the development of distinctive public places that promote culture and the arts. Street furniture, public art, water features, and distinctive landscaping will create visually appealing streetscapes that encourage street-level activity and public interaction.

All UPA communities will include transportation hubs that offer a wide array of transportation mode choices including walking, biking, driving, and transit. The UPA is a place where walking and bicycling can be convenient travel modes, diversity of use is nurtured, and public places are aesthetically pleasing, safe, and accessible. Attractive grid-form street networks will prevent traffic congestion, maximize travel choices, and safely and efficiently move individuals throughout the area. Small, tree-lined blocks will enhance the pedestrian experience and encourage non-vehicular travel. Contiguous, linear green spaces that accommodate both passive and active recreation will encourage alternative means of travel.

The Comprehensive Plan envisions a certain level of activity and intensity of development in the UPAs, which is necessary not only to create vibrant, viable transit-oriented communities, but also to protect their long-term tax revenue generation potential. Therefore, land uses that do not meet the minimum bulk and/or density guidelines envisioned in the UPA Place Types should be avoided. Interim uses may be appropriate, if it can be demonstrated that they will evolve to an ultimately desired use that aligns with the long-term vision of the General Plan.

The County's ongoing collaboration with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) regarding future land use planning around Washington Dulles International Airport’s northern border is essential to the success and economic viability of the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station. The County will continue its partnership with MWAA and explore mutually beneficial land use alternatives that realize greater tax revenue while supporting current and planned airport operations. This collaborative planning will ensure that the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station develops as a walkable place with job opportunities, amenities, pocket parks, transit options, and nearby housing that includes attainable housing without compromising Washington Dulles International Airport’s long-term viability.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the UPA.

UPA Policy 1: Ensure walkable development and connectivity to the community throughout the UPA to foster the urban character found in the Place Types.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.1. Development designed to provide for a walkable mixed-use environment that supports multi-modal transportation choices and fosters substantial pedestrian activity within the half-mile area and to surrounding areas.

A. Promote attainable housing opportunities within mixed-use developments located within walking distance of transit stops and Metro stations.

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<u>Strategy</u> 1.2. Support walkability by providing pedestrian and bicycle commuter connectivity to the core of the Metrorail stations and surrounding neighborhoods as well as enabling future connections from undeveloped parcels.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.3. Support a high level of pedestrian connectivity including connected street grid patterns with sidewalks, short block lengths, and connected trails and pathways providing connections to surrounding neighborhoods.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.4. The Ashburn and Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Stations will serve as transit and commuter hubs while providing an urban walkable environment. Development proposals provide a balance between the needs of commuters with the desire to create a walkable urban environment.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.5. Accommodate a long-term vision with an appropriate mix of residential and non- residential uses that fulfill daily needs and convenience of its residents and employees.

<u>Actions</u> A. Mixed-use neighborhoods should accommodate infrastructure plans for near-term and long-term transit circulator service.

B. Community facilities like schools, community centers, and libraries should be located to allow as many residents as possible to be within a short walking distance.

C. Larger developments should provide pedestrian access within their development and possible shuttles to connect to the Metrorail stations.

D. Offer safe and accessible parks and/or recreation opportunities that provide diverse activites for all ages, interests and abilities.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.6. Discourage single-story buildings in the UPA to promote compact, pedestrian-oriented spaces except when such buildings are integrated into a plaza or other public gathering space and are no larger than 2,000 square feet.

<u>Strategy</u> 1.7. Any drive-through retail uses are to be incorporated within mixed-use buildings.

UPA Policy 2: Provide dynamic and diverse public places and amenities within proposed UPA communities.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.1. Densities in the area are expected to sustain an urban development pattern with pedestrian activity.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.2. The County should promote concepts like outdoor dining, event space, street fairs, and public art within compact, walkable non-residential areas.

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<u>Action</u> A. Development design should accommodate walkable features and amenities like centralized activity areas such as shopping and dining areas with wide sidewalks, more narrow pedestrian-oriented streets, transit stops, and safe community gathering places (e.g., parks and plazas).

UPA Policy 3: Provide a diverse mix of choices in all development.

<u>Strategy</u> 3.1. Accommodate office developments and/or high-employment generating uses that conform to the overall vision for a walkable urban development pattern.

<u>Action</u> A. Create partnerships with universities and private sector companies to foster growth of an Innovation District at the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station that supports workers and students in the advanced technology and science industries.

<u>Strategy</u> 3.2. Ensure that development within a half-mile of the Loudoun Gateway Metrorail Station reflect the General Plan’s and station area’s long-term vision of a global destination, activity center, and leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Strategy 3.3. Accommodate diverse and attainable housing options in all development.

Action A. Achieve smaller average total unit sizes for dwellings within the UPA to decrease housing costs and increase diversity of housing options. B. Promote the development and/or inclusion of attainable housing through regulatory incentives that may include height increases, setback reductions, lot coverage increases, technical study waivers, buffer modifications, and/or parking reductions.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current high standard of development in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the UPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers, or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All legislative applications for development in the UPA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site plans, illustatives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the UPA Design Guidelines and planning principles in this document.

When using the guidelines, analysis is to be provided of the impact that a potential development may have on the landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations such as proximity to utilities, community amenities, jobs, and housing, in order to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and reduce travel distances. Development should contribute to creating places within the UPA by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, and reinforcing the compact walkable character, rather than simply attempting to place suburban design onto the urban landscape.

The goals of the UPA Design Guidelines are to:

• Promote accessibility and establish links to transit,
• Promote walkability,
• Encourage human activity between buildings and streets,
• Establish “human scale” of buildings at street level (first floor of a multi-story building),
• Create visually compatible buildings and site designs that use building form, materials, fenestration, repetition, rhythm, color, and architectural variety to foster the blending of form, volumes, textures, and colors in the various neighborhoods,
• Create inviting spaces for varied activities, and
• Create a sense of place and uniqueness.

(See Appendix A for Design Guidelines for the UPA)

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the UPA to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Loudoun County Urban Policy Areas Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

CHAPTER 2-34

Urban Transit Center

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Urban Transit Center areas take advantage of proximity to transit to provide opportunities for dense urban development and a host of economic, entertainment, and community activities. Each area serves as a gateway to the County from the greater region and as a major destination in its own right. The Urban Transit Center has two focus areas: within ¼ mile of the Metrorail station and ¼ mile outside. Development within a ¼ mile of the station will have smaller average unit sizes, a higher minimum FAR, and a more equal mix of residential and non-residential development. Multifamily Residential is the only residential use listed for this place type and is envisioned only as apartments and residential condominiums.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Vertically mixed-use buildings that are integrated in a walkable street pattern around the Metro station.

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An example plan view of Urban Transit Center

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Within ¼ Mile Total FAR: Minimum 2.0

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*Buildings must not adversely affect airport operations. Maximum building heights must not create flight obstructions or otherwise impede flight operations at Dulles Airport.

¼ Mile and outside Total FAR: Minimum 1.4

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*Buildings must not adversely affect airport operations. Maximum building heights must not create flight obstructions or otherwise impede flight operations at Dulles Airport.

Transition Given the small block sizes and mix of different uses, transitions between uses and developments are critically important in the Urban Transit Center Place Type. Development should transition from eight stories or more near the Metrorail station to six or more stories outside of ¼ mile. Development ¼ mile and outside of the station may have a lower FAR minimum and lower building height minimum when considered as a transition area between existing residential neighborhoods and sites proposed for redevelopment. Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height. Larger developments near smaller residential dwellings should step down appropriately to respect these neighbors.

Urban Mixed Use

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Urban Mixed Use areas take advantage of their fringe proximity to the Metro stations to provide opportunities for dense urban residential development with a mix of commercial uses. The Urban Mixed Use areas will develop as high-density walkable urban neighborhoods that encourage social connections because their mix of uses, multimodal infrastructure, and public spaces create vibrant public realms.

Urban Mixed Use areas provide opportunities for a mix of housing types that meet the housing needs for all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic groups. Multifamily dwellings, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, quadruplexes, and small-lot patio homes are designed to fit within or adjacent to a traditional single-family style neighborhood. Accessory residential units are also appropriate for the area and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. Development will have slightly larger average unit sizes than in the Urban Transit Center and a large amount of residential development. Small scale office, retail, and service uses should be integrated into the neighborhood.

Loudoun 2040 General Plan

This Place Type encompasses a wide array of commercial designs that create a unique sense of place and complement surrounding developments. Urban Mixed Use developments are oriented toward the street, and those with larger format retail commercial establishments should also include smaller commercial establishments without substantial surface parking lots. These developments should be designed to provide direct access to adjacent neighborhoods with which they blend seamlessly. Parking should be predominantly structured with accommodations for on-street parking and limited surface lots.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Vertically mixed use buildings as well as multi-story single-use buildings that are integrated in a walkable street pattern in the fringe of the Metro station area.

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An example plan view of Urban Mixed Use

CHAPTER 2-39

Loudoun 2040 General Plan

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Maximum 1.5*

*Additional density (up to 2.0 FAR) may be achieved through the provision of one or more of the following project elements that go above and beyond required development standards to further the County’s comprehensive planning goals: attainable housing units, building techniques that exceed industry energy efficiency standards, additional community amenities and pedestrian connections, and/or beneficial revitalization/redevelopment in priority areas.

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Transition Small block sizes and a mix of different uses make transitions between uses and developments important in the Urban Mixed Use Place Type. Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height. Larger developments near smaller residential dwellings should step down appropriately to respect these neighbors. Developments should transition from taller buildings at the center to heights generally no more than a story taller than adjoining adjacent development consisting of less intensive uses. The predominant residential use type is multi-family and single family attached; however, a very limited portion of the development within the Urban Mixed Use Place Type may be developed with small-lot single family detached residential as a transitional use between Place Types.

CHAPTER 2-40

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Urban Employment

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Urban Employment areas provide opportunities for a broad array of employment uses within an environment that provides gathering spaces and opportunities for synergies among businesses. These offer prime locations for office and flex space uses as well as startups and established businesses. Appropriate uses do not generate excessive noise or air pollutants or require outdoor storage. First floor retail that supports predominant uses is appropriate.

Parking should generally be located behind the building to ensure that buildings are the predominant visual feature when viewed from roadways and adjacent properties.

Although civic or recreation space is not expected, required open space in Urban Employment developments should include areas for use by customers and employees.

CHAPTER 2-41

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context: Separate and mixed employment uses that are integrated within a walkable, employment-based environment.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Min. 1.0

Building Height: 3 to 8 stories (Average height per story is 12 feet)

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Transition Transitions between Urban Employment uses and other developments, adjacent residential neighborhoods in particular, are vitally important. In Urban Employment areas that adjoin less intensive uses, building heights should transition by stepping down from the center of the more intensive development, to heights that are generally within one story of structures in the less intensive development.

Suburban Policy Area

Vision

The Suburban Policy Area (SPA) contains self-sustaining communities where one can live, work, learn, and play. The SPA will have a mix of residential, commercial, and employment uses; a full complement of public services and facilities; amenities that support a high quality of life; and a design that incorporates a holistic approach to maintaining and improving community character through compatible development.

Introduction

The 48,000-acre SPA is located in the easternmost portion of the County, in close proximity to the job centers and activity areas located east of Loudoun. The Suburban Policy Area is defined on the north by the Potomac River and on the south by Braddock Road. Its eastern edge is the Fairfax County line, and its western edge begins at the Potomac River and follows a southerly path along the Goose Creek just east of Leesburg, the Goose Creek and Beaverdam Reservoirs, and a combination of property lines, roads, and power line easements. The earliest planned development occurred within the Potomac and Sterling communities during the 1960s signaling the beginning of the transformation of eastern Loudoun County from farmland with a centuries old rural heritage to the suburban area that it is today.

The SPA is designated as one of the growth areas of the County and has accommodated most of the residential and commercial development over the past decades due to the presence of central water and sewer utilities and an expanded road network. Two major events helped to open the SPA to residential development: 1) the construction of Washington Dulles International Airport, and 2) the construction of a major sewer line that accommodated the airport and improvements to Route 7 and Route 28.

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Route 7 and Route 28 have evolved into critical transportation corridors that are contributing to Loudoun County’s reputation as an international center for technology, communications, and global data management sectors. Given its connection to the Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 28 continues to play a major economic role for Loudoun County as a key location for on-going development. The County is committed to the continuing growth of and need for an economically vibrant Route 28 corridor, and the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District, aids in accomplishing this goal by levying additional tax assessments on commercial and industrial properties to finance transportation improvements to Route 28. Additionally, the SPA surrounds the Urban Policy Area near the Silver Line Metro Stations that will include new dense, urban, transit-oriented types of development.

Background

The SPA consists of a mix of commercial areas and neighborhoods that provide a broad range of quality environments. The commercial areas of the SPA are focused areas for employment uses within a variety of commercial and workplace environments, including traditional office and industrial parks, mixed use centers, and neighborhood-serving commercial centers.

Residential neighborhoods in the eastern corner of the County were built between 1960 and 1990, while neighborhoods built in the western area of the SPA were built in the early 1990s or later. The older neighborhoods commonly reflect the housing styles and neighborhood designs that were prominent in the era they were developed and provide a more limited mix of housing types (primarily single-family) while relying on neighborhood commercial developments located on major roads like Route 7 for easy access to amenities. The master planned developments west of Route 28 include a variety of housing types organized around neighborhood centers designed as the focal point of the community and provide easy access to daily needs. Parks, greenways, and open space frame developments and link neighborhood residents to nature, neighborhood destinations, and beyond in both the western and eastern neighborhoods.

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Suburban Neighborhood

Development Approach

The County will focus efforts on fostering and maintaining community identity within the SPA and its communities. The SPA is not and should not be one homogenous area. Many existing neighborhoods in Eastern Loudoun are becoming increasingly diverse, bringing a new set of expectations and attitudes to these communities. As new development continues in this area, the roads are becoming increasingly congested, and the lack of transit access and safe pedestrian connections is a mounting concern. Housing affordability has become a challenge that impacts almost all socioeconomic levels. Continuing the County’s goal to create communities with unique community visions would help identify and strengthen the creation of distinct places within the SPA; ensure that they are well designed and serviced; and that they provide diverse and stimulating social, cultural, recreational, and livable environments for their residents. Policies below address ways to improve livability through: 1) protecting and enhancing elements of Natural, Environmental, and Heritage Resources, including open space and pedestrian connections; 2) ensuring compatible and complementary infill development; and 3) reinvesting in existing neighborhoods in a way that protects and enhances our existing communities. The concept of creating Community Plans is one that offers tremendous potential to ensure that the vision of the SPA is fully achieved and to guide the remaining build-out of each area.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Rapid growth in the County, with the majority occurring in the SPA, has increased development pressure outside of the SPA. Today there is little undeveloped land remaining in the SPA as most land has already been developed or is approved for development. With limited developable land in this area, the County is at a juncture in its planning efforts for greenfield development. Redevelopment and infill will soon begin to play an increasing role in development decisions within the SPA, which will mark a significant shift in the county’s planning and development activities (see the Infill and Redevelopment section). Because much of the SPA is currently developed, most new projects will be smaller in scope and need to be evaluated based on how they can be integrated into the surrounding community. The amount of limited land available and the added growth from redevelopment and infill will make adding public facilities to the SPA a challenge. Public facility standards may need to change to continue to adequately address the needs of the population. As the primary location for suburban-scale residential and nonresidential development, the manner of growth and redevelopment in the SPA is of vital importance.

The demographic, market and land use trends of the past decades have led to greater demand for mixed-use and urban environments. National trends show that changes in typical households (for example millennials, older adults, empty nesters) may demand different housing types, public services, and lifestyle options than provided in the past. To attract top talent, many employers are focusing on employee satisfaction, neighborhood livability, and housing affordability when considering locations and designs of office space. Employers in professional services, technology, and innovation sectors are shifting away from traditional suburban offices towards urban “live, work, learn, play” environments to enhance quality of life. While the County previously established an overall land-development strategy that encouraged compact, mixed-use development providing people with the opportunity to live, work, learn, recreate, and shop in a pedestrian-friendly environment, the development that has occurred in Loudoun has largely remained single-use and automobile-oriented.

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Loudoun County continues to be an attractive place for residential development given its geographic location in the region, school system performance, and notable quality of life measures. Demand for residential product will need to meet a wide variety of preferences, driven by attractiveness for families, young adults forming new households, and downsizing occurring in the Baby Boomer generation. Demand for non-residential development will be driven by the addition of new households, the County’s assets, infrastructure, and the County’s technology sector. Retail users will follow new residential development, seeking locations that offer accessibility and visibility to an expanding customer base. Other employers seeking office and industrial space will locate in areas that serve their target needs.

The County previously designated land along its primary transportation corridors for “Keynote Employment” areas to provide locations for corporate campus style office development; however, new suburban-style office developments are no longer envisioned in these areas due to declining demand and concerns about the sustainability of single-use development patterns.

Mixed-use developments are expected to be the most attractive environments for retail and office uses in the coming years. To provide alternative means of addressing office development and land uses along Route 7, Loudoun County Parkway, and Route 28, this Plan replaces the “Keynote Employment” planned land use designation with a number of designations. To continue to maximize the commercial development potential within the Route 28 corridor, the Suburban Employment and Suburban Mixed Use Place Type designations offer planned land uses that reflect the full economic potential of properties and provide employment settings that reflect the kind of environments sought by business users.

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Community Character

Community character is the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature and uniqueness of a community. It includes the constructed and natural landmarks and surroundings that cause someone to identify with a particular place or community. This character is shaped by natural, cultural, societal, historic, and economic forces.

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Changes in cloud computing and cutting edge technology over the past decades have contributed to the escalated development of data centers within the County. To date, there are approximately ninety-one million square feet of data center facilities completed, under construction, or planned. The projected rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), will prove to be significant to the growth of data centers. Future demand for data centers will need to be accommodated in places that have access to utilities, including electricity, water, and fiber. The supply of industrial and flex space is being outpaced by demand, resulting in low vacancy rates. As available greenfield sites in eastern Loudoun County become more limited, targeting key tracts of land for employment and housing uses will be critical to ensure future economic growth.

The Suburban Employment and Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction Place Type designations provide guidance to develop a pattern of office, commercial, and industrial uses by allocating sufficient land for all employment in an amount which realistically anticipates market demands and provides the necessary services to support their development. While industrial and certain commercial uses are not typically an integral part of a mixed-use development, they offer employment opportunities to residents of the County and should be designed as independent developments that achieve the goal of thriving areas of commerce which are characterized

by convenient access to transportation, an attractive appearance, and compatibility with adjacent land uses.

Overall, the County's approach is to ensure that future development is complementary to the existing development pattern of the SPA while supporting the necessary flexibility in form and use that will be needed to create vibrant mixed-use environments and maintain the supporting employment areas. As each new development is absorbed into the SPA's built environment, it will be viewed in the context of the larger community with an emphasis placed on the character of the development and how it contributes to the needs and overall identity of the SPA and Loudoun County. Consideration will need to be given to infrastructure and housing needs as the employment sector and workforce grows.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the SPA.

SPA Policy 1: Foster community identity within the Suburban Policy Area.

Strategy

1.1. Create new Community Plans and other appropriate plans that address the particular needs and guide the remaining build-out, and/or redevelopment of specific areas within the Suburban Policy Area, particularly federally designated Opportunity Zones.

Actions

A. Establish design principles for individual communities within the Suburban Policy Area which ensure a high quality of development and redevelopment is achieved.

B. Ensure development and redevelopment proposals conform to the applicable Design Guidelines of this plan.

C. Use the Infill and Redevelopment polices to maintain neighborhood vitality, reinvest in underused areas, and facilitate complete, connected, and distinct communities.

D. Identify and protect environmental features and design developments to follow, to the extent possible, the natural topography.

E. Promote a natural, environmental, and heritage resources approach to residential and commercial place types.

Strategy

1.2. Integrate new development within the Suburban Policy Area with the existing development pattern that surrounds it.

Action

A. Evaluate the appropriateness of a proposed use or development with the surrounding community.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

<u>Strategy</u> 1.3. Design and develop Suburban Policy Area communities as walkable and interconnected places. <u>Actions</u> A. The County, in collaboration with other governmental agencies and the private sector, will ensure through a variety of measures that all public spaces in residential and commercial areas are accessible by pedestrians.

B. Retail and office development proposals will combine open and civic space in features such as pedestrian promenades and plazas, public art, entrance features, linear parks and trails, outdoor seating, lawns and greens, and similar design features that invite pedestrian activity.

C. Offer safe and accessible parks and/or recreation opportunities that provide diverse activities for all ages, interest and abilities.

D. Require convenient access by foot and bicycle for residential, office, institutional, civic, and retail areas. Areas including light and heavy industrial uses will be evaluated on the appropriateness of access by foot and bicycle due to security and/or public safety issues.

E. The 2019 CTP provides additional transportation policy direction for the transportation network (walkability, multimodal, connectivity) in the Suburban Policy Area.

SPA Policy 2: Create environments where individuals can work, live, learn, and have convenient access to services, shops, and recreation.

<u>Strategy</u> 2.1. Allow a mix of uses or uses that complement and complete existing communities. <u>Actions</u> A. Provide incentives for redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse projects that will enhance quality of life and neighborhood character, fulfill community needs, increase housing attainablility and diversity, and improve economic opportunities (see Infill and Redevelopment section).

B. Explore zoning, policy changes and other potential resources to support the conversion of uses from office or commercial to multifamily attached residential in target areas.

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C. Allow new multi-family dwelling units to be located within existing commercial centers to allow for more walkable, mixed use communities.

D. Promote residential and office uses above first floor retail.

E. Allow flexibility in the development phasing for mixed-use projects while establishing a build-out relationship between the residential and non-residential components that ensures a mix of uses is achieved and to best balance the fiscal costs and benefits of the project.

F. Promote high quality site and building design, landscape design and buffering in employment areas that reflect their function as a gateway to the Urban Policy Areas and location along major vehicular thoroughfares (see Quality Development section).

G. Accommodate transit infrastructure in Employment and Mixed Use Areas (see 2019 CTP).

H. Provide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to surrounding networks and transit nodes within employment areas.

I. Create a regulatory framework that limits bed count and/or square footage of new housing to achieve affordability by design.

J. Encourage the provision of attainable housing options.

K. Consider allowing limited areas of 20 acres or less otherwise designated as the Suburban Neighborhood or Suburban Mixed Use place type to develop according to the Suburban Compact Neighborhood place type if the following criteria are satisfied:

i. The proposal includes housing units that address unmet housing needs that exceed the applicable regulatory requirements in accordance with the following:
    * Provide 13.75% of multifamily dwellings or 17.5% of single family dwellings as Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs)[^p49-1]
    * OR
    * meets Zoning Ordinance Chapter 9 requirements for the provision of ADUs and also provides 5% of the total dwellings to serve households at 70-100% Area Median Income (AMI) or 2% of total dwelling to serve households at 0-30% AMI.

ii. The project site is within ¼ mile pedestrian travel distance via sidewalk or shared use trail, that complies with the street lighting standards of the Facilities Standards Manual (FSM) even in areas where FSM standards are not required to be met, of one of the following:
    * An existing Metrorail station, or

• A planned bus stop,¹ or
• an existing or planned bus route or metro corridor, as defined in the 2019 CTP and the proposal includes commitments for a transit stop.

iii. The project site is within ½ pedestrian travel distance via sidewalk or shared use trail that complies with the street lighting standards of the FSM even in areas where FSM standards are not required to be met to a complementary mix of uses (e.g., neighborhood serving retail and services);²

The complementary mis of uses should include a full-service grocery store and a pharmacy, either stand-alone or within the grocery store, and many include other retail and commercial uses that fulfill the routine needs of the proposal (e.g. restaurants and coffee shops, retail stores, dry cleaners, childcare centers, health clinics, etc.)

iv. The project site is proximate to public facilities with existing or planned capacity to serve the proposed development as shown by the following:

• Park, libraries and/or other public gathering spaces that are demonstrated to be easily accessible via public transit; or
• The proposal includes commitments to dedicating public park space and/or specific public/civic uses (e.g. libraries, community spaces, and/or other indoor public gathering spaces)

v. The proposal conforms to the transition techniques and guidelines of the originally designated place type and any adjacent place types; and

vi. The proposal demonstrates quality development that may include:

• Building and design techniques that in a perceived density that complements the scale of the surrounding built environment.
• Provision of “missing middle” housing units (e.g. duplex, triplex, quadruplex buildings) or live-work units;
• Incorporation of universal design features into dwelling and site design (QD Policy 8) as standard features;³

SPA Policy 3: Support the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District, established by the State as a means of providing additional local revenue to pay for improvements to Route 28.

Strategy 3.1. Ensure protection of the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District as an important economic key of attracting major national and international corporations, and ensuring the long-term viability of Washington Dulles International Airport.

Actions A. Encourage non-residential development within the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District. B. Limit residential development in the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District except when allowing residential units will directly catalyze the commercial development potential of land in the District and result in an overall positive fiscal impact to the County’s Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District debt obligations. C. Consider residential development on a case by case basis that results in a net positive impact to the County D. Establish an “opt-in” period to encourage owners of property in the Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District to opt into the updated/new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance that is planned to be adopted to implement the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current development patterns in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The design guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the SPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All legislative applications for development in the SPA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site layouts, illustratives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the SPA Design Guidelines and planning principles in this document.

When using the guidelines make sure to analyze the impact a potential development may have on the urbanizing landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations - such as proximity and quality of connections to community amenities, jobs, and housing to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and limit travel distances. The County encourages the use of a design process when planning development in the SPA that conserves natural, environmental, and heritage resources and incorporates any such features into the site design. Development should

contribute to creating unique places within the Suburban Policy Area by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, and reinforcing the regional character. Sustainability requires maximum consideration for using the landscape for benefits like solar heat gain or shelter from wind, as well as building designs that incorporate energy efficient and green building technologies. The bulk of the design should be consistent with the function of the development. (See Appendix A for Development Criteria and Design Guidelines for the SPA)

The goals of the SPA Design Guidelines are to:

• Create visually interesting and compatible buildings and site designs that use building forms, materials, fenstration, repetition, rhythm, color, and architectural variety resulting in blends of form, volumes, textures, and colors in the various neighborhoods;
• Create inviting spaces for varied activity; and
• Create a sense of place and uniqueness.

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the SPA to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Loudoun County Suburban Policy Area Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Extended Runway Centerline Airport Runways Policy Areas Airport Parks & Recreation

Place Types SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL SUBURBAN COMPACT NEIGHBORHOOD SUBURBAN EMPLOYMENT SUBURBAN INDUSTRIAL/MINERAL EXTRACTION SUBURBAN MIXED USE SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 0.5 1 2 3 4 Miles

Map Number 2025-105

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Suburban Neighborhood

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Suburban Neighborhood areas include Loudoun’s master planned neighborhoods of predominantly residential uses arranged on medium-to-large lots. Accessory residential units can be appropriate for the area and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. Retail and service uses that serve the routine shopping needs of the immediate neighborhood (e.g., grocery stores, gas stations, drive-throughs, drycleaners, etc.) should be integrated into the area at significant intersections and along major roads.

Limited areas otherwise designated as Suburban Neighborhood on the Place Type map may be allowed to develop according to the Suburban Compact Neighborhood Place Type if the locational and design criteria of SPA Action 2.1.K are satisfied.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Primarily single family detached and attached residential uses that are integrated in a walkable street pattern.

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An example plan view of a Suburban Neighborhood

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 4 du/ac; Up to 6 du/ac for infill development Non-Residential FAR: Up to 1.0 Building Height: Up to 4 Stories (Average height of 12-15 feet per story)

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Transition Transitions should be gradual, particularly where natural or man-made buffers are not available. New developments within Suburban Neighborhood areas adjacent to lower-density residential uses should create transitions in building scale and incorporate design elements that soften those transitions. Higher-density residential development can serve as a transitional land use between nonresidential uses and lower-density residential areas. Appropriate transitional techniques include variations in building orientation, height step down, and creative and extensive use of landscaping and natural features. Fencing or other barriers should not be used as the sole means of screening and buffering.

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Suburban Compact Neighborhood

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Suburban Compact Neighborhood areas provide opportunities to develop neighborhoods that can take advantage of small infill parcels near traditional suburban neighborhoods with proposed medium density residential uses or proposed high-density residential uses near walkable urban neighborhoods, depending on the context of their location. They provide opportunities for a mix of housing types including small-lot patio homes, townhomes, duplexes, and multifamily residences. Accessory residential units are also appropriate for these areas and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. Open space areas such as parks, trails, community courtyards, and small public plazas should be integrated into individual developments. Small-scale offices as well as retail and service uses serving the immediate or routine shopping needs of the immediate neighborhood (e.g., grocery stores, drycleaners, etc.) could be integrated into these neighborhoods. Auto-oriented uses, such as gas stations, car washes, and drive-throughs, would be located along streets primarily designed for the automobile. Development within this Place Type should include a public and civic component or be located within walking distance of public and civic amenities.

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DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Compact residential development providing opportunities for a variety of dwelling unit types that should be designed to fit within or adjacent to surrounding neighborhoods and the surrounding density.

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An example plan view of a Suburban Compact Neighborhood

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: 8-24 du/ac (parcels adjacent to Suburban Neighborhood anticipated at 8-12 du/ac) Building Height: Up to 4 stories (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet) Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 1.0

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Transition Appropriate transitional methods should be implemented where new development abuts more intensive nonresidential uses or less intensive residential uses. New high-density residential uses and large-scale infill within Suburban Compact Neighborhood areas adjacent to medium density residential uses should create transitions in building scale and incorporate design elements that soften those transitions. Appropriate transitional techniques include variations in building orientation, height step-down, and creative and extensive use of landscaping and natural features.

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Suburban Mixed Use

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Suburban Mixed Use areas provide compact, pedestrian-oriented environments with opportunities for a mix of residential, commercial, entertainment, cultural, and recreational amenities. Although this area provides for residential uses, commercial and entertainment uses are the primary draw to the mixed-use center. Some areas within Suburban Mixed Use will not include a residential component, but will rather provide opportunities for non-residential uses that support the surrounding adjacent neighborhoods or provide a transition between larger mixed use developments that contain residential uses.

Reducing the distance between home, work, and entertainment/retail destinations, Suburban Mixed Use areas serve as logical locations for transit stops. Accessory residential units are also appropriate for the area and may consist of apartments in the principal structure, garage apartments, or other outbuildings approved by the County. In such specialized designs, office and residential parking structures, gas stations, car washes, drive-throughs, and other auto-related functions would be located along streets primarily designed for the automobile. Office, multifamily buildings and store entrances would be located along streets designed primarily for pedestrians.

Over time, existing commercial developments within Suburban Mixed Use areas should be redeveloped with a vertically integrated mix of uses on the site. Multi-family residential can also be introduced into the design of existing suburban-style commercial developments as an initial step toward creating vibrant, walkable mixed-use communities. Limited areas otherwise designated as Suburban Mixed Use on the Place Type map may be allowed to develop according to the Suburban Compact Neighborhood Place Type if the locational and design criteria of SPA Action 2.1.I are satisfied.

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context

A mix of uses, which may be provided through mixed-use buildings and multi-story single-use buildings that may be integrated in a walkable street pattern.

Street Pattern: Rectilinear, Gridiron, Linear Block Length: 200-660 feet Building Setback: Shallow setbacks at sidewalks Parking: On-street, accessory, short-term, alley-oriented, structured, surface Design Amenities: Sidewalks, street trees, street furniture, shade trees, bike racks, lighting, crosswalks, plazas, pedestrian malls, network of green space, public art Retail and Service: Single-story individual retail buildings shall not be permitted greater than 2,000 square feet and must be integrated into the compact, pedestrian-oriented environment. Drive-through retail uses shall be incorporated within mixed-use buildings.

Neighborhood (allowed only within Single Family residential areas) – single-story individual uses under 5,000 or small center up to 30,000 square feet Open Space: 10% of the site-Recreational (passive and active), Community, Public and Civic, and/or Natural, Environmental, and Heritage

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An example plan view of Suburban Mixed Use

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Up to 1.0* Building Height: Up to 5 stories (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet)

• Additional density (up to 1.5 FAR) may be achieved through the provision of one or more of the following project elements that go above and beyond required development standards to further the County’s comprehensive planning goals: attainable housing units, building techniques that exceed industry efficiency standards, additional community amenities and pedestrian connections, and/or beneficial revitalization/redevelopment in priority areas.

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Transition Small block sizes and a mix of different uses make transitions between uses and developments important in the Suburban Mixed Use Place Type. Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height if possible. Larger developments near smaller residential dwellings should step down appropriately to respect these neighbors. Developments should be transitioned from taller buildings at the center to heights generally no more than a story taller than adjoining adjacent development consisting of less intensive uses. The predominant residential use type is multifamily; however, a very limited portion of the development within the Suburban Mixed Use Place Type may be developed with small-lot single family residential as a transitional use between Place Types.

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Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Suburban Commercial

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Suburban Commercial developments provide opportunities for larger format retail commercial establishments and smaller commercial establishments within a “main street” style environment. These developments should be designed to provide access to adjacent neighborhoods and to patrons living in the larger Loudoun community. Generally, these areas tend to be located next to major roads or existing residential neighborhoods. The predominant uses are community-serving retail commercial and “big box” commercial. This place type encompasses a wide array of commercial designs.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context

It is desirable for buildings in this place type to be organized to create a pedestrian-friendly streetscape with building frontages and landscaping strategically place so that parking is not the predominant feature. Big box retail uses and pad sites should be integrated into the design of the

CHAPTER 2-64

site through the use of similar architectural elements, varying block sizes, parking and landscaping. Structures in Suburban Commercial areas should be compatible in size, roof type/pitch, architecture, and lot coverage with the surrounding residential uses.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Up to 1.0 $\quad$ Building Height: Up to 5 stories (Average height per story: 15-20 feet)

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Transition Changes in height or building character, where allowed, should occur mid-block to promote balanced streetwalls where both sides of the street appear similar in height if possible. Developments should be transitioned from taller buildings at the center to heights generally no more than a story taller than adjoining adjacent development consisting of less intensive uses.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Suburban Employment

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Suburban Employment areas provide opportunities for a broad array of employment uses within an environment that provides gathering spaces and opportunities for synergies among businesses. These offer prime locations for office, production, flex space, and warehousing uses as well as startups and established businesses. Appropriate uses do not generate excessive noise or air pollutants or require outdoor storage. Limited first floor retail that supports predominant uses is appropriate.

Parking should generally be located behind the building to ensure the buildings are the predominant feature when viewed from roadways and adjacent properties. Although civic or recreation space is not expected, required open space in Suburban Employment developments should include areas for use by customers and employees. The adaptive reuse or conversion of existing office uses to multifamily attached residential uses may be appropriate, on a case by cases basis.

For secure employment campuses, deviations from the applicable base design standards may be considered on case-by-case basis in order to accommodate security elements such as greater building setbacks, secured perimeters, or controlled site access.

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DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context: Separate employment uses that are integrated within a walkable, employment-based environment.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Up to 1.0        Building Height: 2 to 8 stories (Average height per story: 15-20 feet)

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Transition

Transitions between Suburban Employment uses and other developments, in particular adjacent residential neighborhoods, are vitally important. Building heights should step down appropriately to less intense residential uses. In developments adjoining less intensive uses, building heights should decrease moving outward from the center of the development, stepping down to heights generally within one story of adjacent structures.

Certain employment uses that may not be compatible with adjacent residential uses, such as data centers, should have transitional uses located in between.

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Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction

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Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction areas consist of large manufacturing, contractor with outdoor storage, and other productive uses. Streets in this district are typically designed to accommodate freight ingress and egress. This Place Type also includes mineral extraction areas such as quarries and mines. Industrial and mineral extraction uses are incompatible with residential uses due to the prevalence of outdoor storage and the emissions of noise, odor, and vibrations. Buffers between these uses and residential uses are necessary to ensure compatibility and maintain commercial viability.

For secure employment campuses, deviations from the applicable base design standards may be considered on a case-by-case basis in order to accommodate security elements such as greater building setbacks, secured perimeters, or controlled site access.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Primarily one-to-two-story buildings used for warehousing, contractor services, or manufacturing.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Up to 0.6          Building Height: Up to 4 stories (Average height per story 15-20 feet)

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Transition Transitions between Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extractive uses and other developments, in particular adjacent residential neighborhoods, are critically important to the viability of long-term industrial operations. Setbacks, buffering, and natural open space can reduce impacts by blending the edges of Industrial/Mineral Extraction developments with surrounding developments, providing

softer transitions than structural buffers. Storage and loading areas are to be oriented away from and screened from streets and adjacent uses.

Transition Policy Area

Vision

The Transition Policy Area (TPA) is visually distinct from adjoining policy areas, providing expansive open space with publicly accessible recreational opportunities while accommodating a residential development pattern, consistent with the appropriate place types, that promotes environmental protection, housing diversity, quality design, economic growth, and protection of natural, environmental, and heritage resources.

Introduction

The TPA provides a distinct development pattern focused on retaining substantial open space to frame a unique built environment accommodating a variety of communities. The open spaces serve as dominant landscape, providing significant opportunities for public recreation and facilities within the context of an assortment of community designs. TPA communities range from rural estate developments to compact residential neighborhoods that can provide a variety of housing options and protect natural, environmental, and heritage resources.

The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan proposes that, in order to sustain a healthy economy and to provide greater opportunities for attainable housing, the County seek to accommodate a share of the anticipated regional housing demand. Anticipated high density development in the Urban Policy Area (UPA) will help meet the important multifamily component of the housing demand. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan also proposes increased density in areas of the Suburban Policy Area (SPA) and the integration of new residential uses into areas previously planned for commercial or employment uses. These approaches notwithstanding, there is not adequate capacity in these areas to address the County’s housing demands. The Towns and Rural Policy Area (RPA) are not anticipated to absorb a significant portion of future housing demand. Infrastructure limits and community desires to maintain small-town community character are the primary constraints in the Towns. The RPA has land, but the limitations of onsite wells and septic systems, country roads, distance to services, and a strong community desire to preserve the rural character of western Loudoun all serve to limit growth capacity.

In light of these constraints, the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan acknowledges the key benefits of accommodating additional housing in the TPA, including access to central utilities, an improving transportation network, proximity to the services and amenities of the SPA, and large, undeveloped tracts of land that will allow for inclusive community designs. The fundamental goal of this new development pattern will be to accommodate residential products and neighborhoods that will help meet the needs and desires of the County’s growing and diversifying populace. Evaluation of new development proposals will focus on design concepts that conserve and incorporate environmental and heritage resources, offer housing that is affordable to a range of incomes, retain significant open space to protect resources, provide space for public and civic facilities and parks, and conceal the intensity of new development within a landscape of forests,

hedgerows, and tree stands. Residential developments will be expected to support a continuum of housing options and prices. Three commercial centers will offer local services and amenities so that the TPA will become a more self-sustaining community. Natural open spaces will continue to be the predominant visual element and create a contiguous network of green spaces.

The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan reaffirms a growth boundary (GB) beyond which central water and wastewater systems are not allowed. Beginning in the north, the GB follows the SPA boundary to the point where it meets the TPA. The GB then follows the western edge of the TPA to meet the Prince William County boundary line in the south.

Background

Between 1991 and 2001, the Board of Supervisors changed the policy direction for the TPA four times. Until 2001, the area was planned as part of the SPA or a phased expansion of the SPA. In 2001, the Board established the TPA as a separate policy area along with the Suburban, Rural and Joint Land Management Area (JLMA) policy areas:

• In 1991, the area was planned for suburban development that was to be phased with ultimate development expected to occur by 1995.
• In 1993, the Dulles South Area Management Plan added Upper Broad Run to the Dulles South suburban area at densities between 3 and 6 units per acre and added the Upper and Lower Foley and Lower Bull Run areas at densities between 1 and 3 units per acre.
• In 1997, the Dulles South Plan reestablished a suburban development phasing boundary west of Northstar Boulevard. The phasing area was then subject to the policies of the RPA until the County chose to expand the SPA.
• In 2001, the TPA became a distinct policy area in the Revised General Plan between the SPA and RPA. Six subareas of the TPA were established, each with density and open space requirements.
• In 2004, the Board of Supervisors amended the Revised General Plan and extended central water and wastewater systems throughout the TPA, establishing the western edge of the TPA as the County’s Urban Growth Boundary¹.

Although the TPA is predominantly residential, the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan designates limited areas for industrial development in the northern portion of the TPA in close proximity to planned improvements to Sycolin Road and existing industrial land south of the Leesburg JLMA. Limited retail commercial development can be found along John Mosby Highway (Route 50) and the Board of Supervisors previously approved other retail space along Braddock Road (Route 620).

Important drinking water resources are located within the TPA, and watershed protection extends across significant portions of the Goose Creek and the Beaverdam Reservoir to help protect these resources. Conservation easements, proffered open space, and development setbacks provide a 300-foot buffer adjoining Goose Creek (see Chapter 3: Natural, Environmental, and Heritage Resources, Action 2.5.A). Loudoun Water owns the land surrounding Beaverdam Reservoir, while the County and NOVA Parks own parkland adjacent to the reservoir.

Development Approach

While continuing to focus growth in the UPAs and SPA, the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan acknowledges the limited amount of land available for development in the SPA and proposes new approaches in the TPA to accommodate some of the County’s needs. These needs include accommodating additional housing to support the County’s economic development goals, ensuring high quality community design, preserving open space, and maintaining a quality of life that hinges on a healthy and vibrant natural environment. There are several factors that enable the County to accommodate new growth in the TPA while protecting key environmental resources and protecting the RPA from encroachment of suburban development.

A number of existing neighborhoods along the western side of the TPA and rural villages just west of the TPA have already established a low density development pattern with significant areas of permanently protected open space, which creates a distinct edge to the TPA. Future TPA developments will still be required to preserve large open space areas that are a hallmark of the TPA’s character and distinguish it from the SPA, where the Plan does not anticipate as much land dedicated as open space. The open space requirement will also require a more compact development pattern, resulting in smaller single family lots and a combination of detached and attached residential products.

Transportation projects in the eastern TPA, including improvements to Ryan Road (Route 772) and Sycolin Road (Route 625), and the completion of Shreveport Drive (Route 621 relocated) and Creighton Road (Route 774), will provide better connections to the east without necessarily adding to the congestion of Route 50. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan proposes to concentrate future development proximate to existing and planned transportation improvements where capacity exists. Large tracts of undeveloped and underdeveloped land south of Braddock Road and east of Northstar Boulevard are in close proximity to the SPA immediately to the north, yet are separated by several miles from the RPA farther to the west. This southeast portion of the TPA is also adjacent to Prince William County across the Bull Run to the south and Fairfax County to the east. The principal constraining factor in this area is the current lack of traffic capacity on existing roads and, while major roads are planned, new development will need to be timed to occur in conjunction with the availability of additional road capacity.

The 2004 extension of central water and wastewater utilities throughout the TPA enabled more compact development than previously planned, when the TPA was only served by wells and septic systems. Select areas of higher intensity development interspersed among lower density projects and with substantial open spaces that offer screening, separation, and recreation can be compatible with existing development.

The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan examined specific areas of the TPA that were not already developed or committed to development. The potential for redevelopment was not considered in the development forecasts for the area. Areas subject to environmental constraints, such as conservation easements, steep slopes and floodplain, were excluded from development potential. Two areas of the RPA were added to the TPA because of the increasingly intense development that is occurring around them.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the TPA.

TPA Policy 1: Ensure that the Transition Policy Area retains the visual character established by extensive natural open space by using compact development concepts with substantial open space requirements, and low profile construction to minimize visual intrusion into the natural environment.

Strategy

1.1 Accommodate new more affordable and innovative residential communities in compact development patterns, while preserving open space, natural, environmental, and heritage resources, and other valued features that may exist on site.

Actions

A. Encourage a variety of housing within individual developments by permitting small and large lot single-family detached, duplex, triplex, quadruplex, accessory residential dwelling, and other housing dwelling types to expand housing options and thus attainability opportunities, and support the lifestyle preferences of a diverse community.

B. Develop zoning regulations and design standards to accommodate Transition Community Centers and Transition Compact Neighborhood Place Types to expand housing diversity and improve commercial viability.

C. Require new development to connect to Loudoun Water's central water and wastewater systems and encourage existing development to connect.

D. Continue to define the TPA by seven subareas to implement the Transition Large Lot Residential Neighborhood development pattern as identified on the Transition Policy Area Place Types Map.

E. Continue to support agriculture-related businesses including equine uses, agritourism, commercial nurseries, and similar uses throughout the TPA.

F. Continue to define the western edge of the TPA as the full extent of central sewer and water and the western edge of the growth boundary, pursuant to 15.2-2232.

G. Ensure that open space within developments creates or enhances the following:

i. The 300-foot buffer and 200-foot transitional area along the Bull Run in the Upper and Lower Foley and Lower Bull Run subareas, The 300-foot buffer and 1,000-foot voluntary open space area along the Goose Creek, Goose Creek Reservoir, and Beaverdam Reservoir in the Lower Sycolin and Middle Goose subareas, ii. A contiguous network of green spaces to supplement the natural and heritage resources connecting communities and natural resource areas, and iii. A public trail and park network to destinations throughout the area.

H. Evaluate open space across developments to ensure the character and visual landscape of the TPA is achieved.

I. Continue to perform watershed management plans to determine appropriate water quality and quality controls.

J. Consider adoption of reservoir protection overlay districts that provide buffering and storm water quality controls.

TPA Policy 2: Offer safe and accessible parks and recreation opportunities that provide diverse activities for all ages, interests, and abilities.

Strategy 2.1 Provide a network of protected open space that maintains natural, environmental, and heritage resources and reinforces the TPA’s unique character.

Actions A. Develop a Master Plan for parks, open space, and trails in the TPA that: 1) builds on and links current planned shared-use trails and park areas, and 2) places greater emphasis on quality, connected, usable, and publicly accessible open space.

B. Protect the drinking water resources of the Occoquan, Beaverdam, and Goose Creek Reservoirs with natural stream and reservoir buffers, improved stormwater management, and other means.

C. Retain 50 percent open space throughout the TPA, unless otherwise called for by the applicable place type or in the Lower Bull Run subarea where 70 percent open space is required for residential development to protect drinking water source watersheds, and seek to reserve publicly usable, accessible, and interconnected open space.

D. Establish programs and regulatory mechanisms to increase publicly accessible open space, consistent with County facilities plans, through easements, land dedications, and purchase.

E. Require Open Space Plans with individual development applications to illustrate proposed use, public accessibility, resource protection, and connection with other open space.

F. Take advantage of existing or planned parks, stormwater ponds, and stream valley

corridors, particularly the Goose Creek and Bull Run corridors, to create a linear park network linking larger park facilities and destinations.

G. Pursue connected linear trails, parks and open space accessible to the public when considering development applications.

TPA Policy 3: Target specific areas of the TPA for higher density residential and mixed-use development to create attainable and diverse housing opportunities in compact communities reflective of the historic development pattern of villages and towns in Loudoun.

Strategy 3.1 Establish guidelines to accommodate compact communities that provide sustainable and attainable housing.

Actions A. Create new Community Plans and other appropriate plans which address the particular needs and guide development within the Transition Policy Area.

B. Support Transition Compact Neighborhoods in areas specified on the Transition Policy Area Place Types Map provided they comply with the Place Type standards and incorporate the following features: i. A combination of housing types, including detached, duplex, triplex, quadruplex, and/or accessory residential units. ii. Housing units that are smaller and more affordable and that address the County’s unmet needs. iii. Discernible variations in lot shape and building setbacks along residential street frontages, in a manner reflective of traditional villages and towns, to visually differentiate individual residential structures. iv. Design concepts within units and neighborhoods that allow residents at different stages of their lives to remain in the community. v. A walkable community design emanating from one or more community greens with minimal use of cul-de-sac streets and easy access to parks, playgrounds and amenities. vi. Public trails and parks internal to the neighborhood and connecting to adjacent communities and public facilities. vii. Extensive buffers screening the intensity of the development from surrounding roads and communities through the use of dense vegetation, earthen berms, and/or natural topography.

TPA Policy 4: Non-residential uses will include uses that are compatible with resource protection, desired development patterns, and the rural landscape.

Strategy 4.1 Provide for development of commercial, employment, and public uses in areas specified on the Transition Policy Area Place Types Map that achieve the desired development patterns and the character of the TPA.

Actions A. Require Industrial uses to: i. Be located only in locations consistent with the Place Types Map. ii. Be visually concealed from adjacent roads and residential areas by siting buildings and uses to avoid ridgetops and high visibility areas and enclosing buildings and uses within a substantial, undisturbed, vegetated perimeter. iii. Minimize the effects of noise, vibration, and odor. iv. Have access to adequate infrastructure and roads. v. Identify and protect environmental features and to follow, to the extent possible, the natural topography. vi. Enhance water quality protection when near water supply reservoirs and associated streams.

B. Continue to protect the extractive industry by maintaining a quarry notification overlay zoning district.

C. Establish zoning regulations and design standards that ensure new development does not hinder the operation of quarries.

D. Support Transition Community Centers in areas specified on the Transition Policy Area Place Types Map provided they are consistent with the Place Type standards and offer the following features: i. Small footprint retail uses and no “big box” commercial retailers with the exception of grocery or drug stores. ii. A compact pedestrian shopping and entertainment environment including active streets featuring relationships between interior and outdoor spaces, outdoor restaurant seating and vendor shopping on the street, complementary ground floor uses (such as retail rather than offices), and a high level of transparency and window space. iii. Convenient and safe pedestrian connections to adjacent neighborhoods and public facilities. iv. Extensive landscaping, particularly at the perimeter, to screen the project intensity from adjacent roads and communities. v. Outdoor activity and community space.

TPA Policy 5: Ensure that adequate infrastructure (e.g., including roads, utilities, and public facilities) and services are available to meet increased demands of new development.

Strategy 5.1 Ensure adequate public facilities and services are available as demand is generated by new development.

Actions A. Evaluate residential development proposals against the available and forecasted capacity of public schools and other facilities and services through the projected buildout period of the application. B. Phase higher density residential development to allow the County to plan for facility and infrastructure needs before the demand occurs, and help direct development to the areas of the County that offer greater fiscal and economic benefits. C. Precede each phase of development with a Comprehensive Plan Amendment or a community planning exercise to determine timing, appropriate land use changes, and/or public facility needs. D. Until such time as a subsequent phase is amended by adopting a Comprehensive Plan Amendment or a community planning exercise is completed for areas, as appropriate, all residential areas outside of the Phase 1 area shall be developed under the Transition Large Lot Place Type. E. Schedule the phasing in the following sequence unless determined otherwise in a Comprehensive Plan Amendment: i. Phase 1: Lower Sycolin and Middle Goose Creek policy subareas; portions of the Lower Foley policy subarea designated for Transition Compact Neighborhood and Transition Community Center on the Transition Policy Area Place Type Map. ii. Phase 2: Upper Broad Run and Red Hill policy subareas. iii. Phase 3: Upper Foley and Lower Bull Run policy subareas; remaining portions of the Lower Foley policy subarea.

TPA Policy 6: The Board of Supervisors encourages no further expansion of the TPA boundaries beyond that included with the adoption of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current development patterns in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be

prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the TPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All legislative applications for development in the TPA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site layouts, illustratives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the TPA Design Guidelines and planning principles in this document.

When using the guidelines analysis is to be provided of the impact a potential development may have on the landscape. Considering not only appearance but also practical considerations---such as proximity and quality of connections to utilities, community amenities, jobs, and housing to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and limit travel distances. The County encourages the use of design process when planning development in the TPA that conserves and incorporates natural, environmental, and heritage resources into the site design. (See Appendix A for Design Guidelines for the TPA)

The goals of the TPA Design Guidelines are as follows:

• Development should create attractive places within the TPA by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, and reinforcing the landscape's character, rather than simply attempting to place suburban design onto the landscape.
• Development should use the landscape for benefits such as solar heat gain or shelter from wind.
• Buildings should be treated as parts of the landscape and attention given to their form and scale relative to their surrounding environment.

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the TPA to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Loudoun County Transition Policy Area Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 0.5 1 2 3 4 Miles

Map Number 2025-110

CHAPTER 2-81

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Transition Large Lot Neighborhood

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Transition Large Lot Neighborhoods include projects such as Willowsford, Red Cedar and Evergreen, which offer detached homes and substantial open space in low-density communities. Agriculture and related uses are encouraged on these open spaces. Neighborhoods should offer a variety of house styles and sizes and, similarly, a variety of lot sizes and configurations. Development layouts follow land contours, incorporate natural features into the development, and protect sensitive resources. Extensive open space should partially conceal views of the new residential development from perimeter roadways and adjacent development and protect natural and cultural resources.

CHAPTER 2-82

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Low-density residential neighborhoods with significant open spaces allowing agricultural uses and the protection of adjacent environmentally sensitive areas such as the reservoirs and stream corridors.

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An example plan view of a Transition Large Lot Neighborhood

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.1 (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet)

Building Height: 1-3 stories

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Transition Transition Large Lot Neighborhood projects should be surrounded by natural buffers that visually screen the development from view of surrounding roads and from other developments.

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Transition Small Lot Neighborhood

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Transition Small Lot Neighborhoods include residential neighborhoods arranged in a cluster arrangement that includes a focal point such as a civic use, park, or green. The predominant use is single family detached housing. The lot pattern within each community should align with the topography and key environmental features to minimize the visibility of the structures. Open space and natural vegetation are the dominant visual features and provide public and private trails, passive and active recreation, and significant perimeter and environmental buffers.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Neighborhoods offering assorted lot configurations, sizes, and shapes with substantial open space, offering easy access to trails and natural areas internal to the neighborhood and connecting adjacent communities. The community is to be surrounded by extensive wooded buffers maintaining the rural appearance of surrounding roads.

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An example plan view of a Transition Small Lot Neighborhood

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 4 du/ac Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.2 (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet)

Building Height: 1-3 stories

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Transition Transition Small Lot Neighborhood projects should be surrounded by natural buffers that visually screen them from view of surrounding roads and from other developments.

CHAPTER 2-87

Transition Compact Neighborhood

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Transition Compact Neighborhoods include a variety of single family detached, duplex, triplex and accessory dwelling unit homes arranged around a focal point such as civic use, park, green or small commercial center. Duplex, triplex, and quadruplex housing should be designed to be compatible with – and should be dispersed throughout – the single family detached residences. If included, neighborhood-serving retail or employment space (such as shared office space) should be situated in conjunction with civic space or a central park or green to create a neighborhood core or focal point.

The vision is for a lot pattern within each community should primarily consist of small lots, and a mix of housing types along each street frontage and within each block. The development pattern does not segment use types into large blocks of a single unit type. A pattern of interconnected streets is intended to provide a walkable community. Open space and natural vegetation are the dominant visual features with significant perimeter and environmental buffers and should provide publicly accessible trails and passive and active recreation opportunities.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Neighborhoods providing assorted lot configurations, sizes and shapes, and smaller, intermixed housing types and styles, characteristic of historic towns and neighborhoods. Communities are to be walkable and residents and the public are to have easy access to parks, playgrounds, and trails internal to the neighborhood and connecting adjacent communities. The community is to be surrounded by extensive wooded buffers maintaining the rural appearance of surrounding roads.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: 3-5 du/ac Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.2 (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet)

Building Height: 1-3 stories

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An example plan view of a Transition Compact Neighborhood

CHAPTER 2-89

Transition Where the Compact Neighborhood is adjacent to less intensive residential uses, Compact Neighborhoods should use large setbacks to separate uses or create natural and landscape transitions.

Transition Community Center

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Transition Community Centers consist of a pedestrian-scale commercial development that provides retail sales, entertainment, and civic functions. The commercial center will feature a walkable street pattern to create a pedestrian shopping and entertainment environment with convenient and safe pedestrian and vehicular connections to adjacent neighborhoods, extensive landscaping at the perimeter, and outdoor activity and community space. Any residential component will consist of multifamily units over commercial uses. Auto-oriented uses would be located away from pedestrian areas unless incorporated into the mixed-use buildings. Primary entrances and exits for automobiles are restricted to main road corridors and not residential streets.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Pedestrian-focused retail centers with small footprint retail uses, active street frontages and outdoor activity. No “big box” retailers, with the exception of grocery or drug stores. Potential for residential over commercial uses, with live/work spaces.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total FAR: Up to 0.3 (Average height per story is 12 to 15 feet)

Building Height: 1-3 stories

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Transition Light Industrial

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Transition Light Industrial areas provide opportunities for low-traffic industrial and employment uses. Predominant uses are contractor establishments, and small-scale assembly or production. Appropriate uses do not generate excessive noise or air pollution or require outdoor storage. Open space that creates effective visual buffers and environmental protection on the site will encompass the business. Trails and passive parks are also appropriate.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Industries and businesses within an environment dominated by open space of established forests or thickly vegetated buffers that screen such uses from roads and adjacent development.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.6 Building Height: 1-3 stories

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(Average height per story is 15 to 20 feet)

Transition Building heights should step down appropriately to less intense residential uses and outdoor activities, noise generators separated from residential uses by buildings, berms and vegetation. Certain employment uses that may not be compatible with adjacent residential uses, such as data centers, should have transitional uses located in between. Transition Light Industrial projects will be visually screened from view of roads and separated from adjacent residential development and sensitive environmental and water supply reservoirs by large wooded buffers, berms, and distance.

Transition Industrial/Mineral Extraction

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As a primary industry, mineral extraction should be supported and protected as long as the quarries remain productive. Predominant uses are quarries, large-scale public facilities, and complementary manufacturing operations. Such uses are generally incompatible with residential development and considerable screening and setbacks are necessary to protect their viability.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Existing quarries and quarry-related industries and businesses surrounded by substantial open space.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.6 (Average height per story is 15-20 feet)

Building Height: 1-4 stories

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Transition Transitions between Industrial/Mineral Extractive uses and other developments, in particular adjacent residential neighborhoods, are critically important to the viability of long-term industrial operations. Setbacks, buffering, and natural open space can reduce impacts by blending the edges of Industrial/Mineral Extraction developments with surrounding developments, providing softer transitions than structural buffers. Storage and loading areas are to be oriented away from and screened from streets and adjacent uses. Industry/Mineral Extraction projects should be separated from adjacent development and sensitive environmental and water supply reservoirs by wide, wooded buffers, berms, and distance.

CHAPTER 2-96

Rural Policy Area

Vision

The Rural Policy Area (RPA) is an enduring rural landscape that is characterized by a unique composite of natural and man-made environments, rural economy uses, working agricultural lands, open space, and a limited residential base.

Introduction

The RPA occupies the western half of the County and is the largest of the County’s Policy Areas. It encompasses approximately 230,000 acres, representing about 67 percent of the County’s total land area. The RPA comprises a blend of low-density residential, working farms, rural economy uses, pastoral landscapes, forested areas, mountains, and wildlife habitats. The RPA encompasses six of the County’s seven incorporated Towns, 12 existing Rural Historic Villages, and numerous smaller crossroad communities. As of April 1, 2017, the population of the RPA is approximately 40,400 people, representing approximately 10 percent of the County’s total population.

The RPA is divided into two areas—the Rural North and the Rural South. Each of these distinct geographic areas (see Rural Policy Area Place Types Map) has different base residential densities in response to their dominant rural land use and development patterns. The Rural North (geographically defined as north of Goose Creek and the North Fork of Goose Creek to the County border with Montgomery, Frederick, and Washington Counties, Maryland; Jefferson County, West Virginia; and Clarke County, Virginia) is characterized by a mix of smaller lots that are interspersed with larger parcels in agricultural use. The Rural North, proximate to the Towns within the Route 7 Corridor, has the highest concentration of residential development and a more developed paved roadway network with easy access to commuter routes. Additionally, the Route 15 corridor, both north and south of the Town of Leesburg, has experienced substantial residential growth since the Board adopted the Revised General Plan (RGP) in 2001. The Rural South (geographically defined as south of Goose Creek and the North Fork of Goose Creek to the County border with Clarke, Fauquier, and Prince William Counties, Virginia) is characterized by an existing large lot pattern and represents the center of Loudoun’s prominent equine industry. The Rural South contains a number of large working farms that are accessed by a network of mostly unpaved rural roads. The Rural South contains Loudoun County’s largest amount of permanently protected land that is held under voluntary conservation easements. Both the Rural North and Rural South are marked by a scattering of Rural Historic Villages and small crossroad communities, which provide limited retail and commercial services to rural residents and visitors.

Approximately 700 miles of public roads maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) serve the RPA. These roads range across all classifications, including arterials that feature greater access control to facilitate longer distance travel at higher posted speeds; collector roads that have less access control in order to balance parcel access and mobility; and local secondary roads that primarily provide access to individual parcels. Unpaved gravel secondary roads constitute approximately 255 miles of the County’s rural road network. The County, with the support of residents, has made a conscious effort to preserve portions of the historic gravel road

network, which contribute to the character of the rural landscape and provide opportunities for recreational users such as equestrians, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

VDOT, in collaboration with the County, has worked to maintain the delicate balance between service needs and the preservation of the aesthetic character of the road network in the RPA, providing adequate transitions from major rural highways to main streets to rural paved and unpaved road segments. Specific long-range plans and local projects have generally sought to maintain two-lane rural section roadways along most rural corridors, while providing improvements to major commuter routes. These include the Virginia Scenic Byway program; national and state historic district designations; traffic calming projects at appropriate locations; the VDOT Rural Rustic Roads Program; and the incorporation of low-impact modern improvements, such as roundabouts, in lieu of traffic signals and interchanges. As increasing traffic volumes continue to place stress on the rural road network, the County will need to make comprehensive and strategic decisions regarding best practices to provide reasonable mobility, while protecting the rural character and scenic quality of roads in the RPA (see 2019 CTP).

The Rural North and Rural South are home to a centuries old farming community that shaped the physical landscape and the social and economic fabric of Loudoun. However, over the past 30 years, as portions of the County and the region have become more urbanized, the RPA has faced increased challenges related to demographic changes, land use, economics, and transportation improvements, thus facilitating and enabling the conversion of land for rural residential subdivisions at an increasing rate as some residents seek an alternative to urban life. The adoption of the RGP in 2001 and the accompanying down-zoning of the majority of the land in western Loudoun in 2003 and in 2006, marked a dramatic turn in the County’s effort to limit residential development in the RPA and established an approach for land preservation tied to the creation of a viable rural economy and low-density development options, including the clustering of homes to preserve the rural character of the land. The Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (General Plan) carries this approach forward.

Rural Residential

A variety of residential development options exist within the Rural Policy Area, including conventional subdivision, subordinate lots, and rural clusters which permit different densities. Among the existing development options, rural clusters remain the preferred residential development pattern in the RPA because these designs better preserve the natural features and open character of the land by tightly grouping homes on smaller lots so that a majority of the land is available for rural economy uses, agriculture, and/or open space. The concentration of homes in a rural cluster also minimize the amount of roads, clearing and grading, and the overall footprint of development, compared to a conventional by-right subdivision which requires placement of homes on a uniform size lot dispersed over an entire property.

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Birch Hollow Hamlet, Hillsboro. Clustered residential lots with remainder working farm on 109 acres.

Between 2000 and 2016, 5,653 residential units were built in the RPA. The “build out” analysis for the RPA, which reflects conditions as of July 1, 2016, identifies 91,000 acres of land uncommitted to development projects. This results in the potential for up to 11,643 residential units under current policy and entitlements. The acreage calculation includes parcels that are partially or fully developable and excludes floodplain, conservation easements, mountainside, and steep slope, which do not have development potential. The forecasted development from 2016 to 2040 in the RPA is 7,500 residential units based on current trends and the base density allowed by current zoning, which leaves approximately 4,000 residential units to be developed after 2040. The 2040 forecasts and the ultimate residential buildout for the RPA may be much lower than projected above if property owners continue to retain and preserve large areas of land for agricultural, equine activities, open space, and rural economy uses. Land trusts are anticipated to continue establishing conservation easements on properties in the RPA, reducing the residential development potential allowed by current zoning. Current and future county policies and initiatives, including land use-based property tax assessments and land conservation programs, may also affect future development potential in the RPA.

Rural Economy

The County’s land development approach for the RPA is to limit residential development so that land will remain available for the continued operation, expansion, and establishment of agricultural and rural economy uses that preserve the rural character of the landscape and support the County’s environmental goals. Loudoun’s rural economy has grown to become a collection of business uses that currently include: crop and livestock production, forestry, horticulture and specialty farm products, farm markets and wayside stands, the equine industry, orchards, vineyards, farm wineries, cideries, and breweries, hospitality services such as farm-to-table restaurants, rural

resorts, bed and breakfasts, country inns, banquet/event facilities, private camps and parks, and other similar uses. These rural economy uses largely depend on the agricultural productivity, scenic quality, and rural character of the RPA to derive income to sustain business activities. Additionally, a range of businesses providing indirect support and services to agricultural, forestal, horticultural, and animal husbandry activities also contribute to the rural economy. These agriculture-supportive uses include farm machinery sales and repair services, veterinary services, blacksmiths, agricultural product storage and processing, feed and seed supply, and similar uses. The importance of all these rural businesses to Loudoun County has led to the implementation of a business development plan for the County’s rural economy that aims to double the growth of the County’s rural economic sectors by 2023. The business development plan strives to create an environment for high value agricultural production that supports the equine and tourism industries, maintains prime farmland, and recognizes that commercial growth in eastern Loudoun is augmented by a thriving rural economy in western Loudoun (see The Long View, A Business Development Plan for Loudoun County’s Rural Economy).

Although many rural economy uses rely on wired or wireless telecommunication networks to support their daily business operations, many areas of the RPA lack adequate high-speed connections. The County, through its strategic initiatives, has identified the provision of high-speed wired and wireless telecommunication networks, including broadband technology, as a priority to support rural businesses and residents in the RPA.

The 2017 Federal Census of Agriculture identified 1,259 farms in Loudoun County (gross income of $1,000 or more) with a total of approximately 121,932 acres of farmland in production. Almost three quarters of these farms (875) were less than fifty acres in size with the largest percentage of farms being between ten and fifty acres in size. The overall number of farms and acres in farmland production in the County has declined by approximately ten percent since the 2012 Federal Census

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One of Loudoun County’s working farms in the RPA.

of Agriculture, when 1,396 farms with a total of 134,792 acres of farmland in production where identified. This data illustrates a number of changes and trends in agriculture: 1) a shift in the type of farming in the County as land and operational costs continue to rise, 2) the subdivision of larger farms into residential lots, and 3) a continuing decline in the amount of farmland and the number of farms and farmers. In light of the census data, County leaders and residents remain committed to keeping rural Loudoun a vital, identifiable place and continue to work to protect and preserve this valuable land resource to sustain the rural economy and support the County’s agricultural, equine, and tourism industries.

In response to market trends, many farmers in the County have shifted to the direct marketing of agricultural products to consumers through either on-farm sales and/or farmers markets to increase

profitability. These specialty farms tend to be smaller in size than traditional farms that produce row crops or raise livestock. These farms include a number of pick-your-own farms which may have fruits, vegetables, flowers, Christmas trees, and other farm-grown products available to the public. A number of farms have also implemented Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs where people buy a subscription from a farmer to receive a weekly share of local seasonal produce, meats, and other products (depending on the farmer’s offerings).

The equine industry is a major component of the rural economy. Loudoun County leads the state in the number of horses, and the equine industry is the County’s largest agricultural employer providing thousands of jobs associated with the care of these animals and the operation of barns and stables. The Virginia Tech Marion DuPont Scott Equine Medical Center is located north of Leesburg, with Morven Park, Glenwood Park, and Oatlands providing regional venues for horse events. Other smaller stables are scattered throughout the County, which provide private lessons, boarding, trail rides, and camps, and host smaller events.

Loudoun County has the highest concentration of wineries and acres in grapes in Virginia, with over 45 wineries and over 1,000 acres in grape production as of 2017. Loudoun County has been marketed as “DC’s Wine Country”, though it also has the highest number of breweries and leads the state in hops production. The County has a total of 28 breweries, seven of which are farm breweries located within the RPA. In recent years, the region’s first hops processing center and Virginia’s first dedicated malting operation opened near Lucketts. As of 2017, there are 10 hops yards in the County with 16 acres in production, and there are two growers cultivating 140 acres of malting grain for the production of beer and distilled spirits. Farm wineries, breweries and cideries that grow their own products maintain land in agricultural use which protects the rural character of the RPA and supports rural tourism.

The RPA is home to a number of hospitality and tourism businesses, which provide thousands of jobs and contribute millions of dollars to the local economy through visitor spending on restaurants, retail goods, lodging, and the hosting of weddings and events. County-sponsored events such as the Spring and Fall Farm Tours, Stable Tours, Wine Trail, Ale Trail and Artisan Trail allow visitors to enjoy self-guided driving tours which support local growers, producers and artisans. Numerous community events such as the Bluemont and Waterford fairs draw thousands of residents and visitors to western Loudoun annually. Heritage tourism is also an important contributor to the County’s economy, which include the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area and National Scenic Byway, the Waterford National Historic Landmark District, Balls Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery, Morven Park, Oatlands, Aldie Mill, as well as other historic sites, museums and battlefields. Like many of Loudoun’s other rural business uses, these hospitality and tourism businesses rely on the natural, scenic, and rural character of the RPA to attract visitors. Therefore, it is critical to maintain the natural, environmental, and heritage resources that provide the setting and context for our rural tourism economy.

Farmland Preservation and Protection

To support the rural economy and ensure that agriculture continues as a long-term use in the RPA, the County will continue to develop and support voluntary participation in programs that provide assistance and reduced tax burdens to landowners. Such programs and measures as the Land Use

Assessment Program, the Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD) program, and public/private conservation easements will be used to encourage landowners to use their land to expand the rural economy, rather than convert it to residential use. These programs also assist in the protection of the RPA’s unique manmade and natural environment, which directly benefit the rural economy.

The County’s Land Use Assessment Program and AFD program are tools used to protect agricultural lands and forests. The Land Use Assessment Program provides tax relief to landowners to protect farmland for future agricultural use and to protect historic and scenic resources for the economic and cultural benefits derived from their preservation. The AFD program limits the subdivision of large, farmable acreages and forested lands (typically 20-40 acres), and prohibits cluster subdivisions. While the County’s Land Use Assessment Program and the AFD program support keeping land in production and/or open space for a specified number of years, they are voluntary programs that do not preserve land in perpetuity. The primary means of preserving agricultural land and open space permanently is through the establishment of conservation easements on individual properties, which restrict residential and non-agricultural uses. Conservation easements currently preserve over one-third of the acreage within the RPA, the vast majority of which are held by private land trusts (see Conservation Easements in Rural Policy Area: 2019 Map). The County should commit to supporting efforts to increase the total acreage of land held in conservation easements as part of an overall land use strategy to further reduce density in the RPA, and ensure that farmland and open space are available in perpetuity for future generations. The County may consider cost-share initiatives to assist in establishing conservation easements and/or public/private partnerships with existing land trusts to leverage efforts and funding to support the recordation of additional conservation easements.

Future of Rural Strategy

Loudoun County and its citizens continue to recognize the importance of maintaining and preserving the farming and equine heritage, cultural and natural resources, open space, and scenic beauty of the RPA as a fundamental component of the County’s identity. The RPA contributes to the overall economic vitality of the County and quality of life of its residents. The General Plan, carries forward the growth management approach for the RPA established in the RGP, which seeks to limit residential growth, retain farmland, and sustain the rural economy. This approach has contributed to the County’s economic success through attracting businesses, residents, and visitors while maintaining the character of the RPA. The strength of the agricultural sector, equine industry and the rural economy is a critical component of supporting the economic development and fiscal policy goals of the County. In the future, development pressures and the incremental loss of productive agricultural land to residential development will require continued monitoring by the County to maintain the RPA’s unique character.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the RPA.

Land Use & Development

RPA Policy 1: Foster land use and development patterns that incorporate natural, cultural, heritage, and agricultural resources to preserve character-defining features of the rural landscape while providing opportunities for rural living and businesses.

Strategy

1.1. Support uses that protect, preserve, and enhance natural areas and open space, retain farmland and the vitality of the rural economy, and foster a high quality of rural life for residents.

Actions

A. Provide incentives for the consolidation of underutilized or undeveloped small lots into larger parcels for agricultural and rural economy uses.

B. Consider cost-share initiatives to assist in establishing conservation easements, in order to reduce the land that is available for residential development and to provide landowners with financial options to support working farms, rural economy uses, and/or stewardship of the land.

Rural Residential

RPA Policy 2: Limit residential development to protect the land resource for agricultural operations, rural economy uses, and open space uses; minimize traffic impacts; and reduce the demand for additional public facilities and services.

Strategy

2.1. Where residential development does occur in the RPA, it should be designed to preserve the rural character, work with the land form to preserve and protect natural features, and conserve land for agriculture, equine uses, rural economy uses, passive recreation, and open space.

Actions

A. Evaluate and revise zoning regulations and design standards to improve the design of subdivisions and clustered residential development by incorporating natural features and buffering from roadways and scenic byways.

B. Encourage the provision of publicly accessible and connected open space.

C. Educate property owners about alternatives to residential subdivision by providing information on conservation easements, the Land Use Assessment Program, and other land conservation programs to keep rural properties intact and productive.

Rural Economy

RPA Policy 3: Agricultural and rural business uses that are compatible with the predominant land use pattern will be developed in a manner that is consistent with the County’s growth management, economic, and environmental goals.

Strategy

3.1. Ensure compatibility of rural economy uses through the evaluation of the scale, use, intensity, and design (site and building) of development proposals in comparison with the dominant rural character and adjacent uses.

Actions

A. Evaluate and revise zoning regulations and development standards for rural economy uses. Such regulations and standards will address traffic capacity, safe and adequate road access, number of employees, site design standards (e.g., land disturbance, buffering, use intensity, siting, and architectural features), and public health, safety, and welfare.

B. Consider the establishment and/or expansion of existing commercial, industrial, and institutional uses by Special Exception if the use and/or expansion: 1) is compatible in scale, use, and intensity with the surrounding rural environment, 2) uses building forms, massing, and architectural styles that reflect the surrounding rural character 3) preserves ridgetops, natural resources, farmland, and open space, and 4) meets applicable zoning regulations and development standards.

C. Non-agriculturally related commercial uses may be permitted by Special Exception if the use is compatible in scale and intensity with the agricultural and rural character of the area; poses no threat to public health, safety, and welfare; and helps to preserve farmland, open space, and/or continued agricultural operations.

Strategy

3.2. Promote the retention and development of rural business uses that sustain the rural economy and support the County’s agricultural, equine, and tourism industries.

Actions

A. Adopt zoning regulations and design standards that include new types of rural business and agricultural uses, permit flexibility for the sale of farm products, and promote rural tourism, hospitality uses, and similar kinds of rural business uses that are compatible with the character of the RPA.

B. Evaluate and revise zoning regulations and design standards to permit a variety of accessory residential unit types, such as accessory apartments for seasonal farm laborers and year-round tenant housing, that support the rural economy. and design funding and technical assistance programs to support their development.

C. Create zoning regulations and design standards for existing and new types of rural recreational uses to evaluate their appropriateness and ensure their compatibility with the character of the RPA.

D. Develop County parks with trail networks, cross-country courses, and equestrian

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

riding rings or other equestrian-related features.

E. Offer safe and accessible parks and/or recreation opportunities that provide diverse activities for all ages, interests, and abilities

F. Develop a publicly accessible multi-use trail network (i.e., pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian) to link private and public lands in the RPA in partnership with nonprofit entities, landowners, and developers of rural properties.

G. Develop a strategy to facilitate the development of high-speed wired and wireless telecommunication networks, including broadband technology, to support rural businesses and residents in the RPA.

Strategy

3.3. Promote and expand agricultural enterprises and the rural economy, and attract rural entrepreneurs to locate in Loudoun.

Actions

A. Promote rural business sectors and community events to support rural tourism, showcase the rural economy, and strengthen the economic vitality of rural businesses, villages, and towns.

B. Develop a coordinated service approach to assist rural landowners in the review and development of proposals to maintain agricultural operations, preserve the agricultural potential of farmland, institute farm and rural business plans, and assist in filing applications, which support agriculture, agricultural activities, and the rural economy.

C. Develop additional incentives to retain and encourage agricultural enterprises and support land preservation.

D. Retain the Rural Economic Development Council (REDC) as an advocacy and advisory committee on initiatives, programs, and policies that affect the economic growth and development of rural Loudoun County.

E. Support public education and job training in agriculture-based careers to ensure a stable agricultural work force and promote the region’s agricultural and tourist based economy.

F. Facilitate the provision of appropriate on-site housing options for farm interns and apprentices in support of agricultural workforce development.

G. Develop an update process to ensure the Loudoun County Economic Business Development Strategy is updated on a regular basis.

Strategy

3.4. Maintain the Land Use Assessment Program to provide property tax relief to retain and support agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and open space as critical components of the RPA.

Actions

A. Regularly review, update, and enhance the Land Use Assessment Program and other voluntary agricultural programs, such as the Agricultural and Forestal District (AFD)

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program, to strengthen the rural economy, preserve rural character, and maintain the viability of farming.

Strategy

3.5. Promote and encourage the preservation, rehabilitation, and repurposing of farm buildings and structures to maintain infrastructure for future agricultural enterprises and rural economy uses. Where possible, rural business uses should locate in existing agricultural and historic structures.

Action

A. Adopt zoning regulations and design standards that facilitate the use of existing agricultural and historic structures.

Strategy

3.6. Support and increase farming activities and maintain a resilient food network for local consumption.

Actions

A. Promote community supported agriculture (CSA); the direct sale of farm products between farmers and local consumers including farmers markets, restaurants and retailers; and the establishment of a permanent year-round indoor farmers market in the eastern portion of the County.

B. Facilitate effective processing, distribution, and marketing of locally grown products.

C. Promote best practices in farming, including adapting to new crops, livestock, and technology, to address market demands and diversify agricultural production.

Strategy

3.7. Protect farming and farmers from nuisance complaints in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Farm Act, Code of Virginia §3.2-301.

Actions

A. Maintain zoning regulations and design standards that protect the right to farm.

B. Support and provide educational programs about farming practices and activities to reduce potential conflicts associated with the proximity of agriculture to nonagricultural uses.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current development patterns in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the RPA can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

When using the guidelines make sure to analyze the impact a potential development may have on the landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations such as proximity to

roads, utilities, and community amenities to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and limit travel distances. Development should contribute to creating unique places within the Rural Policy Area by working with existing topography and site features, responding to the local context, preserving farmland and reinforcing the landscape’s character, rather than simply attempting to place suburban design onto the rural landscape. Sustainability requires maximum consideration for using the landscape for benefits such as solar heat gain or shelter from wind when siting buildings. It is imperative that buildings and structures are treated as objects in the rural landscape and given due attention to their location and form to ensure they blend with the topography, protect viewsheds, and contribute to the traditional pattern of development in the RPA. The County encourages the use of a design process when planning development in the RPA that conserves natural, environmental, and heritage resources and incorporates any such features into the site design (See Appendix A for Design Guidelines for RPA).

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the RPA and Rural Historic Villages to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for the area.

Rural Historic Villages

Vision

Rural Historic Villages continue to be vibrant communities that reflect historic settlement patterns that preserve and enhance Loudoun’s social and cultural heritage while contributing to the overall character of the Rural Policy Area.

Introduction

Loudoun County’s historical settlement pattern included hundreds of villages, and smaller rural communities communities, many of which have nearly or completely vanished as the County has developed and the County has begun mapping all historic settlements documented to date to preserve this history (see All County Historic Villages and Communities Map). Many villages and communities remain intact and are vibrant places within the RPA and are noted as historic rural communities or designated in the General Plan as Rural Historic Villages. The County reconizes the Rural Historic Villages as important features of the RPA that possess scenic and historic resources, act as gathering places for citizens, provide servies to the surrounding community, and support rural tourism. Many Rural Historic Villages were established during the 18th and 19th centuries, in areas located around historic mills, railroad depots, or major crossroads that later developed as commercial and mercantile business centers that served the surrounding farming communities. Others were settled in the later 19th century by free and formerly enslaved African Americans who bought and subdivided land to establish churches, fraternal orders, schools and stores creating self-sufficient enclaves across the County. Descendants of founding families continue to own property and live in these communities reflecting a high degree of cultural continuity in many communities.

Rural Historic Villages are communities with ten or more building in a definable historic settlement pattern which typically contain a mix of residential, civic, and community-supporting commercial uses that serve village residents. The historic built environment and/or the cultural

identity of all Rural Historic Villages have such a high degree of integrity that they are listed in, or are eligible to be listed in, the National Register of Historic Places.

Until 2019, County planning documents considered the communities of Bowmantown and Stewartown to be one village name Aldie Mountain. The residents of Bowmantown and Stewartown consider them to be separate, though related villages and the General Plan designates them as such. Because of their proximity to one another and their shared cultural and settlement history, Aldie Mountain will represent a planning area comprising Bowmantown and Stewartown. Similary, Loudoun Heights and Neersville are small, distinct communities with a shared geographic and cultural history. Individually they do not meet the definition of an Rural Historic Village, but the larger Between the Hills cultural landscape shared by theses villages offers a distinct planning area boundary.

The Rural Historic Villages have gradually developed over a number of years and feature a variety of building setbacks, types, and styles as well as streetscapes that reflect the historic growth and character of the individual villages. The Rural Historic Villages are dominated by residential dwellings with some commercial structures that have upper floor apartments and offices. Small scale, non-residential uses, such as country stores, restaurants, antique shops, and other retail establishments that meet local needs and support tourism, are located within some of the Rural Historic Villages. In addition, numerous civic uses, such as churches, post offices, community centers, fire and rescue stations, and schools, are also located within the Rural Historic Villages. In addition to the more densely populated Rural Historic Villages, smaller, mostly residential rural historic communities such as Howardsville, Bloomfield, and Morrisonville exist in the RPA. While these smaller communities do not meet the criteria for Rural Historic Village designation, they are distinctive assets in the RPA that should be valued and preserved.

The County’s land development approach for the Rural Historic Villages is to limit residential, business, and commercial activities to uses that are compatible with the historic development patterns, community character, and visual identity of the individual villages. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan) strives to maintain the traditional development pattern and distinguishing features of the individual villages while accommodating opportunities for compact, small-scale growth where appropriate in a manner that enhances existing residential and commercial areas. By encouraging limited compact, residential and non-residential development within the Villages, these policies complement the County’s efforts to preserve open space and maintain the character of the rural area. Although limited development is anticipated in the Villages, that development should not adversely affect the quality of life of residents nor pose a threat to public health or safety. Four of the existing Rural Historic Villages – Aldie, St. Louis, Waterford, and Willisville – are currently served by public community wastewater systems. Aldie is the only village that is served by a private water company. While community systems are crucial to the sustainability of these communities, they may also impact future Rural Historic Village development. The remainder of the properties located within the Rural Historic Villages are currently served by individual water wells, and septic sewage systems (i.e., conventional drainfields, alternative systems, etc.), which limit the potential scale and intensity of development. Additionally, a number of the Rural Historic Villages are bisected by major roadways that

experience high volumes of commuter traffic and impact the quality of life of residents. With careful planning and growth management, the Rural Historic Villages will maintain their scenic and historic character.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Unless otherwise specified, the following Policies, Strategies, and Actions apply only within the Rural Historic Villages.

RURAL HISTORIC VILLAGE Policy 1: Development and uses in Rural Historic Villages must be compatible with the historic development pattern, community character, visual identity, intensity, and scale of the individual villages.

Strategy

1.1. Encourage the retention and development of a variety of compatible residential, commercial, and community uses that enhance the attractiveness and vitality of the Rural Historic Villages.

Actions

A. Develop criteria to evaluate existing Rural Historic Villages and other historic crossroads communities, such as Airmont, Bloomfield, Howardsville, Morrisonville, Unison, and Willisville, to determine if their current designation is warranted, define and/or redefine community boundaries as necessary, and amend the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance as appropriate.

B. Work with Rural Historic Villages to develop community plans that will support their community goals and address issues related to land use and zoning; economic development; natural, environmental, and historic resources; community facilities and services; water and wastewater; and transportation to maintain the character of the villages.

C. Review and revise zoning regulations, design standards, and guidelines to achieve compatible building and street design to ensure that quality development occurs within the Rural Historic Villages.

D. Coordinate with Rural Historic Village communities to determine appropriate methods to differentiate entrances into the villages from surrounding areas, including through street design, landscaping, and building placement.

E. Incorporate traffic calming measures that are compatible with the village character where appropriate to reduce vehicle speeds and provide a pedestrian-friendly environment.

F. Evaluate and revise existing Rural Commercial (RC) zoning district regulations to implement Plan policies and design standards for development in the Rural Historic Villages that ensure compatibility with the settlement patterns and neighborhood scale.

G. Support residents in rural historic communities that are not designated as Rural

Historic Villages to preserve these assets through historic designation, conservation easements, and other targeted initiatives.

Strategy

1.2. Preserve the character of the Rural Historic Villages, rural historic communities and their historic structures and sites through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

Actions

A. Promote and support building maintenance and improvements to preserve the existing building stock and the character of the Rural Historic Villages, and rural historic communities.

B. Evaluate the establishment of additional County Historic Districts in the Rural Historic Villages.

Strategy

1.3. Limited increases in residential densities within the Rural Historic Villages may be considered through legislative approval processes when the design of the project reinforces the character, development pattern, and identity of the village. Conventional, suburban forms of development are not appropriate in or contiguous to Rural Historic Villages.

Action

A. Adopt zoning regulations and design standards to encourage housing on smaller lots, allow accessory apartments attached to single-family residential units, and allow residential units above commercial/retail uses within the Rural Historic Villages to provide housing options.

Strategy

1.4. Business and commercial uses in the Rural Historic Villages should be 1) small scale, 2) compatible with existing development patterns, 3) generate limited vehicular traffic, and 4) meet local community needs or support rural tourism.

Action

A. Adopt zoning regulations, design standards and performance criteria that are specific to the types of small-scale, community-related commercial uses that the County encourages within the Rural Historic Villages.

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current high quality development in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the Rural Historic Villages can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

When using the guidelines make sure to analyze the impact potential development may have on the Rural Village and surrounding landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations such as road and street access, siting of buildings and parking, safe and adequate water and wastewater, community amenities, jobs, and housing to assess compatibility. Development should contribute to the character of the Rural Historic Villages to integrate and blend with existing development patterns and building styles.

Many properties within the Rural Historic Villages of Aldie, Bluemont, Lincoln, Taylorstown and Waterford are located within County Historic and Cultural Conservation Districts which are zoning overlays that regulate the appearance of properties through architectural design guidelines. Any alterations, additions, demolition or relocation of an existing structure, or any new construction within the conservation districts requires approval from the County’s Historic District Review Committee. The goal of the architectural review processes is to ensure the historic, architectural, and landscape characteristics that are unique to the villages are protected, preserved, and enhanced for future generations. While the remainder of the Rural Historic Villages do not have historic district zoning overlays, the County’s policies also support compatible development and the retention of the unique character of the individual villages. Public water and wastewater facilities are encouraged to provide services to the villages (See Appendix A for Design Guidelines for Rural Historic Villages).

Loudoun County Rural Policy Area Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2025-071

CHAPTER 2-113

Loudoun County

Historic Villages

And Communities

2019 General Plan

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■ Rural Historic Communities Policy Areas ☐ Other Policy Areas ☐ Rural

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 1 2 4 6 8 Miles Map Number 2025-073

CHAPTER 2-114

Loudoun County

Historic Villages And Communities

2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 1 2 4 6 8 Miles Map Number 2025-072

CHAPTER 2-115

Loudoun County

Rural Policy Area

Place Types

2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

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Rural North

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The Rural North consists of pastoral and forested landscapes that serve mostly agricultural and agricultural supportive uses with limited residential. The area allows for complementary agricultural, rural business, and tourism uses that constitute Loudoun’s rural economy. This category also includes low-density, large-lot residential subdivisions that are compatible with the surrounding pastoral character, and subdivisions that cluster smaller residential lots while retaining large lots for open space, agricultural production and/or rural economy uses. Public utilities are not provided and wells and septic systems are traditional; however, shared community water and wastewater systems may be utilized for cluster developments and rural economy uses. Minimum lot sizes vary according to land use and the development option chosen. All developments should incorporate natural and heritage resources while preserving important viewsheds that contribute to the rural landscape.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Large areas of land preserved for open space, agriculture, and rural economy uses to retain the rural character of the area with limited low-density residential and clustered residential development that blends with and is compatible with the surrounding area.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 1 du / 20 acres Residential Cluster Option: Up to 1 du / 5 acres equivalent Building Height: Up to 2 stories

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Transition Locate buildings and structures to blend with the existing topography and natural features. Preserve and incorporate existing trees and vegetation on the property and its perimeter to buffer and screen views for adjoining properties. Provide landscaping or supplemental plantings comprised of native species when screening and buffering are required between rural uses.

Rural South

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The Rural South contains mostly agricultural and equine uses and allows for complementary rural economy uses. This Place Type includes very low-density residential with homes located on large lots that are compatible with the surrounding pastoral character and clustered subdivisions that group smaller residential lots while retaining large lots for open space, agricultural production, and/or rural economy uses. Public utilities are not provided and wells and septic systems are traditional; however, shared community water and wastewater systems may be utilized for cluster developments and rural economy uses. Minimum lot sizes vary according to land use and the development option chosen. All developments should maintain the distinctive rural character through the incorporation of natural and heritage resources and the preservation of important viewsheds.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Large areas of land preserved for open space, agriculture, and rural economy uses to retain the rural character of the area with limited low density residential and clustered residential development that blends with and is compatible with the surrounding area.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 1 du / 40 acres Residential Cluster Option: Up to 1 du / 15 acres equivalent Building Height: Up to 2 stories

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Transition Locate buildings and structures to blend with the existing topography and natural features. Preserve and incorporate existing trees and vegetation on the property and its perimeter to buffer and screen views for adjoining properties. Provide landscaping or supplemental plantings comprised of native species when screening and buffering are required between rural uses.

Rural Historic Villages

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Rural Historic Villages consist of small, pedestrian-scale rural communities that are compact in comparison to the surrounding agricultural landscape. The majority of these villages have developed around a small residential and/or commercial core that provide for the daily needs of village residents, surrounding rural residents, and visitors. Rural Historic Villages are characterized by low-density residential development situated on smaller lots interspersed with limited commercial uses. Residential and commercial uses are generally located in detached stand-alone two-story buildings which are located close to the street. In some instances office or residential uses are located above first floor retail. Each Rural Historic Village has its own unique character linked to its historic development pattern, spatial organization, and location within the County.

Spacing of buildings—both commercial and residential—should respect each village’s historic precedents for lot size, building setbacks, and orientation to the street. Buildings should be designed to be sensitive to the context of the village through compatible siting, size, scale, massing, materials, design details, and roof forms.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Small-scale and often historic buildings sited in a compact pattern that contain residential or commercial uses that may also be vertically mixed. Each Rural Historic Village has a unique character and sense of place that should be preserved and enhanced.

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An example plan view of a Rural Historic Village

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Varies by individual village; no more than 4 du / acre Building Height: Up to 2 stories

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Transition Maintain areas of open space and natural areas on the perimeter of the villages to maintain a hard edge and visual separation from surrounding uses. Within the village, preserve existing trees and vegetation, which define building lots and contribute to the streetscape. New construction should be designed to complement surrounding properties and maintain the existing development pattern within the Village.

Towns and JLMAs

Vision

The Towns will continue to be hubs of economic and cultural activity in western Loudoun.

Introduction

In 2016, approximately 62,000 Loudoun residents lived in Loudoun’s incorporated Towns (see Table 1). The seven incorporated Towns offer a window to the County’s past and are a key component of Loudoun’s unique character today. All have existed as independent incorporated entities for more than a century, first as agricultural business centers providing markets for farm products, and supplying the necessary goods and services for rural residents. They were also distribution points linked by railroad to markets to the east. While still influenced by their agricultural tradition, the Towns play a larger economic and cultural role that includes retail and service-based businesses, educational opportunities, medical centers, and industrial centers. Remnants of the W&OD Railroad line have become an important regional shared-use trail link still tying the Towns to each other and communities to the east.

Source: 2016 American Community Survey

Development Approach

The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan recognizes the cultural and economic importance of these individual towns maintaining their historic character. The Plan continues the Joint Land Management Area (JLMA) concept, in place since 1991, which intends to accommodate the outward expansion of the Towns, permitting moderate growth at densities and designs suitable to the Towns until the Towns choose to annex property. However, implementation of the JLMA policies has not created development patterns that reflect the historic character of the Towns. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan recommends future action to review and modify the JLMA concept. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan also recognizes that, where

possible, the remaining defining edge distinguishing the towns and the JLMA from the rural area be maintained and enhanced with an effort to create “gateway” corridors leading to each town. The JLMA zoning regulations offer a range of densities, design guidelines, and utility requirements. Leesburg, Round Hill, Purcellville, and Hamilton have seen extensive development in their respective JLMAs, while Lovettsville, Middleburg, and Hillsboro have over time chosen not to have JLMAs because of utility constraints, concerns about growth, or a desire to concentrate inside their existing limits. Leesburg’s JLMA has a distinct suburban pattern with predominantly residential development north of Route 7 and business and employment uses south of Route 7.

Policies, Strategies, and Actions

Town Policy 1: Collaborate with the Towns on matters of common interest to preserve the identity of each Town and their role as economic and social centers. The County recognizes that the Towns may be impacted by proposed development near their borders and will consider, as appropriate, Town comments on development near their borders.

Strategy

1.1 Work with the Towns to develop and implement a shared vision for the Towns and their surrounding areas and gateways.

Actions

A. Continue to refer to jointly approved area management plans and refer to applicable Town policies on matters within the JLMA.

B. Establish a regular coordination program with Towns to anticipate, monitor, and address development and planning matters.

C. Undertake joint planning efforts in the JLMA.

D. Participate as a partner with the Towns in their negotiations with VDOT and other agencies for road maintenance, safety improvements, and traffic calming, particularly along Routes 15, 50, 7, 9, and 287 in proximity to the Towns, and other changes in roads and/or transportation services that are consistent with both the Town’s and the County’s goals and priorities.

E. Assess the effectiveness of the JLMA approach and associated zoning in protecting town character, maintaining a defining edge between the town and the rural areas, and/or as a tool for expanding economic development objectives. The defining edge is the boundary between two distinct land use patterns, whether existing or desired. The edge may encompass an area that establishes a visual distinction, either as perceived from the road or from broader views of the landscape.

F. Add provisions to the rural and JLMA zoning districts specific to gateway corridors leading into each town that would establish deeper building setbacks variable building and lot configuration and orientation, hedgerow landscaping and buffering along the road, and other measures that retain or create a traditional rural or natural appearance

leading into the town.

G. Work with the Towns, interested groups and nonprofit foundations to identify open-space and agricultural-preservation strategies such as: donation of conservation easements, fee-simple purchase, clustering, and the possible creation of a conservation service district.

Strategy

1.2 Encourage new development to locate within the Towns before moving into the JLMAs or surrounding area.

Actions

A. Encourage the maintenance, improvement, or adaptive reuse of existing building stock in a manner that supports social and economic diversity within the community.

B. Promote the commercial areas within the Towns as the preferred location of retail and service businesses, office development, and public and civic uses, as deemed appropriate by the Towns.

C. Work with the Towns to enhance their economic base and maintain viable commercial areas through marketing, capital investments, and business attraction.

D. Support annexations by the Towns when water and sewer extend into a JLMA in accordance with the annexation guidelines in this section and to resolve jurisdictional questions for property owners.

E. Encourage site layouts in a JLMA that extend the existing and planned development patterns of the Town and surrounding JLMA.

Strategy

1.3 Continue to recognize the Towns as the preferred location of public facilities serving the Rural Policy Area, when otherwise consistent with Town policies and when suitable land and services are available.

Actions

A. Encourage the continued use of existing public facilities located in the Towns and JLMAs and seek to maintain existing community-based schools as an important social and economic component of the communities.

B. Cooperate with the Towns providing local law enforcement to ensure a coordinated enforcement strategy within the Town JLMAs.

C. Support development of sidewalks and recreational, multi-use, and equine trails connecting the Towns to each other, to regional trail networks such as the W&OD and C&O Canal, and to area destinations.

Leesburg

Leesburg, the largest and most populous of the incorporated towns with a population of approximately 49,000 residents¹, has the added distinction of serving as the seat of the County government. By its location, it functions and appears to be a commercial hub at the junction between suburban areas to the east and rural areas to the west. The pressures for growth in Leesburg are the result of the robust regional economy that will continue to draw more businesses, government jobs, and residents. Town character is of paramount importance to Leesburg. The Old and Historic District is the basis of Leesburg’s identity. It is a compact, mix of land uses; its blocks and buildings are human scaled; a resurgence in entertainment retail uses and downtown residential development have brought new development interest to the community. Other portions of the Town have a different, more suburban character where more uniform uses and large lots, curved streets, and culs-de-sac dominate the landscape. Between 2001 and 2016, Leesburg added 5.5 million square feet of retail, commercial, office, and institutional development, and approximately 4,300 residential units.

The Town’s planning vision for the foreseeable future is to continue the diversity in economic and housing opportunities in a manner that reflects the best and essential qualities of the old and historic downtown. Leesburg will maintain a high quality of life by providing a full range of community facilities and services and diverse economic opportunities, protecting natural, environmental, and heritage resources, and protecting against negative environmental impacts. The Town of Leesburg is approximately 90 percent built out and, like other towns, has limited land area for new government facility development. County strategies recognize the fiscal impact of public facilities on a Town with limited land resources and has added more flexibility to locating such facilities in and around towns.

Leesburg’s JLMA is situated almost entirely to the south and east of the corporate limits and contains approximately 7,000 acres. The northeast portion of Leesburg's JLMA has developed in the manner recommended by Town and County plans with a distinct suburban residential pattern, while other areas of the JLMA are planned for non-residential uses.

The Town views the main purpose of JLMA land uses between Route 7 and Route 267 to serve as an expansion of economic development goals by focusing on employment uses. JLMA planned place types reflect Leesburg’s Town Plan and no major changes to land use are proposed.

On the south, west, and north sides of Leesburg there is no JLMA; instead, policies support a greenbelt and a defining edge adjacent to the Town. The Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan implements the greenbelt throughrural and transitional place types up to these Town boundaries and proposing specific development guidelines along the major roads leading to the Town to preserve distinctly rural development pattern.

Strategy

1.4 Ensure development within the Joint Land Management Area complies with the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan and the Leesburg Town Plan, as amended.

Actions

A. Collaborate with the Town of Leesburg on locating new facilities in the Town or JLMA.

B. Maintain the planned land use of the JLMA consistent with Town of Leesburg land use policies; maintaining an emphasis on employment uses south of Route 7 and residential to the north of Route 7.

C. Prohibit power generation plants in the Leesburg JLMA.

D. Define the Town of Leesburg and JLMA as a distinct community separate from the Suburban and Rural Policy Areas by retaining rural policies and zoning to the north and south of the Town boundary and west of Evergreen Mills Road, and protecting the Goose Creek and Sycolin Creek floodplains to the east and south of the JLMA.

E. Preserve the rural character of the viewsheds along Route 15 as it approaches the Town of Leesburg from the north and south by encouraging additional conservation easements and instituting design guidelines.

F. Cooperate with the Town of Leesburg to complete the Potomac Heritage Trail and conserve open space along the Potomac River within the Town boundary and JLMA area.

G. Coordinate with the Town of Leesburg and VDOT on the feasibility of planning and building Edwards Ferry Road as a two-lane facility with on-road bicycle accommodations. The County will work with the Town and VDOT to designate the road as a scenic by-way.

H. Protect the viability of the Leesburg Airport by ensuring development in the JLMA does not impede Airport operations by continuing to prohibit residential development inside the 65 Ldn noise contour.

Hamilton

First settled in the 1730s and incorporated in 1875, the Town of Hamilton is located along business Route 7 between Leesburg and Purcellville. Hamilton served as a commercial and tourism hub after the railroad was extended west of Leesburg, though by the mid-1900s had become primarily a residential community. The existing JLMA around Hamilton and the adjacent RPA along the north side of its boundaries have also developed with residential uses. While Hamilton has extended utilities outside of its boundaries and has water facilities in the JLMA, it does not foresee expansion of the JLMA. An existing school and school support facilities on the western edge of the JLMA serve to separate the community from Purcellville.

The Town of Hamilton Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hamilton and JLMA serves as Loudoun County’s planning document for the Hamilton JLMA. The Comprehensive Plan for the

Town and JLMA was jointly adopted by Loudoun County and the Town of Hamilton and planned for a period through 2020. The Policies, Strategies, and Actions specific to Hamilton address the continued coordination between the Town and County regarding future updates to Hamilton’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Town of Hamilton supports the Town’s ability to annex land within its JLMA. The Town believes such annexations provide “win-win” scenarios that enable the Town to provide better and additional services to property owners, while the County still receives applicable tax revenue from these areas.

The Town of Hamilton also supports collaboration between Loudoun County and the Town regarding development issues near the Town, especially to the west and east along Business Route 7/Colonial Highway.

Hamilton’s wells are vital to the continued provision of potable water to County and Town residents. As such, Hamilton supports Policies, Strategies, and Actions regarding the location and depth of private wells to protect municipal wells that provide water to thousands of people throughout Loudoun County.

The Town of Hamilton supports an emphasis on affordable housing and supports increased efforts to provide housing that is affordable to the workforce, older adults, teachers, firefighters, police, and others who allow Loudoun County to function as a community.

Strategy

1.5 Development within the Hamilton JLMA will comply with the comprehensive plan for the Town of Hamilton and the adjacent area in the JLMA.

Actions

A. Maintain the Town of Hamilton authority over subdivision applications within 1 mile of its corporate limits.

B. Work with the Town of Hamilton to update the Comprehensive Plan for the Town and JLMA after the adoption of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan.

C. Support the Town of Hamilton efforts to develop an identifiable town center to serve as a community focal point for the Town of Hamilton and the JLMA.

D. Seek to improve street connectivity as the redevelopment and infill development occur in the JLMA and connect to the existing streets in the Town of Hamilton, where feasible, with roads that are compatible with traditional town designs.

E. Work with the Town of Hamilton to effectively manage transportation systems around the Town and to explore methods of traffic calming on Business Route 7 through town including the possible use of a traffic circle at Route 7 and St. Paul Street.

F. Maintain a distinct identity for the greater Hamilton community separate from the adjacent rural areas by establishing a greenbelt around the Town of Hamilton and the JLMA using conservation easements, passive and active parks and other means.

G. Work with the Town of Hamilton to achieve a balanced land use pattern that will retain

Hamilton’s historic small-town character in a rural setting and maintain its unique sense of place.

H. Work with the Town of Hamilton to plan for a shared-use trail connecting to the Town of Purcellville.

Hillsboro

Established in 1752 in the narrow gap of the Short Hill Mountains and known simply as “The Gap” until incorporated as Hillsborough in 1802, today’s Town of Hillsboro is among the best-preserved 18th/19th-century rural villages in the Commonwealth. Although a 2016 boundary line adjustment nearly doubled the Town’s area, with a population of approximately 100 residents¹, Hillsboro remains the fourth smallest town in Virginia.

First placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the Hillsboro Historic District was expanded in 2010 to encompass 152 acres with 52 contributing structures dating primarily from the 18th and mid-19th centuries. The compact linear village is bounded on its south by Catoctin Creek and South Short Hill, and the North Short Hill on the north, and is bisected by Historic Charles Town Pike (Va. Route 9), which has become a major commuter route connecting Northern Virginia to West Virginia and Maryland and carrying more than 17,000 vehicle trips daily.

Hillsboro successfully supported a traffic-calming and congestion mitigation project with the intent to reduce delays during peak hours, control speeds via dual roundabouts and traffic-calming features, and create a safe pedestrian/multi-modal environment with the addition of sidewalks, raised crosswalks, and a series of multi-modal trails. Utilizing context-sensitive materials, streetscaping, and burial of overhead utilities, this project preserves Hillsboro’s historic character and enhances its sense of place. With safe parking and pedestrian access allowing appropriate small-scale enterprises, Hillsboro looks to regain its historical role as the hub of a robust agricultural region, which has also become a major tourist destination with an expanding array of vineyards, breweries, and recreational activities – including Virginia’s newest state park.

In addition to Hillsboro’s traffic-calming project, the complete overhaul of the Town’s drinking water system and installation of a low-pressure sanitary sewer force main, in anticipation of a community wastewater treatment facility, will serve the community for years to come.

With its transformative infrastructure projects, Hillsboro’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance will be updated to better reflect the potential for appropriate economic development within the existing built environment that is consistent and complementary to historic preservation and provides a broader tax base to ensure long-term viability. The Town will continue the repurposing of its landmarks, Old Stone School and Gap Stage, into a regional venue for the arts in addition to serving as Hillsboro’s Town Hall and community/visitor center.

As the traditional “home town” for a nearly 50-square mile rural region in Northwest Loudoun, the Town of Hillsboro has taken a leadership role in unifying and “branding” the area. The Town supported and facilitated the conversion of the Hillsboro Elementary School into Loudoun’s second public charter school in 2016, led a successful effort in 2017 to reestablish an official

Hillsboro postal identity for this area, and fostered the creation of the Greater Hillsboro Business Alliance.

With more than a dozen vineyards, numerous specialty farm operations and Loudoun’s greatest concentration of bed and breakfasts within five minutes of the Town’s center, Hillsboro is the gateway to one of Virginia’s most dynamic rural economies. As such, the Town has an existential stake in the preservation of the farmlands and open spaces, mountainside forests and ridge lines that surround it. Hillsboro’s historic integrity as a rural village situated on the 18th-century “Great Road” – Charles Town Pike – is largely defined by the still existent swaths of farmlands on its east and west approaches. As Hillsboro’s National Register of Historic Places nomination describes: “The majority of the buildings in Hillsboro are nestled along Charles Town Pike. The nominal setback of these buildings contributes to Hillsboro’s sense of time and place, as the uniformity and integrity of the building stock has been maintained…. The buildings share a commonality in their setback, maintaining Hillsboro’s integrity of location and feeling. The rural character of Hillsboro is further increased by the size of the outlying properties.”

Hillsboro’s uniquely unspoiled rural and historic character – despite its location within one of the nation’s most economically dynamic, fastest-growing and wealthiest counties – makes the Town and its environs assets that will only become more valuable with the urbanization of eastern Loudoun. Proactive preservation of farmland in the RPA through private permanent conservation easements is essential.

The renaissance that Hillsboro is currently experiencing will serve as a catalyst to ensuring the long-term viability of a strong recreational/agritourism economy in Northwest Loudoun. In partnership with Loudoun County, the Town is committed to forging policies that protect and preserve the vital rural assets that contribute to economic vitality and quality of life for all Loudoun residents.

Strategy

1.6 Enhance the role of Hillsboro as a rural gateway and hub for northwest Loudoun’s agricultural, recreational, and wine tourism area.

Actions

A. Encourage the establishment of a greenbelt around the Town using conservation easements, development design techniques and other means to help maintain the distinct edge and rural community identity of the Town of Hillsboro.

B. Support the development of entry features into the town, to enhance the identity of the Town of Hillsboro as a gateway community.

C. In recognition of Hillsboro’s historic role and future development as the center of a robust agricultural region, support expanded productive farming and rural economic development that will encourage new farmers, preserve and expand area farmland, boost tourism, stimulate county and regional markets for locally produced products and jobs, and expand entrepreneurial opportunities to Hillsboro area residents.

D. Encourage the preservation of the natural, environmental, and heritage resources that contribute to the identity of Hillsboro.

E. Oppose any increase in density and development outside of the Town of Hillsboro that does not retain the low density, farm landscape that provides the historic rural context for the Town.

F. Work with the Town of Hillsboro and with VDOT to establish context-sensitive roadway design standards and to identify short and long-term solutions for improving the safety of Route 9 in western Loudoun and through Hillsboro that do not compromise the rural character of Hillsboro.

G. Promote safety measures for pedestrians, cyclists, and farm vehicles along and across Route 9, Route 690, Route 719, and Route 812.

H. Work with the Town of Hillsboro to establish a safe and adequate water supply and modern community wastewater collection and treatment system.

Lovettsville

Lovettsville, originally known as the German Settlement, is a small town with historical roots that go back to 1732. The Town served as a thriving commercial center for the surrounding farming areas for over one-hundred years. This function was eventually eclipsed during the post-World War II period by other, larger communities in Loudoun County, Northern Virginia, and nearby Maryland, which is about three miles from the Town.

Since 2005, Lovettsville has experienced a rapid increase in population and housing associated with growth of single-family detached residences. The population influx consists of people who are attracted to the traditional main street character of Lovettsville set in the larger context of the (mostly) rural northern Loudoun Valley.

Lovettsville continues to focus on development inside its existing boundaries and prefers a distinct edge between its boundaries and the surrounding rural landscape. Lovettsville has made significant investments in streetscape improvements and trails. Commercial development has also occurred at the Town Center and along East Broad Way (Route 673). Lovettsville supports continued County cooperation on transportation and public facilities, with a strong interest in developing multi-use County trails that connect the town to the W&OD and C&O Canal trails.

Significant land use changes have occurred within the Town. Most notably the evolution of the Lovettsville Town Center from its initial concepts to a nearly-completed, neo-traditional community centered on a pedestrian-friendly and centrally-located business district having wide sidewalks, decorative streetlamps, and ample public gathering spaces. This development, residential subdivisions on infill properties, redevelopment of properties in the “Old Town” for modern commercial uses, and implementation of streetscape projects throughout, has contributed to Lovettsville’s growth from a population of 853 in the year 2000 to approximately 2,300 residents

in 2018¹. Several large properties within the Town limits are available for future development, although much less land is available for new residential development compared to 18 years ago.

The County has not established a JLMA around Lovettsville, consistent with the Town’s desire to focus development inside the existing boundaries. The Town has identified several limited areas outside of its corporate limits that may be candidates for annexation for the purposes of supporting existing and developing future civic, commercial, or employment uses, and achieving the Town’s economic development goals. Future annexation of these areas will be considered on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on the capacity of Town water and wastewater services to accommodate the future development of these properties, something that the Town evaluates through its Water and Sewer Master Plan.

The County is actively improving and constructing public facilities in and around the Town including the Lovettsville Community Center, Lovettsville Community Park, Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station, and Lovettsville Elementary School. Coordination is critical to providing utilities and access to these facilities and to planned future development, which may require access through the County to afford multiple points of connection to and from public streets. The Town also seeks continued County funding for streetscape enhancements and for pedestrian safety improvements and traffic calming on Town streets near County facilities.

Strategy

1.7 Support the Town of Lovettsville in efforts to consolidate development within its boundaries.

Actions

A. Retain and recruit businesses that serve the needs of Lovettsville and northern Loudoun County residents and align with Town plans.

B. Collaborate with the Town of Lovettsville in the planning and regulation of development along Route 287 north and south of Lovettsville to protect the scenic quality and the rural character of the road as it approaches the Town.

C. Link the County’s greenways and trails system with the Town of Lovettsville’s internal trail and bikeways network to link Lovettsville with the C&O Canal in Brunswick, Maryland, and the W&OD bike path in Purcellville.

D. Plan the location and design of County facilities within Lovettsville, in consultation with the Town of Lovettsville.

E. Collaborate with the Town of Lovettsville and VDOT on transportation planning in and around Lovettsville to improve traffic safety in the Town of Lovettsville and to improve regional road networks and access to employment centers.

F. Cooperate with the Town of Lovettsville, pursuant to County/Town Annexation Agreement/Corporate Boundary Line Adjustment Guidelines on boundary-line

adjustments to resolve jurisdictional questions, to serve public and civic uses, and to support the Town of Lovettsville’s economic goals and priorities.

Middleburg

The Town of Middleburg, established in 1787, is the southernmost town in Loudoun County and retains a traditional village character that is treasured by its citizens and visitors. Middleburg is both the hub of a larger rural area and a major tourist destination. The character of Middleburg is irrevocably tied to the preservation of the farms, vistas, vineyards, open spaces, and forests that surround the Town, with equestrian facilities, estates, wineries, and associated businesses central to Middleburg’s way of life and tourism industry.

The commercial core of Middleburg contains both retail and service businesses that serve rural area residents and the tourism industry. Specialty and high-end accommodations and retail, food, and beverage are cornerstones of the Town’s economy. The rural nature and character of its surroundings are critical to its continued success. Visitor dollars spent at restaurants, shops, and accommodations within Middleburg generate 75 percent of annual Town revenues.

The Town is home to 656 people and expects its population to increase modestly in the future. A significant portion of the Town has been placed on the National Register for Historic Places and the Town administers a local Historic District to carefully control the look and feel of new development. While undeveloped land is scarce within the Town limits, the Salamander Resort has plans for 109 new residential units, and a limited number of other infill and redevelopment opportunities exist.

To preserve the character of the Town and the rural area that surrounds it, Middleburg promotes a defining edge between in-town development and open and agricultural lands outside of town. The defining edge will be established by the uses and development pattern of the Rural South Place Type and by identifying the lands adjacent to the Town as priority open space areas for conservation easements. For this reason, a JLMA is not proposed and the public utilities will not be extended beyond the Town limits except as supported by the Town and consistent with the Sewer and Water policies of this section. A high priority for the community is to safeguard the protection of its historic character and to ensure the viability of its local and tourism economies. Town citizens and surrounding property owners are extremely concerned about the rate of growth in the County and want to protect the open space around the Town from rural residential and commercial encroachment through land use regulation and conservation programs.

Middleburg is bisected by U.S. Route 50, one of two major east-west routes through the County. The community remains concerned about the volume and speed of traffic on this route, which serves as the Town’s main commercial street within the corporate limits. Even with the success of a traffic calming project completed in late 2016, traffic congestion and safety issues remain high priorities and require the County and Town to work together to identify and implement additional traffic demand reduction and traffic calming measures aimed at mitigating local and pass-through traffic in the Town.

Cooperation and regular collaboration should continue between the County and Middleburg to address issues important to both jurisdictions, including issues of economy, rural preservation, and transportation.

Strategy

1.8 Maintain a defining edge at the Town of Middleburg’s boundary in lieu of a JLMA to clearly distinguish the Town of Middleburg from the surrounding rural, undeveloped countryside.

Actions

A. Collaborate with the Town of Middleburg on zoning and development activities outside the Town but in its vicinity, with the goal of preserving the rural character of its gateways and surrounding environs.

B. Be an active partner with the Middleburg community and interested preservation groups to identify open-space and agricultural preservation approaches such as conservation easements, land acquisition, and development standards to promote and implement open-space preservation around the Town of Middleburg that helps establish a greenbelt and protect the rural appearance of roadways leading into the Town.

C. Protect rural roads and scenic views through measures such as revised state road improvement standards; scenic easements; historic corridor overlay zoning for John Mosby Highway (Route 50), Foxcroft Road (Route 626), and the Plains Road (Route 626); and development setbacks.

D. Assist, when requested, in the promotion of tourism, as a means of increasing public support for preservation of the scenic and historic Middleburg area.

E. Work with the Town of Middleburg to implement strategies that will preserve and enhance agriculture as the predominant use in the RPA around Middleburg.

Purcellville

Purcellville was first settled in the mid-1700’s, given its official name in 1852, and incorporated in 1908. Purcellville has seen significant growth, with its population of 7,727 in 2010 growing to over 9,700 in 2017.¹ Residents of Purcellville have expressed their support for maintaining the small town character of the Town as expressed by the traditional architecture of the older neighborhoods, the downtown, the repurposed farm buildings that serve as evidence of the Town’s rural past, the rural landscape, farmland, and green space that gives the community a sense of history. To maintain some of these factors requires cooperation between the Town and County to protect the rural nature of the land around the Town and to encourage continued economic development in the Town, which benefits western Loudoun residents.

Demand for housing in and around Purcellville is expected to increase. As Purcellville considers potential future growth demands, the Town’s preference is to focus on infill development within

the Town limits and to protect surrounding rural landscapes. Purcellville does not anticipate extending utilities beyond the current Town boundaries. Any growth in or around Purcellville will increase the need for transportation improvements to be coordinated between the Town, County, and State, such as the Route 690 interchange and the Route 7 Bypass/Route 287 intersection.

Purcellville supports the protection of existing and the establishment of new open spaces in the JLMA along with trail connections, particularly between the W&OD Trail and Franklin Park. On the east and west sides of Purcellville the Town directly abuts the Rural Policy Area and there is no JLMA; however, the RPA provides for one dwelling unit per 10 acres. The Town supports a greenbelt extending to incorporate properties that fall within approximately one-quarter mile of the Town limits, with a defining edge” within the RPA. The Town supports preservation and protection programs within these areas.

The Town also supports implementation of gateways protecting rural view sheds at the east, west, north, and south entrances to the Town. To this end, the Town and County dissolved the Purcellville Urban Growth Area Management Plan (PUGAMP) in 2013 and adopted a rural development policy for the JLMA. The County encourages a low density, rural mix of residential and business uses around the Town that are distinguishable from the intensity and character of development in Purcellville.

Strategy

1.9 Support Town of Purcellville’s efforts to accommodate growth within the existing Town limits that will not compromise its small town charm or character and to maintain its role as a hub of economic development in western Loudoun.

Actions

A. Establish a “defining edge” by implementing the uses and development pattern of the Rural North Place Type and by identifying the lands adjacent to the Town of Purcellville as priority open space areas for conservation easements.

B. Work with the Town of Purcellville to plan for a trail extension that connects the W&OD Trail with Franklin Park.

C. Include setbacks, height limitations, and landscaping standards along Route 7, Route 287, and the Route 7 Bypass to establish and maintain a greenbelt or defining edge around the Town of Purcellville characterized by open space and tree-lined roadways.

D. Encourage the use of frontage roads, coordinated development plans, and other means of minimizing the number of driveways along Route 7 and Route 287 leading into Purcellville.

E. Encourage new commercial uses to locate in the Town of Purcellville before locating in the JLMA.

F. Encourage owners of historic projects in the JLMA to place properties into a Purcellville or County Historic District.

G. Protect historic structures in the context of their natural settings.

H. Work with the Town of Purcellville to expand broadband connectivity for citizens and businesses.

Round Hill

Round Hill first became a recognized community in the mid-1800’s, after the construction of the Leesburg and Snicker’s Gap Turnpike, now Route 7. Incorporated in 1900, Round Hill served as a destination for those looking for a holiday from Washington, D.C., benefiting from the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad and proximity to the Shenandoah River.

The population within the Town’s limits is approximately 668 residents.¹ Growth potential within Round Hill’s boundaries is very limited with a projected buildout of only 20 additional residences. In contrast, the JLMA around Round Hill has experienced the addition of 1,200 new homes and approximately 3,000 residents over a 16-year period. Approximately 400 additional homes can be built in the JLMA. As development in the JLMA increases, Round Hill’s ability to balance revenue and costs will be a significant consideration in annexing these residences into Round Hill’s boundaries. The Town continues to seek commercial gateways at the east and west entrances to Town and is constrained downtown by the lack of space. Maintenance of the local roads is also a growth consideration. Maintenance is currently the responsibility of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) but would become a Town responsibility if the Town reaches a certain population through annexation.

There is a desire to expand public-use facilities and provide the community with additional amenities, such as a daycare, senior center, and community center. Round Hill also has an opportunity to become an Appalachian Trail community by taking advantage of its proximity to Bear’s Den and Blackburn trail stops.

Strategy

1.10 Support planning efforts to retain the small-town character of Round Hill and assist the Town of Round Hill in efforts to preserve the historic character and resources in and around the town.

Actions

A. Development within the Round Hill JLMA will comply with the Round Hill Area Management Plan and Round Hill Comprehensive Plan and adopted policies applicable to the JLMA.

B. To that end new development should: i. Be of a density, lot pattern, street pattern, and scale which replicates existing development within the Town of Round Hill. ii. Become an extension of the existing town, forming logical and natural additions to the historic fabric and enhancing the existing town as the central focal point of the entire community. iii. Demonstrate that adequate water and sewer service will be available to serve the proposed development.

iv. Support the clustering of residences as a method to obtain additional open space. v. Oppose development that proposes an average density greater than it would have been without clustering unless a rezoning is also involved. vi. Advocate for walkable neighborhoods in the JLMA using connected streets in a grid pattern and discourage the use of culs-de-sac.

C. Encourage housing for the elderly that will allow residents to remain in the Town of Round Hill.

D. Encourage rural economy business development in the greater Round Hill Area to provide local goods, services and jobs to Town of Round Hill residents and visitors.

E. Oppose any increase in density and development outside of the JLMA that is not consistent with the traditional rural character of western Loudoun County.

F. Avoid high density development between the current boundaries of Purcellville and Round Hill and expand open space around Franklin Park to help maintain a greenbelt between communities.

G. Enhance the gateways to the Town of Round Hill by developing features or retaining a clear distinction between the surrounding rural area and the edge of the town. Techniques may include measures to protect existing trees, hedgerows, viewsheds, and vistas; design guidelines for lot configuration to retain the rural lot pattern; new landscaping and entrance features and other techniques.

H. Support development of sidewalks, trails, and linear parks that connect civic and public facilities with residential and commercial neighborhoods in the Town of Round Hill and JLMA and extend to Franklin Park and the W&OD Trail.

I. Coordinate transportation planning with the Town of Round Hill to ensure that traffic generated from development within the County does not adversely affect Round Hill. The County will work with the Town of Round Hill on traffic calming measures.

Towns and Joint Land Management Areas – Municipal Water and Sewer

Town Policy 2: Town municipal systems will be given the opportunity to provide utilities to surrounding Joint Land Management Areas. An alternative municipal provider shall only be used when the Town, the County, and the Health Department agree.

Strategy

2.1 Due to the proximity of central system water and wastewater systems to the Leesburg JLMA, and in order to avoid out-of-town utility rates for County residents and businesses, the central system shall be the presumed utility service provider in the Leesburg JLMA for new service put in place after adoption of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan. If the property owner is not able to come to an agreement with the

central system provider or the central system provider declines or is unable to provide utility service to the Leesburg JLMA or any portion thereof, utility service may be provided by the municipal system.

2.2. Except as provided in Strategy 2.1, serve all development in JLMAs by a municipal system when agreed to by the adjacent Town.

Actions

A. Prior to approval of development in the JLMA beyond current zoning, require written assurance from the central system provider or the adjacent town, for a municipal system, that water and sewer will be provided.

B. Consider potential impacts of surrounding development on Town wells during the development review process.

C. Any future expansion of municipal (Town) sewer and water into the County JLMA will support development that is consistent with the goals and policies of the County and Town adopted plans.

D. Retain the option to use shared or alternative sewer and water facilities to serve Town and County owned and operated public facilities upon agreement between the Town and the County.

E. Permit the extension of municipal sewer and water into the Rural Policy Area only to serve public facilities or to address a potential public health risk. (See also, Chapter 6, Fiscal Management and Public Infrastructure, Rural Sewer and Water)

Design Guidelines

The Design Guidelines are to build upon our current development patterns in a manner that allows innovative design and new responses to the market. The Design Guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive and are not intended to be treated as a checklist, but are instead meant to provide a framework for how the desired character of the JLMAs can be achieved, with the acknowledgement that other methods could achieve the intended results. The Design Guidelines do not supersede or otherwise limit the application of adopted zoning regulations, ordinances, building codes, proffers or any other design standards or regulations administered by Loudoun County.

All applications for development in the JLMA are expected to include project specific design guidelines, site layouts, illustratives, landscape plans, building elevations, and other similar graphics that demonstrate consistency with the JLMA Design Guidelines and planning principles in the document.

When using these Design Guidelines, analysis is to be provided of the impact a potential development may have on the landscape, considering not only appearance, but practical considerations such as proximity to utilities, community amenities, jobs, and housing to maximize the use of existing infrastructure and limit travel distances.

The County encourages the use of a design process when planning development in the JLMA that conserves natural, environmental, and heritage resources and incorporates any such features into the site design. (See Appendix for Design Guidelines for the JLMAs)

County/Town Annexation Agreement/Corporate Boundary Line Adjustment Guidelines

The County and the incorporated Towns will explore entering into annexation agreements to facilitate the annexations of properties that are receiving Town sewer and water services and are compatible with Town comprehensive plans. Agreements might include language based on the following recommendations:

1. Notwithstanding anything else in this Plan to the contrary, there shall be a presumption that land in the Leesburg Joint Land Management Area, which can be served by the central system, shall remain in the County and not be brought into the corporate boundaries of the Town.
2. With the exception of the Leesburg JLMA, the Town and the County should only honor requests for the extension of municipal sewer and/or water services outside the Town’s corporate limits, within the designated JLMA when the beneficiaries of such service provide written acknowledgement of the right of the Town Council to annex the subject properties. If the Town should desire, this written acknowledgement may include the beneficiaries’ written agreement to join with the Town in a joint annexation petition.
3. Parcels located within the designated JLMA and contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the Town, which have agreed to annexation in exchange for municipal sewer and/or water service, should be immediately annexed by the Town upon County approval of the rezoning and/or development proposal that requires municipal water and/or sewer service.
4. Parcels located within the designated JLMA, which have agreed to annexation in exchange for municipal sewer and/or water but which are not contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the Town, should enter into an agreement with the Town as follows: that annexation of these parcels should take place at such time as the subject parcels become contiguous with the corporate limits of the Town or five years from the date of County approval of the rezoning and/or land development proposal, which requires municipal water and/or sewer service, whichever comes first. In the latter case, where parcels receiving Town sewer and water remain noncontiguous to the corporate limits of the Town, any parcels lying between the corporate limits of the Town and the noncontiguous parcel which is receiving municipal sewer and water should be annexed at the end of the five-year period. However, these intervening parcels should not be required to hook into the Town sewer and/or water service unless desired by the property owner or necessary to maintain public health standards.
5. With the exception of the Leesburg JLMA, when the County approves the rezoning and/or development proposal of a property in the JLMA, which would require municipal sewer and/or water service, such approval should constitute the County’s approval of annexation. At the time of such approval, the County should also provide the Town with written consent of annexation.

6. The County and Towns may proceed with annexations or with corporate boundary line adjustments, pursuant to State Code requirements, irrespective of whether the Town has a JLMA.

Place Types

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the following Place Types have been designated for specific locations as displayed on the accompanying map. The Place Types will work in concert with the Design Guidelines and Policies, Strategies, and Actions of the JLMAs to fulfill the land use patterns and community characteristics intended for these areas.

Reference Maps

Policy Areas (Map #2025-111)

Countywide Place Types (Map #2026-003)

Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas (Map #2018-156)

Legacy Village Cores (Map #2025-112)

Urban Policy Areas Place Types (Map #2025-107)

Suburban Policy Area Place Types (Map #2025-105)

Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District Area (Map #2018-312)

Transition Policy Area Place Types (Map #2025-110)

Rural Policy Area Place Types (Map #2025-071)

Historic Villages and Communities (Map #2025-073)

Conservation Easements in Rural Policy Area: 2019 (Map #2025-119)

JLMA Place Types (Map #2025-106)

Loudoun County

JLMA Place Types

2019 General Plan

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Policy Areas Parks & Recreation Place Types Leesburg JLMA Employment Leesburg JLMA Industry/Mineral Extraction Leesburg JLMA Residential Neighborhood Purcellville JLMA Rural Neighborhood Western JLMA NEeighborhood

** The Rural Historic Village of Lincoln overlaps a portion of the Purcellville JLMA Rural Neighborhood

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

0 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 Miles Map Number 2025-106

CHAPTER 2-142

Purcellville JLMA Rural Neighborhood

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The Purcellville JLMA Rural is a combination of low-density rural residential uses and limited agriculture and related businesses in a rural visual setting that is easily distinguished from the Town development pattern. Uses are predominantly residential but limited agriculture-supportive businesses that can be accommodated by onsite well and septic systems are appropriate. Municipal water and sewer service is not anticipated except to address potential health threats, but shared water and wastewater systems are permitted for public facilities.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Large areas of land preserved for open space, agriculture, and rural economy uses to retain the rural character of the area leading to the Town with limited low-density residential and clustered residential development screened from the roads to maintain the distinct identity of the Town.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: 0.3 – 2.0 du / acre Building Height: 1-3 stories

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Transition Locate buildings and structures to blend with the existing topography and natural features. Preserve and incorporate existing trees and vegetation on the property and its perimeter to buffer and screen views for adjoining properties. Provide landscaping or supplemental plantings comprised of native species when screening and buffering are required between uses.

Western JLMA Neighborhood

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The Western JLMA Neighborhood applies to areas around the towns of Round Hill and Hamilton. This Place Type includes a variety of residential subdivisions ranging in densities from 0.3 to 3.0 units per acre. The higher density development is adjacent to Round Hill and resulted from the Round Hill Associates rezoning that was approved in 1991. Remaining areas include densities from 0.3 to 1.0 units per acre. Most neighborhoods are connected to Town water and sewer.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Low-density residential neighborhoods maintaining the development pattern around Hamilton and Round Hill. Much of these JLMA areas has been developed and remaining sites should develop with a consistent and compatible pattern and intensity.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: 0.3 – 2.0 du/acre

Building Height: 1-3 stories

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Transition Buildings and structures should be surrounded by natural buffers that visually screen the development from view of surrounding roads and from other developments.

Leesburg JLMA Residential Neighborhood

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The Leesburg JLMA Residential Neighborhood reflects a suburban residential pattern with densities between 0.3 and 4.0 units per acre. This Place Type applies primarily to areas north of Route 7 near the eastern boundary of the Town and adjacent to the Woodlea Hills community on the southwest side of the Town. Single family detached and attached homes are the predominant land use. Retail and service uses that serve the routine shopping needs of the immediate neighborhood (e.g., grocery, gas stations, drive-throughs, dry cleaners, etc.) should be integrated into the area at significant intersections and along major roads. Neighborhoods include a range of amenities and community open space.

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Low-density residential neighborhoods maintaining the development pattern along the eastern and western boundary of Leesburg. Much of these JLMA areas has been developed and remaining sites should develop with a consistent and compatible pattern and intensity.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Residential Density: Up to 4.0 du/acre Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 0.4 Building Height: 1-3 stories

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CHAPTER 2-148

Loudoun County 2019 General Plan

Transition Development is intended to be consistent with surrounding neighborhoods. Transitions should be gradual, and appropriate transitional techniques include variations in building orientation, height step down, and creative and extensive use of landscaping and natural features. Fencing or other barriers should not be used as the sole means of screening and buffering. Where possible, new developments within Leesburg JLMA Residential Neighborhood areas should locate uses along their perimeter that are similar in use and density with adjacent neighborhoods.

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CHAPTER 2-149

Leesburg JLMA Employment

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Leesburg JLMA Employment areas provide opportunities for a range of light and general industry uses similar to the existing pattern south of Route 7 and around the Leesburg Executive Airport. This Place Type accommodates flex space, manufacturing, warehousing, contractor services and other productive uses.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Primarily separate one-to-two-story buildings used for industrial and employment uses.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 1.0

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Building Height: 1-4 stories

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Transition Extensive buffering including berming and, where appropriate, walls can separate and screen parking, loading and other industrial activities from public roads and adjacent residential uses. Larger projects should situate lower intensity uses next to residential or other sensitive uses. Landscaping, lawns and retained natural areas will frame buildings and streets.

Leesburg JLMA Industrial/Mineral Extraction

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Leesburg JLMA Industrial/Mineral Extraction areas consist of large manufacturing, warehousing, and other productive uses. Streets in this district are typically designed to accommodate freight ingress and egress. This Place Type also includes mineral extraction areas such as quarries and mines as well as associated uses such as asphalt plants and cement plants. Industrial and mineral extraction uses are incompatible with residential uses due to the prevalence of outdoor storage and the emissions of noise, odor, and vibrations. Buffers between these uses and residential uses are necessary to ensure compatibility and maintain commercial viability.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

Context Primarily one-to-two-story buildings used for warehousing, contractor services, or manufacturing.

Place Type Rendering An oblique projection of development within a Place Type to showcase the qualitative characteristics of how buildings within the Place Type should interact to create activity.

Total Nonresidential FAR: Up to 1.0 Building Height: 1-4 stories

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Transition Transitions between Leesburg JLMA Industrial/Mineral Extractive uses and other developments, in particular adjacent residential neighborhoods, are critically important to the viability of long-term industrial operations. Extensive buffering, berming, and distance should separate and screen adjacent uses. Larger projects should situate lower intensity uses next to residential or other noise sensitive uses. Storage and loading areas are to be oriented away from and screened from streets and adjacent uses.

Loudoun County

Policy Areas

2019 General Plan

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Town JLMA Towns Rural Transition Suburban Urban

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2025-111

CHAPTER 2-155

Loudoun County Place Types 2019 General Plan

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Place Types

• Airport
• Rural North
• Rural South
• Rural Historic Village
• Leesburg JLMA Employment
• Leesburg JLMA Industry/Mineral Extraction
• Leesburg JLMA Residential Neighborhood
• Purcellville JLMA Rural Neighborhood
• Western JLMA Neighborhood
• Suburban Commercial
• Suburban Compact Neighborhood
• Suburban Employment
• Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction
• Suburban Mixed Use
• Suburban Neighborhood
• Towns
• Transition Community Center
• Transition Compact Neighborhood
• Transition Industrial/Mineral Extraction
• Transition Large Lot Neighborhood
• Transition Light Industrial
• Transition Small Lot Neighborhood
• Urban Mixed Use
• Urban Transit Center

Loudoun County is NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2026-003

CHAPTER 2-156

Loudoun County Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas 2019 General Plan

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** The Priority Commercial Redevelopment Areas Map identifies potential areas of focus for redevelopment, infill, adaptive reuse, and reinvestment but is not intended to capture all areas of the county that may be appropriate for such projects. As part of the implementation of this plan, the County will develop criteria to identify and prioritize additional areas for redevelopment, infill, adaptive reuse, and reinvestment.

Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2018-156

CHAPTER 2-157

Loudoun County Legacy Village Cores 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

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Map Number 2025-112

CHAPTER 2-158

Loudoun County Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District Area 2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2018-312

Loudoun County

Conservation Easements

in Rural Policy Area: 2019

2019 General Plan

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Loudoun County IS NOT LIABLE for any use of or reliance upon this map or any information contained herein. While reasonable efforts have been made to obtain accurate data, the County makes no warranty, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for use of any purpose.

Map Number 2025-119

CHAPTER 2-160