Loudoun County TLUC Meeting October 22, 2025: Housing Expedited Process and Noise Mitigation Endorsed
Loudoun County Transportation and Land Use Committee Meeting – October 22, 2025
The Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors met on October 22, 2025, to discuss and act on several items including an update on the Environment and Energy Work Plan, a proposed expedited review pilot for 100% attainable housing, and a community‑driven noise mitigation project for Runway 30 at Washington Dulles International Airport. The committee received public comments, deliberated, and voted unanimously on all action items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Charles Lamb (resident) questioned the lack of quantifiable data supporting the Runway 30 noise mitigation recommendations, noting that similar measures have been implemented at other airports. He stated he was not criticizing the process but wanted to see data on noise reduction.
- Mark Glickman (Enterprise Community Partners) expressed full support for making the expedited review pilot for attainable housing permanent. He highlighted that predictable timelines are critical for affordable housing financing and urged the county to codify the program and expand it to include mixed‑income projects.
- Thomas Durlot (retired airline pilot, Brambleton resident) described severe noise from departing aircraft and proposed a simple solution: have aircraft fly a westerly heading for 4–5 miles before turning north, which would reduce noise over residential areas without affecting safety or efficiency.
- Scott Emory (Sterling resident, personal behalf) encouraged the county to continue energy leadership and suggested engaging former DOE loan program director Jigger Shaw to help address data center energy challenges.
- Robbie Belaram (Brambleton Community Association) thanked the board and staff for prioritizing the noise mitigation project. He emphasized that the design group reached consensus on three recommendations, prioritizing safety, efficiency, and reducing flights over schools, places of worship, and residential areas.
- Kim Hart (attainable housing builder) spoke in support of the expedited review pilot, noting that a previous pilot project (Atlantic Boulevard) went from rezoning to building permits in 18 months. He called the one‑year pilot a great next step.
- Rosemary Linder (Birchwood Community Association at Brambleton) expressed support for the noise mitigation recommendations and encouraged the committee to forward them to the full board.
Discussion Items
Environment and Energy Work Plan Quarterly Update
- Staff presented the quarterly update, highlighting progress on the invasive plant species management program (20 projects approved, nearly 100 acres), a trip to Germany to study waste heat district energy from data centers, and ongoing environmental justice outreach.
- Supervisor TeKrony introduced a motion to hold an Energy Innovation Forum in spring 2026, bringing together experts (including NREL and regional partners) to discuss best practices for data center energy technologies. The motion passed 4‑0‑1.
Expedited Process for Legislative Attainable Housing Applications
- Dan Galindo (Planning and Zoning) presented a proposed 12‑month pilot program for up to three applications that are 100% affordable. Key features include an 8‑month target timeline from acceptance to board decision, mandatory proffer statement at first submission, individualized review schedules, and a supervisor/commissioner briefing early in the process.
- Discussion included staffing capacity (currently fully staffed), concerns about early board engagement (staff will be present), and the exclusion of 50% affordable projects from this pilot. The committee voted unanimously to recommend the pilot to the Board of Supervisors.
Runway 30 Aviation Noise Mitigation Project
- Josh Peters (project manager) and Jim Allardyce (Vionair) presented three recommendations from the community design group:
- NADP1 (Noise Abatement Departure Procedure 1) – steeper climb to reduce noise near the airport.
- Nighttime Noise Track (11 p.m. – 7 a.m.) – aircraft to fly runway heading until reaching 3,000 feet before turning.
- Long‑term flight path changes – concentrate departures over commercial/industrial areas using two new RNAV routes.
- The design group reached consensus on these recommendations, which are supported by the community. Staff noted that the FAA will need to review the long‑term changes, while the first two could be implemented within months to a year.
- Chair Randall requested data on noise reduction levels; staff confirmed that detailed noise modeling (using FAA’s AEDT) is available and will be shared with the FAA.
Key Outcomes
- Energy Innovation Forum: Motion passed 4‑0‑1 (Supervisor Kershner off dais). Staff directed to coordinate with NREL, NVRC, and other partners to hold a forum in spring 2026.
- Expedited Attainable Housing Pilot: Motion passed 4‑0‑1. The Board of Supervisors will consider the recommendation to create a 12‑month pilot program effective January 1, 2026.
- Runway 30 Noise Mitigation: Motion passed 4‑0‑1. The committee endorsed the design group’s three recommendations and will forward them to the full Board of Supervisors for approval.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. I would like to call to order the October twenty second, twenty twenty-five transportation and land use committee meeting. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, switch your hearing aids to telecoil mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. So I am excited to say that we have speakers for our fifteen minute T Lock public input session. So Charles, um if uh and if you want to speak, if you're here and you want to speak, uh, we we're at on the waiting list now, but go ahead and give your name to the clerk, and we'll see um if we have time. Thank you, Mr. Lamb. Thanks for coming. Um, my comments are not in any way intended to be criticism. Um just an observation. I want to microbial again, be very clear. I am not criticizing the process, the recommendations for the runway three project or the uh stakeholders to participants, just an observation. Um I also hope that I am not ruining what should be a combaya moment. We should be holding hands, skipping down the road, celebrating what will occur, hopefully later tonight. But my question is this where's the data? After going through the 33-page report that's up on your website, I did not see data supporting the recommendations. I would like to have seen quantifiable information that supported the three recommendations that I think you're here tonight. Now, um maybe the group tonight will mention something that's not posted on the website that could satisfy my questions. But these recommendations are not new. They've been implemented at other airports, both here in the States and in Europe. And in fact, one of the recommendations, uh, Supervisor Turner has been articulating for over two years. Um I don't have a problem with the recommendations, except I would like to know what amount of noise reduction will result in each of the recommendations. I have not been able to see that. I put the website and the 33-page report, and I'm hoping that um we'll get more information about that tonight. Again, not a criticism, just an observation. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Lamb. Okay, our next speaker is Mark Glickman. Good afternoon, Chair and members of the Transportation and Land Use Committee. My name is Max Glickman, and I'm here on behalf of Enterprise Community Partners and Enterprise Community Development, one of the mid Atlantic's largest nonprofit affordable housing developers. Enterprise has invested over a billion dollars to help create nearly 23,000 affordable homes in Virginia, including more than 1,300 that we own and operate. We're eager to expand into Loudoun County, where housing affordability and opportunity are increasingly out of reach for many Loudoun residents. We truly appreciate the county's expedited review pilot for affordable housing. It's an important step forward, and we encourage you to make it permanent. We've already seen how this pilot can work. The Atlantic Boulevard project was approved in just six months. What county leaders called the platinum standard for addressing housing needs. It shows what's possible when Louden prioritizes attainable housing. For affordable housing developers like us, time kills deals. Every month of delay means higher costs, lost financing, and fewer homes built. Unlike market rate developers, we simply can't hold land indefinitely. We need predictable timelines to close financing. Our Ashburn Park and Ride attainable housing proposal illustrates this. Without an expedited review that gets us through approvals in six months, we'll miss Virginia Housing's single annual 9% tax credit round. That would push construction back a full year. To strengthen this pilot, we recommend codifying the program and making the pilot permanent, ensuring staff capacity to sustain the process, and open it opening the expedited process for mixed income projects as well.
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