Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Public Hearing - November 12, 2025
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Public Hearing - November 12, 2025
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on November 12, 2025, addressing 15 agenda items. The meeting began at approximately 7:00 PM. The board adopted a consolidated consent agenda for items 1-11, discussed amendments to tax relief, swimming pool regulations, the General Plan, and several land use applications, and deferred or postponed action on others. Key outcomes included forwarding the Residences at Dulles Plaza (100% affordable housing) to the December 2 board meeting, sending the swimming pool ordinance to TLUC for further review, and approving the Cochran Tech data center project.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Amendments to Chapter 868 – Exemption for Certified Solar Energy Equipment (Countywide) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 3: Nonprofit Organizations’ Request for Property Tax Exemption by Designation (Countywide) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 5: Conveyance of County-Owned Property at 161 West Main Street, Purcellville (Catoctin) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 6: Resolution to Authorize Eminent Domain for Sterling Boulevard Overpass (Sterling) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 7: DOAM-2025-0002, Facilities Standards Manual Amendments (Countywide) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 8: ALEGI-2025-0008, Interim Additions to Agricultural and Forestal Districts (Catoctin/Little River) – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 9: LEGI-2024-0020, Cleremont Farm Pond Renovation – Approved 8-0-1.
- Item 10: LEGI-2023-0114, Franklin Park West (Catoctin) – Approved to forward to March 2026 business meeting; commission permit ratified 8-0-1.
- Item 11: LEGI-2024-0031, Auto World Substation (Sterling) – Approved to forward to February 2026 business meeting; commission permit ratified 7-1-1 (Supervisor Briskman opposed).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Theo Stamadas (Loudoun Chamber of Commerce) spoke in strong support of the Residences at Dulles Plaza (Item 14), calling it a meaningful contribution to affordable housing for essential workers.
- Radislav Kazor (High Sierra Pools) opposed the lifeguard provision in the swimming pool ordinance (Item 4), citing safety risks to children and potential economic impacts on seasonal jobs.
- Benjamin Wynne (adjacent resident) expressed concerns about the Cochran Tech data center (Item 13) but acknowledged cooperation with the applicant on preserving green space and wildlife.
- Emily Johnson (Piedmont Environmental Council) opposed the Cochran Tech project, arguing the site's steep slopes and proximity to Goose Creek (a Virginia Scenic River) make it unsuitable and questioning the need for more data centers.
- Will Stewart (citizen) supported the 2024 General Plan review (CPAM-2024-0003), emphasizing groundwater sustainability concerns in western Loudoun.
Discussion Items
- Item 14: LEGI-2023-0029, Residences at Dulles Plaza (Sterling) – The applicant, Fairfield Residential, proposes a 100% affordable housing project (285 units at average 60% AMI) in an urban transit center. Staff identified three outstanding issues: reduced cash-in-lieu for Shaw Road improvements, a credit for regional road improvements, and intersection control costs. Supervisor Sainz (not present) provided a motion to expedite the final vote to December 2, 2025, to align with the county's attainable housing loan program funding cycle. The board approved forwarding the item to the December 2 business meeting (8-0-1).
- Item 12: CPAM-2024-0003, 2024 Review of the 2019 General Plan (Countywide) – Staff presented proposed housekeeping amendments, including building height ranges per story, infill criteria, and policies for repurposing office/commercial space. Supervisor DeCrony offered an amendment to limit story heights in transition light industrial and mineral extraction place types to 12-15 feet, consistent with the rest of the transition policy area. The amendment failed 2-4-0-2. The base motion to forward the CPAM to the January 21, 2026 business meeting passed 6-0-3.
- Item 2: Amendments to Chapter 872 – Real Estate Tax Relief for Elderly or Permanently Disabled (Countywide) – The board considered adjustments to income/asset limits with automatic CPI adjustments starting 2027. Supervisor Leturner expressed discomfort with the automatic escalator. The motion to forward to the December 2 business meeting passed 3-2-1-3 (3 yes, 2 no, 1 abstention remaining).
- Item 4: Amendments to Chapter 838 – Swimming Pool and Water Recreation Facilities (Countywide) – Staff proposed updates to align with the uniform statewide building code, including revised lifeguard requirements: pools may operate without lifeguards if they restrict children under 14 unless accompanied by an adult and post digital signage. Several supervisors voiced safety concerns and a desire for HOA outreach. The board voted 6-0-3 to send the item to TLUC for further study.
- Item 13: LEGI-2024-0037, Cochran Tech (Leesburg) – The applicant seeks rezoning to IP (Industrial Park) for a data center and an energy storage facility using graphene (non-lithium) technology. Staff raised building height (70 ft vs. 48 ft vision for JLMA) and compatibility. The board debated aesthetics and environmental impacts. The motion to forward to the January 21, 2026 business meeting passed 5-0-1-3.
Key Outcomes
- Consolidated Agenda Items (1,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11) – Approved or forwarded as described above.
- Item 14: Residences at Dulles Plaza – Motion (by Supervisor Sainz) to forward to December 2, 2025 board business meeting passed 8-0-1.
- Item 12: 2024 General Plan Review – Supervisor DeCrony’s amended motion to limit story heights failed 2-4-0-2; base motion to forward to January 21, 2026 passed 6-0-3.
- Item 2: Tax Relief for Elderly/Disabled – Forwarded to December 2, 2025 business meeting (passed 3-2-1-3).
- Item 4: Swimming Pool Regulations – Sent to TLUC for further review (passed 6-0-3).
- Item 13: Cochran Tech – Forwarded to January 21, 2026 business meeting (passed 5-0-1-3).
- Item 15: Pantovic Property Rezoning – Deferred to December public hearing at applicant’s request.
Meeting Transcript
Bob Wertz, are you in the audience? Will you come here, please? All the way to the daisy. Okay. Well, good evening, supervisors, good evening, staff, and good evening, Loudon. Like the call or order the November twelfth, two thousand twenty-five, Loudon County Board of Supervisors public hearing. Yeah, November twelfth. Um this room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, please put your hearing aid to the telecom mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. But everyone please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Um I uh two quick announcements. Every year, um there is a uh I I try to do one of the cult meetings. Cult is the coalition of an of Loudon Towns. And unfortunately they do have their meetings at the same time that we're having our public hearing. But I but it's an annual meeting and I I try to go talk to the to the mayors. So it between seven and seven fifteen, Mr. Kirshner and I will be leaving to go to the cult meeting. We'll try to get done with as much as as much of this agenda as possible, but we will be leaving to go to the cult meeting between cult, not cult. Cult meeting between seven and seven fifteen. Um the other announcement is because of the holiday this week, the finance meeting was was pushed to tomorrow. And so um MBTA, the November Transportation Authority meeting is also tomorrow. It's a really uh fairly heavy agenda. And so I need to I am the chair of MVTA as well as being obviously chair of the county, so I will not be at the finance meeting tomorrow because I will be at the MBTA meeting, but I will go back and I will watch all the um information that has that happens on the MBTA meeting. And thirdly, I was told not to do this by him, but I have to do it anyway because I was told to do it. Um there is a birthday coming up for Mr. Turner. He will be 40 and we are going to in two days. No, no, tomorrow. He'll be 40 tomorrow, and so Mr. Turner, his his his very young staff made him a uh made him their own birthday card. Happy forty birthday, Mr. Turner. Yay. Um members of the public addressing the board this evening, you may only register to speak on matters that have been advertised for this public hearing. Due to the broadcast delay, any member of the public who are not in the boardroom wishing to address the boards on items 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, which are on the consolidated agenda. Please see the number that is scrolling across your screen at this time. If you register to speak, you'll be allotted two and a half minutes. If you're in the boardroom, we ask that when your name is called, you come to the podium and state your name for the record. The timer on the podium will indicate your remaining time. When your time has expired, please yield to floor to the next speaker. If you're providing comments via phone, I'm going to ask that you set your own watch or stopwatch or phone or something. Um, because I won't stop you when you get close because it messes up your flow. But when your time is up, I will stop you. So if you can set your own clock, if you're if you can't see your clocks in the room when you're on the phone, I'd appreciate that. Um and when taking public input for items, I would first ask if there's anyone in the boardroom wishing to speak, and then I will go to the moderator, moderator, who is Emma Hopping Gartner, and ask if there are any speakers via online. Please note that there's a slight delay between the broadcast and the boardroom. Emma, can you hear me? Yes, ma'am.
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