Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Business Meeting - January 21, 2026
Board of Supervisors Business Meeting, January 21, 2026
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors held a lengthy business meeting on January 21, 2026, addressing a wide range of issues including budget guidance for housing funding, land use applications, transportation safety, legislative priorities, and public concerns. Key actions included approving a motion to allocate 20% of excess data center revenue to the housing fund for three years, adopting the consent agenda with several infrastructure contracts, and advancing a transportation safety study for the Ashburn Metro area following a pedestrian fatality. The board also heard public testimony on data center noise, youth basketball league discipline, and support for historic village planning. Several land use items were approved, including the Pantovic Property rezoning and the Aspen Substation, though with some dissenting votes.
Consent Calendar
- Contract Awards/Renewals: Construction support services for the General Government Office Building Phase I, Crosstrail Boulevard Segment C construction, on-call land surveying services, roadway and transportation design services, sports construction support services, and a conservation easement assistance program exception. All approved.
- Visit Loudoun FY25 TOT Fund Balance Request: Approved.
- Countywide Streetlight Program: Approved.
- LCPS Expansion at 24328 Marrwood Drive: Approved.
- Personal Property Tax Rates for Tax Year 2026: Approved, including extension of reduced rate to electric and hybrid vehicles.
- Joint Committee Work Plan Updates: Approved, including DARE t-shirt funding for Title I schools.
- Appointments and Confirmations: Approved.
- Administrative Items Report: Approved.
- Rural Historic Villages Roadway Sign Installation: Approved with comments from Supervisor Tacroni on importance for African American communities.
- Energy Innovation Forum: Approved.
- 2024 Review of the 2019 General Plan (CPAM): Approved with a revised motion correcting a technical error on page 119 regarding capital intensity factor fees for attainable housing.
- Rename Mooreview Parkway to Ashburn Village Boulevard: Approved for staff to determine cost and funding.
- Commonwealth Center Motor Club (corrected conditions): Approved after reconsideration, correcting restaurant size from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet (passed 6-0-3).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sarah Shollers and Paul Caykel (siblings of Alyssa Cakel, pedestrian killed by county transit bus on Dec. 1, 2025): Urged support for the Ashburn Metro area transportation safety study. Over 1,300 residents signed a petition. The board expressed condolences.
- Mallory Johnson (Metro Walk HOA): Supported the safety study, noting nearly 10 major accidents near the metro station in the last year and over 50 tickets issued during a summer enforcement initiative.
- Craig Newman, Marvin Phillips, Sabrina Pernas, Samantha Phillips, Parisa Hoshmany, Bupe sh Avin (parents and coach of Farmwell Middle School basketball team): Protested a double forfeit decision after a violent incident by a Harper Park player. They argued the Farmwell team should retain its victory and that referees failed to control the game. The board does not have jurisdiction over PRCS decisions.
- Greg Piero, Bob Saylor, Craig Dobbs (Sterling residents near Vantage 2 data center): Described constant high-pitched noise from gas turbines, causing headaches and sleep issues. Requested permanent noise monitoring stations and a community meeting with the data center operator. Cited WHO/EPA studies linking noise to health issues.
- Peter Weeks (President of Blue Mont Citizens Association, Vice Chair of Loudoun Historic Village Alliance): Praised DPZ's small area plans for historic villages, but expressed concern about mountain overlay district uses allowing commercial development near Sky Meadows State Park and the Appalachian Trail.
- Roger Smith (Waterford resident): Requested that small area plans for Lucketts, Peonian Springs, and Willisville be made high priority on the DPZ work plan, and supported alternative wastewater solutions from Waterford Preservation Group.
- Robert Griffin (public comment on board decorum): Criticized chair enforcement of rules; chair responded by explaining rules of order.
- Unnamed speaker (on traffic calming process delays): Described delays in DTCI response for a neighborhood request, noted a recent pedestrian injury at a residential crossing in Sterling district.
Discussion Items
- Reconsideration of FY2027 Budget Guidance (Housing Fund): Chair Randall moved to reconsider the Jan. 6 vote and direct the county administrator to prepare the future proposed budget with additional local tax funding allocated to the CIP, with 20% of that amount directed to the housing fund until FY2030. Debate centered on whether multi-year guidance was appropriate versus annual review. Supporters argued the county already has long-standing commitments (e.g., 2 cents for transportation) and that proactive funding is needed to retain local land use authority as the General Assembly considers housing bills. Opponents favored annual guidance to adapt to changing fiscal conditions. The motion passed 4-2-3 (Randall, Briskman, Crony, Glass aye; Laterno, Kirshner nay; Umstead, Turner, Sainz off dais).
- Legislative Update (2026 General Assembly Session): Jonathan Freeman reported via teleconference on bills filed, including support for Oak Hill acquisition (no opposition in Senate hearing), anti-rent gouging bill HB 278 with 31 co-sponsors, and over 40 housing and zoning bills. The board voted to support HB 71 (early voting hours expansion) and HB 223 (public defender local funding), both passed 8-0-1.
- Healthcare and Psychiatry Services at Adult Detention Center: Staff presented three scenarios for contracting medical services. The Sheriff's Office supports Scenario 3 (contracted services with a civilian medical director position as county employee). Current contract with WellPath (which declared bankruptcy) has been uninterrupted. The new RFP will include a full-time psychiatrist, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) coordinator, and increased nursing staff due to Phase III expansion (48 beds). Costs rise from ~$3M to $8.8M-$9.9M. The board will consider this during FY27 budget development.
- Department of Planning and Zoning Work Plan Update: Director Dan Galindo presented quarterly update. Key items: data center standards phase two (focus on noise), Western Loudoun uses and standards, small area plans for historic villages (consultants retained), and preservation equity initiatives. Source water protection CPAM remains low priority due to complexity. The board approved the work plan 7-0-2.
- Pantovic Property Rezoning (ZMAP-2024-0006): Applicant revised building heights: one-building option at 45 ft; two-building option with building east at 45 ft, west at 65 ft (reduced from 65/65). Landscape buffer with 6-ft berm and Leland Cypress trees proffered. Staff still found inconsistency with suburban neighborhood place type. Supervisor Crony negotiated changes and noted elevation is 10 ft lower. After debate, the board approved 4-3-2 (Crony, Glass, Kirshner, Turner aye; Laterno, Sainz, Randall nay; Umstead, Briskman off dais).
- Village at Clear Springs Proffer Amendment: Approved 7-0-2.
- Aspen Substation (CMPT-2024-0008): Approved 5-2-2. Vice Chair Turner voted no to signal need for innovation in grid infrastructure, noting PJM capacity auction concerns about potential brownouts. The board acknowledged land use decision, not energy policy.
- Claims: Denied a burn/dog-related claim for $130,130 (passed with chair abstaining).
Key Outcomes
- Housing Fund Commitment: Approved allocation of 20% of excess data center revenue to housing fund for three years (FY2027-2030).
- Ashburn Metro Safety Study: Approved directing staff to identify scope, cost, and funding sources for a transportation safety study with a vote of 8-0-1.
- 2026 Personal Property Tax Rates: Approved reduced rate of $3.09 per $100 for all personal vehicles, including electric and hybrid vehicles, effective tax year 2026.
- Legislative Support: Formal support for HB 71 (voting hours) and HB 223 (public defender funding).
- Consent Agenda Items: All items approved except Item 13 (pulled for public comment) which was later voted on separately.
- Closed Session: Held for property acquisition and legal consultation; no formal action taken.
- Next TLUC Meeting: Moved from January 27 to January 29 due to forecasted snow.
Meeting Transcript
Hours it was mad. You don't know how you you don't know how reliable reliant you are in computers so you don't have them anymore. Thus we are about ten minutes behind getting everything loaded up on Granite Granicus and getting everything make sure everything's out to the public correctly. So I'm going to recess this meeting for the next ten minutes just to make sure everything is low is loaded up on Granicus and everything is correct. I'll come back in ten minutes and we will go uh we will go from there. So this is a ten minute recess, but we'll be right back. Okay. We are back from recess, and I will go to Miss Brixman for words of inspiration or wisdom. So we are meeting on Wednesday because we had Martin Luther King Day off this week. Two quotes come to mind. And to the republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible liberty and justice problem. Okay, um, this is uh this has been a kind of a little bit of a chaotic day because the computers went down for four hours. So everyone's running around trying to do things with pencil and paper. Um and so there's a lot going on in this meeting, so please bear with me. Supervisors, there's a lot of additions and deletions and immediate motions and all those types of things. So if I miss something, please catch me. Uh I've I I do believe the only motion, well, not I do believe the only motion I may I'm making was sent out to you all yesterday, but there are other things going on as well. Supervisor Sainz will be here around 5 15, 5 30. Supervisor Laterno, where is he sitting? Where's he's will be here at 4 uh 30. Supervisor Umstadt, who's where is she? She won't be she will not be here this evening. Vice Chair Turner will be here around 5:30. So everyone is coming in the room. Um I'm gonna take a per point of personal privilege. There's an item on the uh consent agenda from Miss Tacroni about um a sign in Howard's field to make Howard's Fill a place, and I'll talk about that importance in just a second. But before I do that, I do want to say in the room with us tonight is a man named Thomas Reed, who is a long-time uh Loudoun County resident. The entire effort that I started in my first term to look at um to look at privies and to and to make sure that everyone in our county was treated um um equitably when it comes to you know land use and zoning and where water is ran and all those types of things, was because um Mr. Kim Hart bought Mr. Thomas Reed's um affectionately known as bubbles his case to me. Um, and that was in my first term. Uh Mr. Mr. Reed is a is a stalwart of Loudon County, he's been in the county for generations. He is a simply amazing man. If you ever have time to talk to him again, I will talk to the item in just a second, but I really cannot have Thomas Reed in the room with me and not acknowledge him. Mr. Reed, will you please stand up for us, please? Everyone turn around, he's in the back. Thank you, sir. All right. Cochrane Tech Z Map 2024-012, special exception 2024-0025, special exception 2025 dash, um, sorry, the other special exception 2025 dash 0025, special exception 2025-0029, thus exception 2025-0034, tax and 2025-0054, and especially exception 2025-0111 has been deferred to a future business meeting for action. Again, that's the request of the applicant themselves. Um the rest of these are all gonna be motions to reconsider and then motions on the item. And so I have one of those. I think Supervisor Glass, you have one of those as well. I will go on and do mine right now. Madam Chair. Yeah. May I on item 10?
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