Loudoun County Planning Commission Work Session - October 8, 2026

On October 8, 2026, the Loudoun County Planning Commission held a work session in Leesburg, Virginia. The commission approved prior meeting minutes, heard presentations on the Western Loudoun Recreation Complex, voted to recommend that application to the Board of Supervisors, and received staff briefings on the October 27, 2026 public hearing agenda.

Minutes Approval

• Vice Chair Muttery moved and Commissioner Combs seconded approval of the September 17, 2026 work session minutes. The motion carried 7-0-2, with Commissioners Banks and Jasper absent for the vote.

Disclosures

• Commissioner Myers disclosed a brief discussion with Jamie Imory about the evening's agenda item.
• Commissioner Combs disclosed a meeting about two weeks prior with Paragon Holmes regarding the Aspen Station application expected before the commission by the end of the calendar year.
• The chair disclosed attending the September 28 data center standards phase two community meeting at Broad Run with Commissioner Frank, and an October 7 site visit to the Evergreen Energy Battery Energy Storage Facility off Evergreen Mill Road.

Work Session Item: Western Loudoun Recreation Complex

• LEGI-2025-0001, CMPT-2025-0001, CMPT-2025-0003, SPEX-2025-0012, SPEX-2025-0013, and SPEX-2026-0033 (Catoctin District) were presented by Megan McCarthy (DTCI), Cody Smith (Kimley-Horn), Glenn Barber (Public Affairs), and Jeremy Pain (Parks, Recreation, and Community Services). The project was procured as a construction management at-risk project.
• The applicant stated that, since the previous work session, over 3.5 acres of additional tree conservation area had been conditioned in the northeast portion of the property and a 10-foot berm had been added on the east side adjacent to existing residences.
• Glenn Barber described public engagement exceeding routine practices, including three community meetings during design, at least a dozen subscriber updates, multiple news releases, and more than 250 online comments. A community information meeting was scheduled for October 19, 2026, and will include groundwater and transportation topics.
• DTCI submitted a response letter addressing water impacts, traffic impacts, well drawdown comparison with Valley Commerce Center, athletic field lighting, and operational comparison with Franklin Park. The applicant requested that the application be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors.

Commission Questions and Discussion

• In response to a question about the 250 online comments, the applicant said the predominant comment theme was "pickleball"; comments were categorized and answered in a FAQ format rather than individually.
• Commissioner Myers questioned water supply data. The applicant stated average daily demand is 15,000 gallons per day, maximum daily demand is roughly 30,000 gallons per day, and a 27-day test in early 2026 pumped about 36,000 gallons per day to assess impacts on surrounding wells, which were found to be de minimis. The design includes a 40,000-gallon storage tank.
• The applicant explained that three production wells would supply a communal system with individual pumps, electronic monitoring, and automatic shutoff based on tank levels. It said no hydraulic fracturing was involved and described the wells as drawing "in tandem" rather than from each other.
• Commissioner Myers noted that 21 nearby homes on wells were identified, 15 homeowners had agreed to pre-construction monitoring, and no formal agreements existed to repair or replace private wells if impacts occurred. She said this was an important requirement commonly applied to private land applications and should be considered as the item moved forward.
• Regarding pools, the applicant said initial fill and complete refills would use trucked-in water, while normal makeup water would come from the on-site well system and was included in the 15,000 gallons per day estimate.
• Commissioner Barnes questioned whether pool refill and showers were the main water uses; the applicant said the estimate was based on existing similar Loudoun County facilities.
• Commissioner Combs said she could not support the commission permits, describing the facility as too large a "pin in the map" adjacent to residential uses and inconsistent with rural policy area policies, strategies, and actions. Commissioner Myers also stated opposition because the wastewater system had been described as conventional but is actually an alternative system, and because of continued well concerns. The chair expressed support for the location adjacent to Purcellville along Route 7, stating it would be next to impossible to find another rural policy area location capable of supporting the facility.

Key Outcomes

• Commissioner Miller (Catoctin District) moved to approve CMPT-2025-0001 and CMPT-2025-0003, subject to commission permit plans dated August 31, 2026, and based on findings in attachments 1 and 3 to the October 8, 2026 work session memorandum. The motion also forwarded LEGI-2025-0001, SPEX-2025-0012, SPEX-2025-0013, and SPEX-2026-0033 to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval subject to conditions dated September 25, 2026, and based on findings in attachments 2 and 3.
• Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion. A friendly amendment, requested by Commissioner Myers and accepted by the mover and seconder, recommended that the Board of Supervisors consider adding a condition requiring repair or replacement of surrounding private wells if monitoring showed impact, similar to the Valley Commerce Center approach.
• The motion carried 5-2, with Commissioners Combs and Myers opposed and Commissioners Banks and Jasper absent for the vote.

Briefing of October 27, 2026 Public Hearing Items

• One Loudoun Animal Hospital (SPEX): requested a special exception for an animal hospital in the One Loudoun development (TC zoning district) with up to 20 animals; no overnight boarding is planned; staff found no outstanding issues.
• Residences at University Center (ZMAP): proposed rezoning approximately 17 acres from PDRDP (1972 ordinance) to SCN-16 for up to 269 dwelling units with modifications to yards and building height. Two scenarios were presented, one including a 52-unit LITEC building. Staff identified outstanding issues related to land use incompatibility and transportation.
• Berwick Energy Storage (CMPT/SPEX): proposed an approximately 30,000-square-foot utility-scale energy storage use east of Sycolin Road and north of Cochran Mill Road adjacent to a county memorial park. Staff emphasized screening, visibility, and fire safety; outstanding issues include stormwater and pedestrian improvements. Questions were raised about how the facility would connect to nearby substations.
• Loudoun County Adult Detention Center (SPEXs and minor SPEX): proposed a 55,500-square-foot expansion of the existing adult detention center, with reduced parking and a building setback reduction to 75 feet. Staff identified no outstanding issues.
• DOAM - FSM Standards for Cultural Resources: proposed facility standards manual amendments incorporating a practice in place since about December 2020, adding cemetery and burial ground identification on certain plans, and updating terminology from archaeology to cultural resources. Staff and the FSM review committee recommend approval.
• DOAM - FSM Fire Apparatus Access Road Shoulders: proposed amendments to address deterioration at travel-way edges that could impede fire apparatus access, developed with the Fire Marshal's office. Staff recommend approval.
• CPAM - 2026 CTP Update (Phase One): first phase of updates to the 2019 Countywide Transportation Plan, focused on minor cleanup and alignment with current policies; a second, more substantive phase is anticipated to begin in spring/summer 2027.
• ZOAM/ZMAP - Route 28 Tax District: amendments to revise or remove provisions tied to the Route 28 tax district, remap affected 1972-ordinance commercial and industrial properties to equivalent current zoning districts, and remove the Route 28 corridor optional overlay. This followed anticipated payoff of the district's monetary obligations by December.
• Staff noted that some previously identified applications are not yet scheduled but are expected to be resubmitted before the end of the year.

Administrative Items

• The county is replacing the Granicus platform with EScribe; commissioners were being scheduled for 30-minute training sessions, with Chair Kears and Commissioner Combs already trained.
• The chair noted that the November 9 meeting was canceled, with meetings rescheduled to November 16 and November 30. A November work session is not currently anticipated but will be confirmed at the public hearing.