Loudoun County Heritage Commission Meeting Summary – November 4, 2026

The Loudoun County Heritage Commission met at the Government Center in Leesburg. The agenda was dated November 2, 2026, but the supplied meeting timestamp is November 4, 2026, which is used in this summary. Commissioners approved the modified agenda and October minutes, heard a presentation from America’s Routes, discussed data center policy, Sweet Run State Park, historic preservation enforcement, and the county flag, and took several votes.

Consent Calendar / Administrative Approvals

• Agenda approved as modified (additions included Sweet Run State Park, county flag/BMI, historic Mullen House, and a nominating committee).
• Minutes of the October 5 meeting approved without changes.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public were present, so the commission dispensed with the public-input period.

Presentation: America’s Routes

• Emily Houston and Jane Covington presented on America’s Routes, a nonprofit formed in 2018 to promote appreciation and advocacy for Loudoun’s unpaved rural roads.
• The group showed an Emmy-winning 2018 video; presenters noted gravel-road mileage had fallen from about 500 miles in the 1980s to about 250 miles while the county population grew from about 40,000 to 400,000.
• Presenters said they are advocating for “sustainable rural transportation infrastructure,” working with VDOT on non-paving improvements funded by the rural roads bill, and seeking National Register listing for the rural road network.
• Jane Covington reported that in September the Virginia Department of Historic Resources recognized the rural road network as potentially eligible for the National Register; the application is now under National Park Service review, with another 12–24 months expected.
• America’s Routes is also developing a “Roads of Record” educational project using a federal grant and said it may later ask the Heritage Commission for letters of support when projects come to the Board of Supervisors or the General Assembly.

Discussion Items

Annual Report, Section 106, and County Letters

• Chair Gulland circulated a draft annual report and asked for comments by November 15; a final draft will be considered for a vote in December and then sent to the Board of Supervisors and TLUC.
• The Section 106 update noted no new action yet from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation on proposed regulatory changes; the Old Arcola MOA also had no new update.
• The commission’s data center letter was sent October 6; the chair spoke at the October 20 Board of Supervisors business meeting, calling data centers the most important issue facing Loudoun.
• The county administrator has convened agency chiefs on stewardship of county-owned historic properties, but the commission still has not received a response to its meeting request. Banshee Reeks had no new update.

Heritage Register, Oak Hill, and Staff Project Updates

• Heritage Register outreach is expanding: Will Malone attended Aldie community meetings with strong local interest; Hillsborough, Sterling, and other localities are being connected to the plaque program. A Heritage Register Subcommittee meeting is planned for January 2027.
• Oak Hill’s property manager reported that required documentation and preservation work is underway, with additional grants and a new community-relations staff member.
• Staff project updates included National Register nominations for Watson First Baptist Church, St. Louis, and Howards; historic district work in Unison; the Manassas Gap Railroad and Sycolin story maps; and the future relocation of the county archaeology repository to the old Old Ox Brewery building.

Data Center Working Group, Standards Comments, and Valley Link

• Bob Pollard reported the Board of Supervisors pause on new data centers runs until November 17, and a grandfathering measure was defeated 7–2.
• The working group discussed the proposed Valley Link transmission corridor. Pollard expressed opposition, saying the 200-foot-wide new corridor would consume roughly 6.5 square miles of additional land and could affect heritage, farm, wetland, and conservation-easement resources. Other commissioners noted the Board has already opposed the route, and the utility has a second round of open houses on November 12.
• The commission agreed to submit comments on the county’s data center standards project. A motion authorized member Emily/Evelyn Johnson to prepare a letter with the commission’s views and submit the unanswered questions from the August staff presentation through the public comment portal; the motion passed.

Sweet Run State Park Master Plan

• Bob Pollard presented on DCR’s final public master plan for Sweet Run State Park, saying stakeholder pushback led DCR to remove a new visitor center, entrance, road network, and ranger residence from the plan; DCR also agreed to revive farming, expand agricultural interpretation and campsites, and add trail links including to the Appalachian Trail.
• Pollard criticized the plan for having no cultural or historic resource funding in the $12.4 million construction budget; a separate $2.8 million historic preservation budget was “bloated,” with only $225,000 for stabilizing threatened farm structures while buildings deteriorate or collapse.
• He also expressed opposition to new picnic areas/restrooms in sensitive greenfield and wetland areas and to a possible mountain-biking allowance, noting DCR rates Sweet Run in the top five percent of Virginia lands for biodiversity.

County Flag and Royal College of Arms Inquiry

• Elizabeth and Bill Wilken presented the history of Loudoun’s 1968 coat of arms and flag, including the Royal College of Arms grant and the removal of original heraldic supporters including a Confederate officer.
• The commission approved sending an inquiry to the Royal College of Arms asking whether consultation is customary before modifying the county seal or flag; the motion passed.

Historic Mullen House and Demolition Enforcement

• Chair Gulland raised the demolition of a roughly 170-year-old house in Lucketts without a demolition permit, despite county officials telling the owner one was required. He said little or no enforcement mechanism exists and that he will take the issue to the county attorney.
• Commissioners supported adding a list of historic properties lost in 2026 to the annual report and considering a legislative-priority request to strengthen demolition enforcement.

Committee Reports

• African American Resource Protection: no report.
• Land Use: staff disapproved the “East Winds” resort application on Paris Mountain; the Claremont Farms property and two additional cabins are under threat; and the Western Loudoun Recreation Complex is beginning Phase II archaeology because of concerns about a historic building and the last section of railroad bed.
• Stewardship: Lanesville and Lovettsville stewardship management plans are being revised; Broad Run Toll House has no design plans yet; commissioners expressed concern about possible closure of small historic elementary schools.
• Section 106: the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on November 9 on a bill containing a provision to alter or limit Section 106; a preservation rally is planned at the Capitol. Commissioners voiced concern about this threat.

Other Business

• The chair said he will appoint a nominating committee by the December meeting; officer elections will occur at the January meeting per the bylaws.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the modified agenda and the October minutes.
• Set annual report comments due November 15, with a December vote scheduled.
• Authorized submission of data center standards comments and unanswered staff questions to the county public portal.
• Approved the inquiry to the Royal College of Arms about modifying the county flag/seal.
• Directed the chair to consult the county attorney about demolition-permit enforcement and to explore a legislative priority.
• Noted the upcoming November 9 Senate Section 106 vote and the next meeting date of December 7, 2026.