Addressing Loudoun County’s False Narrative on Rt. 7/690 Interchange Project

Dear Editor:

I am writing to address the false narrative in recent articles in other papers about Loudoun County’s Rt. 7/690 Interchange project in the Town of Purcellville.

It is disappointing to see other papers selectively obtaining feedback from the County Administrator and the County’s Blue Ridge District Supervisor Tony Buffington, while failing to reach out to me or other members of the Purcellville Town Council, for our perspective.

The latest article titled “Purcellville Delays Likely Sink Route 690 Interchange Plans, $13M in Funding” is a prime example of this biased and lazy reporting.

It suggests that the Town of #Purcellville has delayed the project and put the County at risk of losing $13M in funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia, based solely on the input of two County officials.

As the Mayor of Purcellville, I disagree with the County’s version of events and their assertion that the Town has delayed the project.

I have consistently advocated for the acceleration of the Rt. 7/690 Interchange project, as it was voted on and approved by the Purcellville Town Council in 2013.

Since that time, the County has made significant changes to the design of the project. These are changes that will have negative impacts on the health, safety, and welfare of our community.

Rather than advocating for the County to engage transparently with the public and complete the necessary due diligence for approval of the new design, Supervisor Buffington has falsely claimed that I am delaying the project.

It is important to note that I do not have the authority to delay the project. I have also consistently called for meetings and collaboration to move the project forward. In fact, I advocated for additional funding from Representative Jennifer Wexton for the project through the National League of Cities.

The County’s effort to force through its proposed material changes to the design of the Rt 7/690 Interchange project, without first conducting any public engagement or undertaking an updated comprehensive impact assessment, has led to the impasse we currently face.

In an effort to address this impasse, I reached out to Supervisor Umstattd in October 2022 to express concerns about the changed design – raised by the community – and to propose a path forward. 

I reached out to Supervisor Umstattd instead of Purcellville’s elected representative, Supervisor Buffington, because Supervisor Buffington has consistently failed to engage me in productive conversation and resorted, instead, to peddling misinformation about me and our community, through social media.

It is disingenuous for the County Administrator or Supervisor Buffington to characterize my request for transparency and community engagement on this important project as a delay.

If County officials want to develop in Purcellville, they need to adhere to the aspirations articulated in our Commonwealth-mandated Comprehensive Plan, present to our citizens transparent data on the value proposition and community impact of the proposed changes, and engage all impacted stakeholders openly and honestly. 

Further, they need to stop looking at projects through the lens of the past and reassess projects based on the current circumstances and future outlook. 

For example, Supervisor Buffington and the County Administrator claim that funding for a County-proposed Park and Ride in Purcellville is at risk due to Purcellville delaying the project, when in reality the County is having discussions about possibly reconsidering the project due to a significant decline in bus riders in the post-COVID-19-pandemic era. 

Taxpayers themselves are asking the obvious, reasonable question of why build another park and ride in Western Loudoun County that will be underutilized. 

Likewise, Supervisor Buffington fails to reveal to the media and his constituents the true Level of Service traffic congestion impact that the revised design of the Rt. 7/690 Interchange project is likely to have on Main Street and the 287 Berlin Turnpike corridor, given the County’s indication that the Northern Collector Road will be removed from its Transportation Plan. 

Rather than face reality and reevaluate these key projects with community engagement based on current state and future outlook data, Supervisor Buffington has chosen to try to use Purcellville as a scapegoat by circulating unfounded claims.

Furthermore, the County has failed to engage with the residents of western Loudoun and Purcellville to disclose the value and risks associated with the changes to the design concept of the Rt. 7/690 Interchange.

It is only after months of requesting this information that County officials finally provided information on the potential loss of funds, but they did not specify which design the funds were for, or note the specific risks associated with the new design, and likelihood of the Commonwealth withdrawing funds, given the overall poor planning and coordination by the County on this project. 

I have yet to see an integrated project plan with work breakdown and schedule for this project
from the County.

In conclusion, it is important for other papers to present a balanced and accurate portrayal of the Rt. 7/690 Interchange and associated projects.

To date, I have not received a phone call or email for an interview from reporters of these newspapers on this subject. 

The Town of Purcellville has not delayed the project. The Town is not opposed to advancing any sensible traffic improvement project, but we do expect the County to follow proper procedures to engage all stakeholders, provide factual data and an integrated project plan, and to address negative impacts on our community.

Kwasi Fraser
Mayor – Purcellville, Virginia