Purcellville Mayor Stan Milan makes another big about-face

By Valerie Cury

At the Purcellville Town Council meeting on Feb. 13, Mayor Stan Milan made another about-face from issues he ran on just a year ago. From his commitment to removing the Northern Collector Road from the Town Wide Transportation Plan, to Rt. 7/690, to not working out deals with developers like the developer of Vineyard Square, to complaining about the Planning Commission and its council liaison – these issues were all discussed.

In the citizen comments portion of the meeting Chair of the Planning Commission Nan Forbes said she was speaking “in regard to the change of the Town Council liaison to the planning commission.”

The council new majority wants to change the makeup of the planning commission as the zoning ordinance they were working on will shape the town into the future. They want a more favorable ordinance with more lax restrictions for developers, higher building heights and more density.

Forbes pointed out that unlike “a lot of the Committees Commissions and Boards, the planning commission is a creature of statute – a creature of the Virginia code and certainly our assumption is that town council first wishes to comply with state law and the town code.”

“This law is not a suggestion to be disregarded if the governing body and the town is so inclined. I would ask you to look at the Virginia code section 15.2212.”

“The first has to do with the term of office and what the Virginia statute says is that one member of the planning commission may be a member of the governing body.” Said Forbes, “We have a member of our governing body – a member of the town council.”

She said the code states that the term of the member of the town council “shall be coexistent with the term of office to which he has been elected or appointed, unless the governing body at the first regular meeting each year appoints someone else.”

Forbes said the town code “also indicates that one of the members who may be a member of town council whose term of office shall correspond to his official tenure of office as a town council member” – which in this case runs until Nov. 5, 2024. She said the code also says a member may be removed for malfeasance in office.

“None of those are things that are true in this case … It does not appear that there is any basis to do this,” said Forbes. She had two more sentences to finish, and asked for additional time. Milan said her time was up, and kept repeating it – cutting her off.

Milan said he had already run the matter to appoint a new council liaison (more in line with his new agenda) to the planning commission by the attorney but he would ask again to “cross his t’s and dot his i’s.”

He said the performance of the current liaison was in question. “We have been in session for over a year and there has been failure to provide updated information on the rewrite of the zoning.”

However, Forbes comes before council with quarterly and now monthly executive summaries that include progress on the zoning rewrite. She just gave a detailed report last month.

In early January 2024, the planning commission completed their work on the zoning ordinance and sent it off to staff to implement.

As recently as Sept. 14, 2023 Mayor Milan attended a planning commission meeting and said he would like to speak on the process for the zoning ordinance.

“I just wanted to drop by and extend my appreciation for all the hard work that the planning commission has been doing for the past 7 months. It’s not gone unnoticed by me. I know you had a hard road to tow with the departure of our zoning administrator and the lackluster performance by the consultant in doing the rewrite.” He said in many instances the planning commission had to start over “from what we were asking to be done originally.

“You have taken the reigns guiding it on its way to completion” and he said he was looking forward to that. I wish I could do more for you, but I’m just a servant like you, volunteering,” Milan said.

The planning commission has been going through the ordinance line by line. From June 22 to July 27, 2023 for example, the planning commission held 7 meetings including special meetings.

On Feb. 13, 2024, Milan complained that he has asked for the “reinstitution of the HPOZ [Historic Preservation Overlay Zone] and it’s fallen on deaf ears.” However, this very issue is already addressed in the new draft zoning ordinance.

 “When I was on council, I would provide weekly updates to inform the town council on what’s going on. That has not happened for over a year,” Milan said.

However, between July 2020 through Jan. 11, 2022 then Council Member and Planning Commissioner liaison Stan Milan gave only two executive reports to the town council on the Planning Commission’s work. He also gave a brief statement on July 12, 2022 asking for guidance from the town council on priorities.

The Northern Collector Road

Purcellville resident Christine Green spoke in favor of an amendment to remove the Northern Collector Road from the Town Wide Transportation Plan. Several members of the town council ran against the Northern Collector Road. When it came time to let the Planning Commission work on an amendment to remove the road from the town’s transportation plan, however the motion failed in a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Milan and Council Members Caleb Stought, Kevin Wright, Mary Jane Williams and Vice Mayor Erin Rayner voting no.

Said Green, Vice Mayor Erin Rayner made a motion “to cease deliberations on the Town Council and consideration of Planning Commission recommendations regarding the NCR.  This proposed action raises significant concerns about maintaining open lines of communication and transparency.”

Green continued, “Their refusal to amend the 2009 Transportation Plan despite three opportunities to do so and then to require a transportation study raises questions about this delaying tactic.”

“Failure of the Council majority to address urgent public safety concerns raised by residents regarding the NCR” has a detrimental effect, said Green.

“Instead of taking concrete actions, the Council majority has merely offered verbal assurances that the NCR will not be built.  The County and Town Transportation plans reference each other. If the NCR remains in the Town’s Transportation Plan, there is no reason for the County to remove it from their own Transportation Plan. It can then potentially be used to justify future County and Town efforts to build the NCR. Words of assurance mean nothing when documents that guide Purcellville’s planning staff are at odds with the desires of the town’s residents as expressed in our Comprehensive Plan.”

Green said the council “also needs to address concerns about the potential annexation of Mr. Kuhn’s property on Purcellville Road and its implications for the neighboring communities. This includes the potential impact of a large industrial complex.  As you are aware, residents support the current zoning with 1 home per 3 acres. 

 “It is crucial for the council to prioritize the safety, health, and well-being of the community they were elected to represent.  The Commonwealth of Virginia created the Town of Purcellville to serve the interests of this town’s citizens, not Loudoun County” concluded Green.

County staff has told the owner of the proposed Valley Commerce Center to place the Northern Collector Road on their proposed plan.

Developer Casey Chapman said, “I don’t really care about the NCR. I don’t view it as a public safety concern, but as of right now it’s a moot point. It’s not funded and I don’t care if it does or doesn’t [get built].”

Defending himself Milan said, “Regarding the NCR, if we don’t state and say what the intended purpose of the NCR is and explain to the citizens that it’s a moot point – there’s no funding for it – there’s no need to continue on with this. The NCR is not going to happen from what the county tells me and what we decided here – there’s no funding.”

Rt. 7/690

At the very end of the meeting and deviating from council protocol, Milan said he didn’t get to finish his council comments so he was going to take the time to address more issues.

“I had put myself out there and said I would support the community [Catoctin Meadows] and their efforts to deal with the county on their [flood plain] easement.

“Come to find out that the HOA and the county were not working in good faith, particularly the HOA.

“I was hoodwinked into believing the HOA for Catoctin Meadows was working in good faith with the county. Once revealed that was a fallacy, it was a blow to my word of conduct. I live by what I say,” he said.

“But when you betray me and I put myself on the line to support you, then I cannot trust you anymore. My responsibility is to the residents of Purcellville first.”

The county withdrew their offer to purchase the one-half acre property from the HOA, and the HOA has yet to hear from the county. The county suspended land acquisition efforts on June 26, 2023 to pursue a phased implementation approach for the project as a result of a town council determination not to consider vacating interest in the HOA one-half acre until things were worked out with the HOA. Presently, no action has been taken.

Vineyard Square

Milan also said he looked at the Town of Purcellville as “a diamond in the rough. It’s constantly stated that Purcellville is the hub of western Loudoun. As I travel through the communities … we service Lovetttsville, Round Hill, Bluemont, St. Mary’s [sic], Hamilton and Hillsboro. They come here for grocery stores, restaurants. They come here for Wine and Food Festivals.

“So, we have a broader responsibility outside of Purcellville; so, I accept that as a duty for the citizens of Purcellville and the surrounding community.”

Milan said, “Those who disagree with that, you know, I’m sorry – residents first, community, special interests.”

Justifying meeting in private instead in public, Milan continued, “We have met with several private parties to enhance and look at opportunities to revitalize our downtown community.”

Milan might have been referring to a Feb. 2 private meeting with Sam and Casey Chapman, Vice Mayor Erin Rayner and four other men. They were walking on 21^st Street and O Street looking at the Chapman property in detail. If the approved project doesn’t expire due to failure to start the project the permits should expire in June 2025. 

The current site plan is approved for a six-story project of retail plus 40 condos. If the permit for Vineyard Square expires, any new proposal must be in accord with zoning which limits the by right height to 35 ft. (two stories), with no more than 2 apartments or condominiums per building. Any new proposal would have to go through the public process.

Among Rayner’s largest campaign contributors were the Chapmans, their affiliates, his uncle and a staff member – who contributed $10,000.

The current plan was approved by the former Lazaro town council nearly 14 years ago. Chapman has had extensions due first to a zoning determination which allowed the project to continue as long as it was “diligently pursued,” and then due twice to COVID legislation.

“It’s been 14 years that nothing has been done [with Vineyard Square]. 8 years when no one has talked with the developer at all to see what alternatives,” said Milan.

However, in a council meeting with then Mayor Kwasi Fraser and then Council Member Stan Milan present, Casey Chapman said it was not the town’s business to view any new designs for Vineyard Square. Additionally, at another meeting with Mayor Fraser and Milan present, Chapman said he would not be interested in reducing the density of his project.

Milan said as soon as he says “I need to talk to the developer to see what’s going on, people turn their back.”

“I’m like why not? But we are moving forward in the future of Purcellville,” said Milan.