The conflict of interests between Loudoun County residents and businesses

Dear Editor:

On April 15, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors held a public comment session regarding the pending Valley Commerce Center rezoning proposal. A relatively even number of individuals spoke against approval of the rezoning proposal as spoke in favor.

The differences between the positions of the groups were clear. Those who spoke against approval were Purcellville-area residents who stated that construction of the Valley Commerce Center would seriously affect traffic, water availability, public safety, and the area’s small-town character, and that it is neither consistent with the County’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan nor the Town of Purcellville’s Comprehensive Plan.

Those who spoke in favor were largely business representatives who stated that construction would benefit commercial interests in western Loudoun County, including their own businesses.

It is important to note that while this particular hearing reflected a more balanced split, over the past decade residents of the Town of Purcellville and the surrounding rural area have consistently voiced strong support for maintaining the current use of this property.

That use is consistent with the existing residential zoning and the character of the surrounding community. Purcellville is rural in nature and lies within the County’s Rural Policy Area, and it should not be compared to the denser development patterns found in eastern Loudoun County.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will be voting on the rezoning proposal on May 19. How the supervisors vote that day will reveal whose interests they prioritize.

One important point the supervisors should consider before they vote is that there is already ample land in eastern Loudoun County available and appropriate for large industrial development.

In fact, the same landowner is currently pursuing that very type of development in Leesburg.

Expanding large industrial use into the rural west is neither necessary nor consistent with long-standing planning principles, existing policy, or the clearly expressed preferences of the surrounding community and community at large.

Lloyd Harting
Purcellville