BOS approves strategic focus areas, initiatives, vision statement

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has approved the strategic focus areas and initiatives that the Board will focus on during its current term, which ends in December 2027. In addition, the Board has approved an updated vision statement for Loudoun County.

Every four years when a new Board takes office, the Board of Supervisors identifies key focus areas for their term that result in various actions steps for county staff to help accomplish the Board’s goals through a strategic workplan. The updated strategic focus areas were informed by the Board’s strategic
planning retreat in June 2024, and approved during the Dec. 3 Board of Supervisors meeting. The Board approved six strategic focus areas for the 2024-2027 term.

Uplifting Loudoun Businesses and Promoting New Economic Development
Loudoun is home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world, which provides tax revenue to the county and helps to keep homeowners’ real property tax rate low. The Board recognizes that the county should continue to focus on strengthening existing businesses while also identifying and harnessing opportunities to diversify the economy. The Board acknowledged that the county should focus on attracting new industries that will ensure the county’s financial health.

Meeting Loudoun County’s Diverse Housing Needs
The demand for housing across all income brackets remains high with particular needs for attainable housing for those earning zero percent to 60% of the Area Median Income, particularly those earning zero percent to 30% of AMI. The Board acknowledged that the county’s housing plan in the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan needs to be updated to answer key questions regarding the promotion of innovative and accessible housing, including multi-modal, walkable communities tied to transportation links, and how to reconcile housing needs with the goal of preserving the open spaces of Western Loudoun.
 
Preserving Open Space and the Environment
Two-thirds of Loudoun County is rural with a strong agricultural economy. As the potential for development in the county continues, the Board prioritized the need to permanently preserve open spaces in western Loudoun to safeguard the county’s unique characteristics and its rural tourism industries. Concurrently, the Board indicated the need to also prioritize needs for more community, neighborhood and district parks for residents throughout the county. The county will focus on identifying and leveraging all available strategies to help achieve this strategic priority.
 
Improving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
The county seeks—and has made strides—to ensure Loudoun is a welcoming place for all. The Board expressed a desire to continue the county’s work in this strategic focus area by identifying new ways of engaging communities to understand their needs and challenges and to assure everyone feels they have an opportunity for their voice to be heard. The Board previously established an Office of Equity and Inclusion and has had initial discussions regarding the potential of establishing a Human Rights Commission.
 
Connecting Loudoun
The Board intends to continue its strategic focus on connecting Loudoun through the completion of significant transportation projects that are already underway. Additionally, the Board acknowledged the potential benefits resulting from the reorganizing the county’s transportation projects. This focus area is also intended to continually improve the county’s bus services by focusing on high-traffic, lower-income areas and consideration of an on-demand bus program. Consideration of improvements along Rt. 50 could help secure federal and state support for transportation projects and modes that support agritourism.
 
Community Programs and Services
The Board’s strategic focus areas include continuing to explore the best ways to assess the needs of the community and how to enhance existing programs and services as well as to develop new programs and services that address the community’s needs. This strategic focus area may include a broad range of activities, such as improving the county’s delivery of services in the county where needs exist, which may require the strategic location of the county’s service centers. Additionally, the Board discussed improving community members’ ability to access programs and services by addressing barriers, such as cost and any impediments for people with disabilities. The Board also indicated an interest in more arts programs.
 
Vision Statement
The Board also adopted a minor revision to its vision statement to make it more inclusive by recognizing both residents of the county and visitors to the county by adding the words “and visitors” to the statement. The Board’s vision statement now reads: “While appreciating and acknowledging our rich history, Loudoun County strives to be a prosperous, inclusive, equitable and sustainable community where residents and visitors feel free to live, work, learn and play.”
 
Next Steps
Now that the Board has formalized its strategic focus areas for the current term, a work plan will be developed that captures the county’s many initiatives that put into action the vision and goals of the Board during its term. The work plan will help county staff, who implement the Board’s strategic direction, to prioritize projects to achieve the Board’s intended outcomes. Through regular updates to the Board regarding its strategic initiatives, the Board may provide additional guidance in the future. The first work plan update for the Board in the current term is expected to be presented to the Board for review and input in the early part of 2025.
 
Updates on the Board’s strategic work plan are posted on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/vision.