BOS votes to pursue eastward move for county government center

By Sophia Clifton

On Oct. 14, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors took a significant step toward relocating its Government Center from Leesburg to eastern Loudoun, voting 4-0-1 at the Finance, Government Operations and Economic Development Committee meeting to direct staff to pursue potential partnerships and sites for a new 300,000–400,000-square-foot facility near the Silver Line corridor.

The decision advances what has been years of discussion over how to modernize the county’s aging core offices while responding to population growth and development shifting eastward. County staff said they will now refine cost estimates, site options and delivery methods for the board’s future consideration.

The presentation to the board was brief, but its implications were far-reaching. “Today staff is requesting the board’s guidance of which option you want us to further develop,” staff contacts Rosario Li Rocchi and Jacqueline Marsh, from Real Property Asset Management and Planning, told supervisors. “Based on the board’s directions, staff will finalize the program and bring forward costs, schedule, and delivery recommendations for the board’s consideration.”

Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) was among the first to react. “Yeah, um, okay—well, this seems like kind of a big deal,” he said, adding that he was “a little bit surprised by the outcome.”

Letourneau questioned how staff concluded that moving east could be less costly than building on the county’s own land at Sycolin Road near Leesburg. “We already own that land,” he said. “So what factor does actually—like, say we’re trying to acquire land … in the Ashburn or eastern Loudoun area—I mean, that has to be a pretty significant expense. So how does it come out that it’s not cheaper to build on the land that we already own?”

Rocchi responded that the comparison was based on a high-level analysis of two broad options: building multiple smaller buildings on county-owned land versus partnering with a developer to construct a single consolidated facility on land already zoned and entitled for office use. “We believe that by leveraging a partner … their ability to move quicker than we can—that all equals a lower cost, potentially,” Senior Deputy County Administrator Erin McLellan explained.

“If, in fact, they are not more advantageous,” McLellan added, “the board does own the property in Leesburg. We could pivot to that.”

Letourneau acknowledged that any move would need to account for both development realities and resident convenience. “In terms of my preference, I certainly think if we’re going to deviate from Sycolin, I would want it to be sort of in the Ashburn area … somewhere in that vicinity of those two [Metro] stations,” he said.

He predicted concern from western Loudoun representatives: “We may hear from our colleagues from the West a little bit on this, who have some concerns about geographic centrality.” Still, he noted, “there’s also a lot of services beyond the Board of Supervisors that people come to this facility for, and the geographic density is more relevant for that conversation.”

Supervisor Sylvia Glass (D-Broad Run) and others voiced interest in the efficiency of a single consolidated building. The staff’s presentation estimated the county could save millions in leasing costs by co-locating departments now spread across 18 leased sites.

Executive Director for Economic Development Buddy Rizer, who was called up during the discussion, said he saw upside potential in the move. “I love the idea of having an anchor to kick off a development,” he said. “Of all the things I worry about, running out of office space is not one of them. We’re spending a significant amount of time right now trying to find anchors to get, you know, really three developments kicked off in a major way.”

Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) said her primary concern was ensuring accessibility for all residents. “As chair of the county, I think it is my job to think about everybody in the county,” she said. “And I do think people who are in the West, if you’re looking to build more east, it is a long way to come.”

Randall suggested that the decision need not be all or nothing. “Even if we put most of the court services here, it would still be logical to have some county services in this building,” she said. “People can pay their taxes here … It doesn’t seem to me that this feels very all or nothing.”

Staff reiterated that flexibility was possible. “We believe that this entire building will likely be needed for the growth of the courts,” McLellan said. “However … If the board wants us to pursue what it would look like to have a smaller version of, say, Commissioner or Treasurer here to receive walk-ins that are in the Leesburg area, we can certainly do that.”

Randall also pointed to the county’s ongoing investments in regional service centers: “When I came to this board in 2016, I strongly encouraged regional district offices so that people don’t have to come into this building whenever they want to have meetings with their supervisors or meeting with staff,” she recalled. “And that was roundly and completely put down in my first 15 minutes in office.”

McLellan responded that “we are in the process of doing that for all of the districts,” and mentioned upcoming service centers in Dulles South and eastern Loudoun, as well as plans to identify a site in the west.

Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling) wondered how Option 2 would affect previously planned buildings on the Sycolin Road Government Support Center. “If we were to pick Option 2,” he asked, “then that means really buildings 2, 3, and 4 probably would not happen anytime soon … would that be accurate?”

“For now, I would say that the analysis shows that, yes,” staff replied. “However, our space pressures are such that we do anticipate building all of those.”

Randall later asked about height limits at Sycolin Road. “Do they have a height restriction?” she said. “What I’m getting at is I think that the building that might be around a metro station will have to be more than four floors.” Staff confirmed the JLMA zoning limits building height to “35 to 45 feet,” leading Randall to observe that “that, to me, that’s restrictive … for what we want and the square footage that we want.”

That restriction, she said, helps explain “why it would be more efficient for us and probably a quicker process” to pursue a site near Metro access. “My two cents,” she concluded, “is that we go for the eastern Metro area … and I will have my cup half full and hope that it will inspire other growth in that area.”

Supervisor Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian) moved that the committee “recommend that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to pursue Option 2 and develop options, seek potential partnerships to relocate the Government Center east of Leesburg, and accommodate a building size of approximately 300,000 to 400,000 square feet.” Letourneau seconded. 

“I think that we have talked through most of the details on this,” Briskman said. “I’m excited about it … I have a feeling this building is going to fill up really, really fast.
And I’m really excited about us helping inspire growth over by the Metros.”

She added a personal priority: “I am super psyched about the potential childcare center … I will be advocating that our employees have a childcare center in their new building. I think that it is important for life-work balance.”

Chair Randall echoed that enthusiasm: “Ditto with the childcare facility and the café and all the things— our employees deserve to have all the things.”

With little further debate, the motion carried 4–0–1, with Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) absent.

Staff will now begin site screening and outreach to potential private partners, reporting back with specific locations, costs, and financing options. The staff presentation noted that a site will need to be identified “in the next year to facilitate a 2030 movement of staff.”

For Briskman, the move represents both a practical and symbolic step forward: “Whether I’m here or not,” she said with a smile, “we’ll have future supervisors in a beautiful building.”