By Charles Houston So said architectural icon Frank Lloyd Wright. Let’s use his lens to examine design in Loudoun County. After all, our ballyhooed new General Plan has an entire chapter titled “Quality Development” which asks, “How does the development exhibit high quality design through shape, materials, finish … ?” Our new zoning ordinance is…

By Kwasi Fraser Western Loudoun County, with its stunning bucolic setting, rolling hills, vineyards, open skies, and farmlands, has been a key contributor to the overall economy of Loudoun. However, the region is currently facing a significant challenge with its electrical infrastructure. The root of the problem is inadequate transmission capacity, which is leading to…

By Charles Houston First Some Yogurt You’ve probably seen the yogurt brands Yoplait, Siggis and Chobani. French, Icelandic and Icelandic, right? Wrong. These labels were just invented as marketing constructs and the words mean nothing. Not so with my favorite yogurt, Oikos. Give credit to its producer, a huge French food products company, for using…

By Charles Houston Let’s roast some sacred cows, or if you prefer, tell the emperor that he has no clothes: Memo to: the Board of Supervisors – The recent draft of our new zoning ordinance does nothing to protect the historic and rural character of western Loudoun. It will lead to overcrowding, and to excessive…

By Charles Houston Start at the Beginning Western Loudoun is a special place, starting with its geography: rolling hills, forests, rivers and mountains. For almost three hundred years since it was first explored by European adventurers, the hand of man was gentle. Early settlers cleared land for crops and livestock and built attractive small homes…

By Charles Houston Years ago, I was a young project manager for a major Atlanta developer and one day was invited to join the partners’ meeting to report on my first big project. I kept it short: The infrastructure was almost finished, the first six-story building was halfway complete. That project is now UPS’s world…

By Charles Houston “Common weal” is the archaic term for the satisfactory general welfare of the citizenry. The “general welfare” is a critical concept that implies a satisfactory state of affairs.  How do we obtain general welfare, and how does that concept relate to using one’s land? “My Farm is My 4.01(k) Plan.” I’ve often…

By Charles Houston My childhood breakfasts often featured milk that had soured. (Cue the bad memories.) Once away at college I had a chance to have breakfast my way, so I signed up for fresh chocolate milk every morning. The smooth sweet taste was a treat. A treat for about a week. By then I…

By Charles Houston Visit Loudoun has been meeting with various groups touting the importance of its mission – bringing more tourists to Loudoun. Its influential president, Beth Erickson, comes armed with a presentation focused on a survey it commissioned. VL also has a nifty booklet with a county map in the centerfold, locating the forty-five…