Faithful stewards of Catoctin Meadows wetlands fight to protect its natural beauty 

By Ron Rise Sr.

On the northwest edge of the Town of Purcellville quietly rests a 14.2 acre-green open space with forested wetlands with life-giving waters of the South Fork Catoctin Creek, all nestled quietly along N 21st Street.

In 1996, Bruce Brownell approached the Town of Purcellville during the design and development of his Catoctin Meadows subdivision. Mr. Brownell offered to transfer ownership of a 14.2-acre property to the Town, along with an undisclosed cash contribution.

The Town Council debated the offer at length but in the end decided the Town did not have the financial capital at that time to maintain or fund the fiscal obligations required for the property. 

The now-orphaned forested wetlands – along with its life-giving creek – was deeded to the care of 74 Catoctin Meadows Homeowners Association families. As time went on, the members became caring owners of the wetlands and creek by simply allowing the land and wildlife to thrive without further human interference and damage. 

However, just one decade later, the Town Parks and Recreation Advisory Board developed a master plan that identified this land’s enormous value to the Town.  

On Oct.10, 2006, at the direction of Mayor Bob Lazaro and his Town Council, Town Manager Robert Lohr wrote to the HOA board. In his request, Lohr discussed the Town’s desire to acquire the HOA’s 14.2-acre private space and incorporate it into the Town’s existing Suzanne Kane Nature Park.

Twelve days later, on Oct. 24, the HOA Board President replied stating, “The HOA members are strongly opposed to a transfer of their land to the Town.”  

This HOA rebuttal was not taken as final by the Town Parks and Recreation Committee, which continued to push its newly weighted influence back onto the HOA. The committee promised this would help gain better easements for sidewalks, as well as signage on and throughout the HOA land. They even suggested the Town might spin off a separate Town 501c3 to obtain the land from the HOA. 

On Oct. 27, in response to the Town’s continued push, the HOA President responded again, this time directly to Vice Mayor Greg Wagner, “Why such urgency? The lands are already wildlife space.” 

“Trails (paved or otherwise), benches and signs will only diminish the wildlife value of the land, driving off small woodland creatures and diminishing its ecological value,” he added. “Old Dominion Valley town trails are reported to have been misused by underage drinkers and vandals and the Catoctin Meadows HOA have no desire for that.”  

On Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, Mayor Lazaro responded, “The Planning Commission has recommended that your property be shown as private open space, I support that change and respect the wishes of the neighborhood that nothing further be pursued.” 

Fast forward a decade plus, and now the HOA’s common open space has been encumbered by Town Ordinance and Official Zoning Maps, including Article 14a protection as a Historic Corridor Overlay District and Article 12 as part of the Town’s Floodplain Overlay District. 

Article 12’s primary purpose is to “protect the lives and property” of Town residents from the dangers associated with flooding, when wetlands like this are disturbed by development (like adding massive amount of fill dirt into the floodplain as proposed by the construction of the 7/890 Interchange). 

On Oct. 16, 2018, the County Board of Supervisors purchased an encumbered HOA Lot from a young family using taxpayer dollars.  This HOA Lot is commonly known as LOT 74.  

With this purchase, the County stopped paying real estate taxes to the Town and allowed this once beautiful home overlooking the HOA’s common open space to deteriorate. The County also allowed law enforcement to conduct close quarter training in the home, kicking in doors and breaking windows, with little to no respect for other HOA homeowners who witnessed this activity. 

Because the County purchase was an encumbered HOA property, the County automatically became an HOA member and was obligated to pay assessments (dues) and abide by the covenants, conditions, and restrictions. 

This purchase stayed unnoticed by most of the HOA families until Nov. 2022, as most assumed the County had taken the home and property by eminent domain proceedings.  

In April 2022, a newly elected HOA Board contacted Supervisor Tony Buffington’s office concerning these issues and presented them with all the HOA governing documents. Ms. Christi Maple, Chief of Staff reached out to apologize and promised that the County would clean up the trash and debris in the lot and maintain the grass per the HOA covenants. 

By ignorance or by arrogance or both, the County’s unwitting purchase of an HOA encumbered property has complicated the County’s goal to construct the new Rt. 7/690 Interchange.  

Although the County has the authority to use eminent domain to acquire private property in the county, the County does not have eminent domain power to acquire land rights from other political subdivisions within the Commonwealth of Virginia, such as the Town of Purcellville.  

What the County would prefer is for the Town Council to use its authority to execute proceedings in condemnation, as suggested in the County Board of Supervisors Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee reports from Dec. 13, 2022, and Jan. 10, 2023. 

During the June 13 Town Council meeting, Mayor Stan Milan promised he had no personal intention as Mayor to turn his back on the Catoctin Meadows citizens regarding floodplain easement vacation concerns. 

“The Town Council will not turn our backs on the Mayfair or Catoctin Meadows HOA citizens, but I am just one vote,” Mayor Milan said.

However, on Nov. 14, 2023, at the monthly Board of Supervisors Finance, Government Operations and Economic Development Committee meeting, Chair Phyllis J. Randall was able to table the vote to approve the phased approach for the 7/690 Interchange.

Chair Randall alluded that she, along with Tony Buffington and other members of the community, thought that a survey of what the residents in the area might want could be helpful in moving the Town Council to vacate the Town Floodplain easements with the HOA. 

Chair Randall added that she is going to take one more run at the Town Council post-election and encourage them to conduct a survey to understand what the citizenry may want.

Chair Randall who claims to be an advocate for the protection of western Loudoun’s diminishing pristine forested wetlands and stream beds is now advocating to destroy land that she commonly owns along with 73 families in Purcellville.

For 26 years, the 74 families of Catoctin Meadows have been faithful stewards of this once-orphaned 14.2-acre property. These dedicated and loving HOA families have cared for this property by leaving it in its most natural state, allowing its wildlife to return and the land to heal from the 1980s construction of the Rt. 7 Bypass.  

These dedicated families have honored the Town encumbrances placed on their land as part of the Town’s Historic Corridor Overlay District and trust the Town is looking after their lives and property within the Towns Floodplain jurisdiction. They continue to be good stewards of this invaluable wetlands.

Ron Rise Sr. is the founder and CEO of Rocketmagic, LLC, an aerospace engineer with 46 years’ experience building and managing multiple propulsion test and launch facilities in Virginia, Camden Arkansas, NASA Stennis Space Center Mississippi and Mojave California.  He and his wife Becky moved to Catoctin Meadows in 1998 where they raised their two sons and enjoy the small-town charm of Purcellville with their beagle named Sadie.