First of fifteen village plans passes

By Katie Northcott

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to establish the St. Louis Village Plan.

The plan attempts to represent residents who have expressed concerns about development pressures on the Rural Historic Village. It seeks to address infrastructure concerns such as quality and quantity of drinking water and increased traffic while preserving the historic elements of the village.

The St. Louis Village Plan is the first of fifteen small village plans to receive approval. The Board initiated the CPAM in January 2022. At the time, the project plan predicted that the public hearing about the CPAM would take place in November or December 2023. The project finished about two years behind schedule.

“I do want to thank St. Louis and all those who participated for kind of being the guinea pig in this process,” said Supervisor Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin). “Each village defines the area in many ways. The idea is to preserve the way of life, the area, the feel, the look, the historical aspects, etc., in Western Loudoun and these various areas.”

The plan implements five policies and proposes actions to implement the policies. These policies address drinking water issues, historical preservation, community gathering spaces, traffic complaints, and commercial activities.

“One of the big issues is that we feel like our public servants are not listening to us. We felt heard, this time. Thank you for that,” St. Louis Village resident Jen Imhoff said.

Imhoff said St. Louis Village residents are supportive of the plan with a few caveats. They are waiting on promised zoning changes, do not want commercial developments, housing developments, or community water, and do want a passive park instead of a park with equipment for exercise or play.

“We don’t want this part of Loudoun County to look like Eastern Loudoun County which is fraught with data centers,” Imhoff said. “We want to preserve what traditional Loudoun County is, and right now, we don’t feel heard about that.”

A survey held by the St. Louis Village Plan Task Force found that about 29 residents supported commercial developments while about 26 did not.

Madeline Skinner, a member of the St. Louis Village Plan Task Force—a committee to collect community feedback about the plan–appeared before the Board to give feedback on her experience. She expressed concern that residents had been pushed out of the planning process too soon.

“After spending years as a part of this, it was unfortunate that task force members were not asked to continue to participate as the Design Cabinet took over and also not being included in the community meeting held on August 25,” Skinner said.

She asked if residents would be involved as the planning is implemented and asked that other small village plans be prioritized over other projects.

The CPAM passed 8-0-1. Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) was absent.