Residents Pack Hearing On Rezoning Proposal

Amendment Could Add 23,000 Homes in South

On any other night, 6-year-old Wyatt Cury-Joyner might have been playing at home with his brother, Reid, 13. But on Monday night, he was waiting in a long line to speak before the Loudoun County Planning Commission.

The boys had come in matching jeans and collared shirts to the County Government Center to attend the commission's public hearing on a controversial proposal to rezone a portion of the southern part of the county.

Both boys are home-schooled by their mother, Valerie Cury-Joyner, at their Purcellville home, where she has taught them about growth and its effects on residents.

"I've taught them to care about the community," Cury-Joyner said.

As they waited, along with about 150 others who wanted to address the commission, Wyatt practiced his comments, albeit a bit nervously. "Children are the future of Loudoun County. . . . Are you, are you going to leave us with so much debt and so much traffic and so many schools to build?" he asked, before hiding behind his mother.

Critics and proponents alike lined up Monday night to offer their two cents' worth on Comprehensive Plan Amendment 2003-2005, which would permit nearly six times as many homes as current zoning allows in the Upper Foley and Upper Broad Run transition areas. The amendment must be approved by the commission and the Board of Supervisors.

Nearly an hour before the start of the hearing, the line of speakers already snaked back and forth through the lobby several times. When the proceedings finally began, people were standing shoulder to shoulder inside the board room. Some were asked to leave after making their comments to create space for those lined up outside.

For the first 1 1/2 hours of the six-hour hearing, speaker after speaker -- including representatives of developer Greenvest LC -- rose to endorse the amendment. After about 30 minutes, amendment opponents who were stuck in the hall began chanting, "Let the citizens in!" and "Where's the public process?" Some critics complained that employees of the developer were taking up seats, keeping opponents outside.

Planning Commissioner John D. Herbert (Catoctin) was the only member absent; the hearing was held on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, and Herbert had complained about the timing.

Given the high turnout, many people said more public hearings were necessary. The commission has raised the possibility of another hearing, but no date has been set.

The commission held two public hearings, one in March and one in April, and an open house the last week of September. But Ed Gorski, a land-use officer for the Piedmont Environmental Council, which opposes the amendment, noted that this hearing was the first time residents could respond to the county's projections of the amendment's impact.

"Before, there was nothing specific to talk about," Gorski said.