Loudoun Letters to the Editor
Thursday, March 2, 2006; Page LZ02
A Root Cause of Gangs
It is good to know that Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) is giving a high priority to addressing the widespread gangs in Northern Virginia ["Loudoun Fighting to Keep Gangs Out," The Loudoun Extra, Feb. 12]. In his recent town hall visits, he has proposed a number of solutions aimed toward prevention.
While these efforts are commendable, they are mostly Band-Aid solutions aimed at addressing the symptoms. One of the major root causes of gang activity is illegal immigration, and until that is openly and honestly dealt with, areas throughout the country will have an increase in gang activity.
Peter Hoagland
Warrenton
The Wise Way to Grow
As a resident in the Dulles South area, I take exception to your Jan. 20 editorial ["How to Ruin a County," A Section] regarding growth in the county.
What The Washington Post editorial board seems to overlook is that Loudoun County has an opportunity to embrace a 20-year development plan that encompasses only 6.8 percent of the county. The alternative is to continue with by-right development that will not have cohesive planning and will promote sprawl that will bog down our roads and increase our residential taxes. In addition, it will continue to force civil servants such as law enforcement officers (like myself) to live outside the community they serve because of shortages in affordable housing.
Using the by-right model, the demand for housing will remain the same but the infrastructure is left untouched. We need to plan for growth, not bury our heads in the sand and just hope it goes away.
From what I've seen, developers such as Greenvest are stepping up to the plate with some real transportation and housing solutions. Their proposed communities include senior and workforce housing, trails and green spaces that include a 200-acre park and recreational facilities. They've proposed building major portions of the road network in the Dulles South area, not disjointed segments that can lead to years of more gridlock.
They also propose to donate land for and build six schools. Every year our property assessments and tax bills increase. However, very few of our tax dollars are used to build roads. The only logical solution to develop the much-needed infrastructure in Dulles South is to have the developers pay for it.
Approximately 110,000 new households will come to Loudoun County by 2030, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The proximity of the Dulles South area to the economic engines of Loudoun and Fairfax counties makes for the perfect opportunity to direct growth. Good planning suggests that we provide housing closer to where the jobs are and will be.
Loudoun County is beautiful. But no one will save it by limiting growth in the Dulles South area. Quite conversely, the only way to slow growth in the western scenic portion is to supply more housing and infrastructure in the east.
