Letters To the Editor

Stand Up for Democracy

Day after day, democracy is being undermined in Loudoun County. It all began in 2003, when Jim Duszynski, of the major developer Greenvest, crowed to the press that his company wanted "regime change" in Loudoun.

With record campaign contributions for a local election, Greenvest and the development industry succeeded in their goal. The new Board of Supervisors promptly sought to undermine and rewrite the county Comprehensive Plan developed after two years of intensive consultations with residents.

It wasn't long before people realized what was happening in the county.

More than 15,000 residents signed petitions opposing the major plan amendments, and hundreds have turned out on multiple occasions at county hearings. Facing unbearable traffic, ever-changing school boundaries and thousands more houses already approved, citizens have fought developer efforts to add tens of thousands more units to a county already growing too fast.

Yet it has felt to most citizens that the board majority is at war with them, while strongly favoring the side of industry. Those who have contacted their elected representatives have been subjected too often to insult and intimidation via e-mails and comments from the dais. Take, for example, Republican Dulles District Supervisor Stephen J. Snow's Aug. 1 e-mail to Andrea McGimsey, an Ashburn resident and civic activist: "You leave no positive legacy for mankind, for our citizens. You seem to exist essentially for nothing. Sad. No human should have a hollow portfolio."

More insidious have been the timing of hearings, the last-minute changes to planning and zoning proposals and the need for citizens to return again and again to testify.

Two proposals for a rural zoning ordinance, to replace one litigated away by developers' attorneys, aimed to reduce potential housing units from 46,000 to 14,000. They were considered for 18 months and involved multiple public hearings. At the "final" public hearing, held jointly by the board and the Planning Commission, the commission delayed its vote, requiring yet another meeting of the commission and another hearing before the board.

Supervisors Jim E. Clem (R-Leesburg) and Mick Staton Jr. (R-Sugarland Run) then surprised the public with a third proposal adding more houses. Loudoun residents are now facing yet another public hearing, probably in November. Meanwhile, the delays have allowed for the carving up of the rural landscape to continue unabated.

Greenvest and others have proposed adding 28,000 homes west of Dulles International Airport. Although the plan had been floated for two years, the extensive county staff report did not appear until a Friday afternoon in July, just two and a half days before a Planning Commission hearing. Suddenly, it was no longer 28,000 houses, but nearly 34,000, with no time for busy citizens to study the staff findings.

The massive proposal would add to central Loudoun the equivalent of the city of Manassas two and a half times over. Yet the board placed it far down the agenda for its public hearing Tuesday. For this, the most controversial issue to face the county, citizens would have to arrive early to sign up and wait much of the night to see whether they would be able to testify. Most will probably have to come back again Saturday to be heard.

Constant board maneuvering, imperious behavior toward constituents and a concerted effort to dismantle a publicly approved Comprehensive Plan are undermining the democratic process. The best way to respond is for Loudoun residents to turn out in even greater numbers to defend their democracy, their Comprehensive Plan, their open space, their roadways and their schools from rampant real estate speculation.

This Saturday at 9 a.m., the next hearing date to consider the 34,000 more houses, is a great opportunity to make a stand.

Stewart Schwartz

Executive director

Coalition for Smarter Growth