Old Board To Rule On 4 Key Projects

The board gave a tentative nod to the project this year but voted Tuesday to send it to a committee for further review.

Proponents have said that Arcola Center would revitalize a run-down part of the county off Route 50 and that it would boost tourism by featuring restored slave quarters. But slow-growth activists opposed the project because of traffic concerns.

Kincora is a large mixed-use development proposed to be set up near routes 7 and 28 in Ashburn.

Although county officials have expressed a desire for "town centers" -- pedestrian-friendly developments where people can live, work and play -- slow-growth activists note that the area has several similar developments.

"Does the Ashburn community really need another town center?" said Ed Gorski, land-use officer for the anti-sprawl Piedmont Environmental Council. "What's been happening is the town center has become the latest developer fad, and we're having town centers blossom all over the place. If you have too many of them, only a certain number are going to be viable."

Perhaps the most controversial project slated for board consideration this year is Ridgewater Park, a community of about 1,000 houses in a rural area east of Leesburg. Developer Leonard S. "Hobie" Mitchel has dramatically scaled back the project to make it palatable to skeptical supervisors, but it still draws concerns.

Conservationists say it threatens the Goose Creek Reservoir, which provides water to thousands of Loudoun residents. Some officials also worry that it could set a precedent because it would have a higher density than some neighboring communities.

Already, developers in neighboring areas have said they will ask to build more houses if Ridgewater Park is approved, said Marchant Schneider, a county planner.

Schneider said the project has encountered several stumbling blocks along the way and is scheduled to be reviewed by the board in December. But he said it is appropriate for the developer to seek final approval from the current board, which is familiar with the project and has been working on it for months.

"If it's rushed, it's in that there is a desire to have this board look at it, which makes sense," Schneider said.