Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog Capitol Hill

Smart Growth Debate Flaring Anew in Fast-Growing Loudoun County, VA

2:08 PM EDT on April 13, 2010

Over the past decade, Virginia's Loudoun County has frequently ranked among the top 10 fastest-growing in the country -- a dubious honor for many local residents, who have watched their local elected officials veer from a full-speed-ahead rush of new development to an emphasis on smart growth and then back again, a dizzying back-and-forth that has revolved around competing visions for the future of an area often depicted as the quintessential exurb.

This month Loudoun officials are holding public meetings on the county's proposed long-term transportation plan, which includes a goal of transitioning to a "complete streets" strategy for transport planning but also proposes significant widening on no fewer than four local roads.

The privately owned Dulles Greenway as well as Route 7 and Route 28, both state roads would be expanded to eight lanes under the new county transport plan.

Leesburg Today, a Loudoun-area publication, attended a local hearing on the plan last night and reported that "the largest complaint[s]" came from residents who questioned why Route 606, a four-lane connector road that loops from Loudoun around the planned communities of Reston and Herndon, should be doubled in size:

“If I look outside my window I can see Rt. 606,” resident VijayDoraiswamy said. “There is only a traffic build up during rush hour.There is a need for some expansion of this road, but not to eightlanes. I seriously question the data collected and the validity. Thesedecisions affect us, and our families’ lives. So I think it’s fair tosay that we too are experts when it comes to these issues.”

“My concern is the demand projections. We do need expansion, but eight lanes? That’s the beltway,” Chetna Lal said.

Residents who view the Loudoun plan as overly focused on adding lanes to major roads to the exclusion of smaller-scale community building have formed an advocacy group, Citizens for a Countywide Transportation Plan. An agenda outlined on the group's website cites the need for more street crosswalks, bicycling infrastructure, and "better bus service that provides alternatives to the massive east-west commuter nightmare of one person, one car."

As the battles over transportation and development in Loudoun start flaring anew, it will be worth watching the response from the administration of Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell (R). His attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, has publicly challenged the federal government's authority to regulate emissions and recently mocked the Environmental Protection Agency by telling a crowd of Tea Party protesters to "hold their breath" in an effort to reduce CO2.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Are Tired Out

Whether it's from degradation or the dust resulting from wear and tear, it's becoming increasingly clear that tire and brake emissions are harmful, perhaps even exceeding tailpipe emissions.

September 22, 2023

Study: What Road Diets Mean For Older Drivers

"After a road diet, all motorists seem to drive at a rate that feels comfortable to a mildly-impaired older adult."

September 22, 2023

Op-Ed: Why Is Fare Evasion Punished More Severely than Speeding?

A.B. 819 offers California the opportunity to decriminalize fare evasion and replace punitive measures with more equitable approaches.

September 21, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: Local Culture and Development

We chat with Tim Sprague from Phoenix about supporting local culture through development projects and the importance of sustainable development and transportation.

September 21, 2023

City of Yes Yes Yes! Adams Calls for Elimination of Parking Mandates on ALL New Housing

Mayor Adams today announced the historic end to one of the city’s most antiquated — and despised — zoning laws requiring the construction of parking with every new development.

September 21, 2023
See all posts