Update - 450+ supporters - Geary Higgins has responded.

Hello! Thank you again for your support! We have reached a lot of the community through this medium and we are happy to see the progress. Geary Higgins has responded with the following: Dear Catoctin Resident, I have been informed this afternoon that the project applicant will host a community meeting to discuss expansion of the AT&T Short Hill facility on May 23rd at 7:00 pm at the Lovettsville Game Association building at 16 South Berlin Turnpike, Lovettsville, Virginia. I share the concerns expressed by many of you about the visual impact of this facility on Short Hill and do not support the current application as it currently stands. I will not be able to support the application unless and until additional information and specifics are received about the project and substantive and meaningful mitigation efforts are adopted that will hide the visual impact of the facility. The item is on the agenda for the May 19th Board of Supervisors Business Meeting. I am planning to send the item for to the June 17, 2016 Transportation and Land Use Committee meeting for further discussion. The item will likely be reported back to the Board business meeting on June 23, 2016. If you are not aware of this issue, here is some background information you might find helpful: AT&T has put forward an application for a Commission Permit to expand an existing communication transmission utility substation located on the west side of Short Hill. When the application was before the Planning Commission on April 26, 2016, I sent a letter to the Planning Commission requesting a work session because there had not been enough community outreach. The Planning Commission ultimately approved the application and it is now coming before the Board of Supervisors on May 19th. The Planning Commission Staff Report can be found here. I have heard from many of you that you have concerns about the impact that this project will have on the view-shed in northwest Loudoun and I agree with you. It is because of these concerns that I wrote to the planning commission. As I said above, I do not support the application as it currently stands. I toured the facility this morning with Supervisor Buffington. We had extensive discussions about the need for substantial landscaping along with possible reconfiguration of the proposed building. I hope this information is helpful and I look forward to seeing you in Lovettsville on May 23rd. Best Regards, Supervisor Geary Higgins Board of Supervisors - Catoctin District Loudoun County, Virginia