The undersigned hereby ask the Board of Supervisors to respond to our concerns before voting on the Silver District West application on March 21, 2019, deny or delay voting on the application.

Many of us bought our homes based on the County master plan. We support residential development at the Metro station,but the County suspended the Silver Line Comprehensive Plan Amendment, and now this application is driving the future of the area, regardless of what may be best for Loudoun County and residents. We expect the County to be responsive to residents and not make the developer responsible to meet with residents and solve County issues. Please firmly say “no” to a change in zoning that would enable the development of SDW as proposed unless concerns of existing residents, many of who bought their homes based on the county master plan, are addressed.

Therefore, we ask that the Board suspend its decision on Silver District West until the County (not the developer) holds at least one public meeting to comprehensively address the following concerns of residents regarding the outstanding impacts listed below.

The proposed changes in use will forever impact our homes and community as well as impact the ultimate costs to the County budget and success of the Metro planning area due to:

Excessive and poorly phased residential development

•   The change in use from business park and commercial development to residential creates conflicts with the master plan.
•    The mix of housing and number of homes of larger square footage in SDW will have a net negative impact on the county’s budget in the long run due to the need for new schools and related ongoing expenses.

• Homes on the site north of Loudoun County Parkway, the “Metro-Accessible site”, which is accessible by pedestrians will be delayed until well after the development of larger townhomes & “two-over-two”-style homes in the Metro-Inaccessible site”, located south of the parkway.

Extreme traffic and congestion

·       Residential development sited too far from Metro will create more traffic in the area than originally expected.

·       The proposed changes in use do not adequately address the need for better pedestrian and biking opportunities to get to Metro safely. Intersection choke-points and lack of pedestrian bridges over a widened Loudoun County Parkway could forebode more accidents and possible fatalities that better planning could help to avoid.

·       The series of new traffic signals at Loudoun County Parkway, Exit 7 ramps to get off Greenway, and several adjacent intersections will become a congested nightmare of traffic back-ups that will cause a ripple effect on drivers farther away.

·       The private shuttle service to the Metro for SDW and Westwind Crossing residents is a patch, not a permanent solution. There is no plan in place for hand-off to County-run bus service. In the interim, unknowns include the frequency and cost of the shuttle service, its hours of operation, the capacity of the shuttle, pick up and drop off locations, and the timing of the end to the shuttle service. 

·       Additional traffic congestion on Loudoun County Parkway and adjacent roads would be caused not only by new residents’ commuting to work but also taking children to schools.  

A potential shortage of schools

·       The need for more schools than the original plan will require the County to acquire more land.

·       The county will bear the cost to build new schools to accommodate a huge new residential development on a location that it is not zoned for, and is unnecessary as well as ill-conceived in its design.

Excessive noise from overflights & inequity

·       Future boards will be on the receiving end of complaints from SDW’s residents regarding overflights from Dulles International Airport. MWAA has conducted a noise impact study from future overflights, and has recommended against new housing near the airport to avoid nuisance noise levels for those residents. These same residents will be paying higher taxes due to their location in the Silver Line Tax District despite those negative impacts.

Clear and enforceable proffer commitments

·       Residents need assurance that proffers will truly address their needs during and after construction.

Impacts to existing residents

·       New Flood Risk: West Wind Crossing (“WWC”) residents could be impacted by changes in flood zones due to the new development. Studies of changes to the 100-year FEMA flood plain attributable to this proposed development ought to shared with impacted residents. Currently, WWC residents are not in a flood zone.

The need for tax funding to pay loans for Metro appears to be driving the rush to expand the tax base but reckless residential development will saddle residents and supervisors with big issues in the long run.

Before any approval, we ask that the County:

·       Require phasing that puts development in “Metro-accessible” (walkable) northside areas first with a complete network of alternative modes of travel available and in-place. Ensure that more and smaller residential units are built in this area and reduce density in the “Metro-inaccessible” areas south of Loudoun County Parkway to maintain the overall proposed residential units.

·       Develop necessary road and transit infrastructure first since Loudoun County Parkway will become extremely choked.

o   Utilize roundabouts on collector streets

o   Ensure that turn lanes are in place and adequate on major roadways- right turns at Greenway, two lefts to Barrister, two lanes from Barrister to Loudoun County Parkway.

·       Only after proffered improvements have been satisfactorily completed by the developer should appropriate development on the south side of Loudoun County Parkway be considered.

o   To provide easy access to metro and relief from traffic congestion, and

o   Additional school sites have been acquired and built in anticipation of an influx of new residents’ children,

·       Address West Wind Crossing residents’ concerns for safety, security of their facilities, insufficient parking in the area, flooding risks and potential insurance impacts on mortgage loans, and Westwind Drive extension.  

April 2018 -  661 residents signed a petition opposing the development. See the below link https://www.change.org/p/let-your-voices-be-heard-advocate-against-the-silver-district-west-development

We strongly urge that the HOA representative from all the impacted communities should be included in the committee, which can work with builder and county to fulfill the basic needs of the residents before making the final decision.

Infrastructure first before the development and improve the quality of life for county residents.

We strongly believe there should be two separate applications 35 acres development next metro and  120 acres barrister street development.

Thank you for the consideration. And, We the residents urge you to take very prompt action, failing which we will be forced to pursue all options. We sincerely hope our issue will be resolved favorably.