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The Route 28 corridor is a major economic and transportation gateway into Loudoun County. Route 28 is the county’s most heavily travelled roadway and serves as a vital link for regional traffic and to Washington Dulles International Airport. The corridor is uniquely positioned to emerge as an international gateway for the Washington metropolitan region and a major employment destination for national and international businesses. As such, Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors has continuously emphasized the importance of economic development in the corridor to the county’s overall fiscal and social health.
One of the outcomes of the Board’s July 2008 Strategic Planning Session is a broader focus on Loudoun’s existing communities, including the Route 28 corridor. The county has completed the Potomac/Sterling Community Outreach Project as part of an effort to address key issues within existing communities of eastern Loudoun. One strategy recommended in the outreach project's final report is the facilitation of a sustainable land use strategy that will maximize the economic benefits to the region and eastern Loudoun County. This also could translate into updated land use policies, development criteria, zoning standards, and investment strategies.
To further refine this recommended strategy, many Route 28 Corridor-related studies and activities have been initiated or completed, including:
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A Board-initiated Route 28 Keynote Employment Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM) to consider retaining or changing the current Keynote Employment land use policies within the Route 28 corridor. A market study was included as part of the CPAM. The market study included an analysis of development potential for Class A office space in the Route 28 corridor and recommendations for moving toward land use policies for the corridor based on the positive attributes of the area and changing market conditions.
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A Business Outreach Project that convened a forum with commercial property owners in the Route 28 corridor and conducted a number of stakeholder interviews prior to the forum to assess their vision for the corridor, identify reasons for why they were not converting to the county’s most recent zoning ordinance and to identify what incentives and inducements could be considered to encourage property owners to convert. The information obtained from the forum and the interviews were summarized and presented in a report to the Board at the June 2, 2009, business meeting. The report contained options for the Board to consider that may lead to a shared vision and economic development strategy for the corridor.
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A Route 28 Tax District Existing Conditions Report that provided background information on the corridor;
Documents in Route 28 Corridor-Related Initiatives & Activities Binder
A comprehensive list of on-going or completed Route 28 corridor-related strategic planning initiatives and activities, including the major activities mentioned above, were also provided in a binder that was distributed to the Board of Supervisors in August 2009. The information included will be used as reference material to guide the Board in its future decisions on how to proceed with strategic planning in the Route 28 corridor. The contents of this binder can be accessed below. To view the documents, you will need the free Adobe Reader which can be downloaded here.
For More Information
For more information about Loudoun County's Route 28 corridor-related initiatives and activities, please contact the Loudoun County Planning Department at 703-777-0246 or dop@loudoun.gov. |