HomeMy Public PortalAboutTLTA-2018-0002 Recertification of EGDSAP
Date of Meeting: February 6, 2020
TOWN OF LEESBURG
PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION
Subject: TLTA-2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Staff Contact: Richard Klusek, AICP, Senior Planner
Applicant: Town of Leesburg
Proposal: This application proposes to revise the Town Plan to add a new chapter, Chapter
12, with specific policies pertaining to the East Market Street corridor from the
Leesburg Bypass to the eastern town limit line.
Planning Commission Critical Action Date: None.
Recommendation: Staff recommends the Planning Commission recommend approval of the
draft Small Area Plan, including additional language regarding architecture, to the Town Council
and adopt the recertification resolution (Attachment 1).
Acceptance Date: This Town Plan amendment was initiated by a motion at the Town
Council’s September 24, 2013 meeting.
Suggested Motions:
Approval
I move the Planning Commission forward TLTA 2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small
Area Plan to the Town Council with a recommendation of approval;
And that the document be recertified through adoption of the Resolution attached to this report
and forwarded to the Town Council for adoption.
Work Session
I move that TLTA 2018-0002 be referred to a work session for further discussion.
- Or -
Alternate Motion
I move that ________________________________.
TLTA-2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Planning Commission Work Session Staff Report
February 6, 2020
Page 2 of 5
I. PLANNING COMMISSION REVIEW SUMMARY
After the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan was remanded from Town Council back to
the Planning Commission, the Planning Commission held a second public hearing on
September 5, 2019 and held work sessions on October 3, November 7, 2019, and January 2,
2020. The second public hearing on the plan was necessary since the Council was unable to
take action within 90 days of the Planning Commission’s original resolution recommending
approval on June 21, 2018. During the public hearing, the Planning Commission reviewed and
discussed phasing language and requested a work session to address details regarding the
language. The August 12, 2019 draft was reviewed at the Planning Commission public hearing
on September 5, 2019.
At the work sessions on October 3, 2019 and November 7, 2019, the Planning Commission
discussed and endorsed alternative phasing policy language for the Small Area Plan. There
was also a desire to incorporate additional architectural detail. There was additional discussion
regarding design and phasing at the Planning Commission’s meeting on January 2, 2020. Staff
made additional minor modifications to address concerns about phasing language regarding
subsequent applications for additional development on a property. Additional text was also
added to address overall aspects of project design.
II. TOWN COUNCIL DISCUSSION
The Town Council addressed architectural design deficiencies in the draft SAP during
meetings on July 10, 2018, September 24, 2018, October 23, 2018, December 11, 2018,
January 10, 2019, and August 12, 2019. In an effort to provide a better idea of the type of
architectural design that is desired the East Market corridor area, Council asked that pictures be
included in the SAP and that more detailed discussion of appropriate features be added to the
plan. Pictures of architecture that was considered compatible with Leesburg’s architectural
character were added on pages 12-11 through 12-13. Pictures of architecture that was
considered incompatible with Leesburg’s architectural character are also shown on these pages.
On September 23, 2019, the Town Council held an additional discussion focused on design
standards to accompany the policies in the Small Area Plan. Some Council members expressed
concerns that the policies in the SAP may not be specific enough to guarantee architecture that
would be compatible with Leesburg’s character. The Council followed up this discussion by
initiating a Zoning Ordinance text amendment to develop zoning regulation that would address
desired architectural outcomes on October 15, 2019. Staff returned to Town Council on
December 9, 2019 and the Council endorsed an approach to develop new architectural
standards and guidelines. They will be developed to implement policies of the Small Area Plan
after its adoption. This approach is consistent with recommendations of the H-2 Work Group.
III. H-2 WORK GROUP RECOMMENDATION: The H-2 Work Group (H2WG) met on
November 26, 2019, and continues to recommend that an overlay district be created for the
Gateway District. Members of the H2WG include: Planning Commission - Gigi Robinson, and
TLTA-2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Planning Commission Work Session Staff Report
February 6, 2020
Page 3 of 5
Kick Lanham; Board of Architectural Review - Teresa Minchew, Richard Koochagian, and
Dale Goodson (alternate).
The H2WG does not recommend focusing exclusively on building design, but rather a holistic
focus on site, building, and streetscape design. The H-2 Work Group (H2WG) recommends
that the project be undertaken with a practical, tried and true approach using regulation in
conjunction with guidelines. The approach recommend by the H-2 Working Group is as follows:
1. Adopt Gateway overlay district in the Zoning Ordinance with new boundaries on East and
West Market; North and South King Street; and Edwards Ferry Road east of Heritage Way.
2. Adopt a holistic approach to design in the corridor by focusing on site, building and
streetscape design.
3. Adopt general zoning text regulation to provide regulatory ‘teeth’ to basic design concepts.
4. Adopt general guidelines for the entire Gateway District (all five segments).
5. Based on the character of each segment, adopt specific guidelines for each of the five
segments.
6. Develop streetscape plans for all segments of the Gateway District which would be
implemented over time through private development as well as public sector improvements
achieved through the Town’s Capital Improvements Plan.
IV. APPROACH TO DESIGN GUIDLINES
Based on Council direction to proceed with the approach of developing the Gateway District
regulations and architectural guidelines, Staff believes that further changes to the Small Area
Plan are not necessary. However, minor changes have been made to the Plan text to emphasize
the holistic site, building, and streetscape approach recommend by the H-2 Work Group. The
guidelines will expand upon the plan policy objectives shown on Page 12-10 of the Plan to
provide project applicants additional perspective on the desired design characteristics in the
Eastern Gateway District. It is important to note that the Small Area Plan is just one component
of the collection of policy documents, and regulations that will address design in the Eastern
Gateway District:
1. Town Plan – The Town Plan provides general design guidance that applies
to the entire Town on Pages 5-1 to 5-6 and emphasizes the importance of
good design in Leesburg. The new Town Plan which is currently in
development will emphasize the importance of supporting existing Town
Character in the review of land development proposals.
2. Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan - Like the Town Plan, the
Small Area Plan provides general design guidance as it still serves the
function of a Comprehensive Plan as per VA Code §15.2-2223. However,
the Small Area Plan looks at a specific location (a Small Area) in the Town
and considers policies specific to this area.
3. Zoning Ordinance – The Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance,
specifically TLZO Sec 7.6, H-2 Historic Corridor Architectural Control
Overlay District, is the regulating document pertaining to design. The
Town is given legislative authority to regulate design by VA Code §15.2-
TLTA-2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Planning Commission Work Session Staff Report
February 6, 2020
Page 4 of 5
2306. This section authorizes the Town to regulate design along
“significant routes of tourist access to the locality or to designated historic
landmarks, buildings, structures or districts” and provides that no
construction occur unless it is determined to be architecturally compatible.
Today, the H-2 District, is used to regulate design. Of particular note is the
fact that TLZO Sec. 7.6.7 references the H-2 Corridor Design Guidelines
that are used by the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) to determine
architectural compatibility. In the Town of Leesburg, the BAR is
designated as the review body for determining architectural compatibility
under Town Code Sec 7A-2. However, as the Planning Commission and
Council are already aware, efforts are underway to replace the H-2
Guidelines with the new Gateway District that will include both
regulations and guidelines. Staff and the H2WG will develop the Gateway
regulations and guidelines with phased adoption of the various elements
during 2020.
4. H-2 Corridor Design Guidelines – The BAR currently uses the H-2
Corridor Design Guidelines to determine architectural compatibility. The
H-2 Corridor guidelines already apply to the Eastern Gateway District, and
will be part of its implementation until new corridor guidelines are
developed.
V. PHASING LANGUAGE
During the Planning Commission’s discussion of phasing on January 2, 2020, the Commission
asked questions regarding phasing policy. These questions related to specific policy seeking to
minimize subsequent applications for residential development and the lack of more specific
percentages or development amounts for phasing policy.
Specific Percentages: During discussion of phasing, some Council members and Planning
Commission members inquired about the possibility of incorporating specific percentages into
the phasing policy language. Staff does not believe that specific percentages are appropriate
because it may create unnecessary and undesirable limitations on the development programs of
a specific project. In addition, there is no known reason to favor a specific amount of
residential development over another. Any such number would be arbitrarily created. Staff
believes a more effective way to ensure that employment uses are incorporated into the mixed-
use projects is to focus on the proportion of residential development to employment uses.
Staff notes the previous version of Loudoun County’s Comprehensive Plan did have specific
percentages of development types in phasing policy but that it often proved problematic.
Specifically, the Town Center policies under the Business Community designation which
allowed for a mix of uses, called for between 25% and 40% residential uses. Additional
policies sought that this ratio be maintained during all phases of a proposed project. The
development community frequently found that the policy guidance provided arbitrary numbers
and that it would limit the typical progression and construction of a mixed use community. The
County’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan has moved away from this policy.
TLTA-2018-0002, Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Planning Commission Work Session Staff Report
February 6, 2020
Page 5 of 5
Under the 2019 Loudoun County General Plan, the Phasing Policy reads:
Allow flexibility in the development phasing for mixed-use projects while establishing a build-
out relationship between the residential and non-residential components that ensures a mix of
uses is achieved and to best balance the fiscal costs and benefits of the project.
Instead of using these specific numbers, Staff recommends that the Small Area Plan narrative
and policies be clear about the intent to promote economic development and job creation in the
Eastern Gateway District and that applicants describe their overall intent in phasing an
application through a phasing plan to meet this intent. Staff, the Planning Commission, and
Town Council will react to the specific circumstances of each individual application. At the
Planning Commission Wok Session, staff will provide examples of different applications and
how they would be evaluated.
Subsequent Applications: The Town Council discussed limiting the ability of an Applicant to
seek additional residential development after initial phases of residential development are built
out. Staff has no legal authority to limit an Applicant or a landowner from submitting an
application for a proffer/concept plan amendment. Policy language in the Town Plan can
discourage this but the Town cannot refuse to accept an application on these grounds. The
phasing policy language regarding subsequent applications was added at the Council’s
direction and minor modifications were made to clarify that subsequent applications are
discouraged rather than prohibited.
Attachments:
1) Resolution for Recertification
2) Proposed Town Plan Text Amendments
3) Draft Small Area Plan Text, February 6, 2020
PLANNING COMMISSION RESOLUTION FOR APPROVAL
OF THE UPDATED TOWN PLAN INCLUSIVE OF THE EASTERN GATEWAY DISTRICT
SMALL AREA PLAN
PRESENTED: February 6, 2020 ADOPTED:
A RESOLUTION: ADOPTING THE EASTERN GATEWAY DISTRICT
SMALL AREA PLAN
WHEREAS, the Town Plan adopted in 2012 is the comprehensive plan
for the Town of Leesburg which includes a recommendation for the
development of a small area plan for the portion of the East Market Street
corridor that exists outside of the Route 7/15 Bypass ; and
WHEREAS, through a motion on September 24, 2013, the Town
Council initiated work on a Small Area Plan for this portion of the East
Market corridor; and
WHEREAS, the Virginia State Code requires the Planning Commission
to recommend a draft of a proposed plan to the Town Council by
resolution; and
WHEREAS, the Leesburg Planning Commission completed a thorough
review of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan with assistance from
staff through a series of work sessions; and
WHEREAS, the Small Area Plan was developed through public and
stakeholder input including surveys, public workshops, and individual
meetings; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the
propo sed Small Area Plan and associated amendments on May 3, 2018; and
WHEREAS, on June 18, 2018 the Planning Commission certified the
document and forwarded it to the Town Council; and
WHEREAS, Town Council held a public hearing on the document on
July 10, 2018 followed by a number of work sessions; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council endorsed the draft on August 12, 2019
and remanded the document to the Planning Commission for changes to the
phasing policies; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a second public hearing on
the document on September 5, 2019 and considered the input received; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held work sessions on October 3,
2019, November 7, 2019, and January 2, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has determined that the Small
Area Plan and associated revisions to the Town Plan provides guidance for
development of the Town in a manner that promotes health, safety,
convenience, prosperity and general welfare for Leesburg;
WHEREAS the Planning Commission has recommended approval and
certification of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan draft dated
February 6, 2020.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Planning Commission of the
Town of Leesburg in Virginia hereby certifies the Eastern Gateway District
Small Area Plan inclusive of revisions dated February 6, 2020, to be included
in the Town Plan as Chapter 12 and recommends this amended Town Plan be
adopted by the Leesburg Town Council, with such modifications as Council
may see fit.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be certified
by the Planning Director and staff liaison to the Planning Commission and
forwarded to the Leesburg Town Council.
PASSED this 6 th d ay of February, 2020.
______________________________
Kari Nacy, Chair
Leesburg Planning Commission
Certified by:
_______________________________
Susan Berry Hill, AICP
Director of Planning and Zoning and Staff Liaison to the Planning Commission
L E E S B U R G
V I R G I N I A
T o w n P l a n
June 26, 2012
(As amended through August, 2018)
Amendments to the 2012 Town Plan
Leesburg, Virginia
Council Action Project Number/ Name Description Revision
Resolution 2013‐024
January 8, 2013
TLTA‐2012‐0001
Crescent District
Master Plan
Updates to the Crescent
District Master Plan
Chapter 11 including
three district maps
(No resolution req.)
September 24, 2013
Town Plan Action
Program
Adoption of the 43 item
Action Program
Appendix A
Resolution 2014‐009
January 28, 2014
TLTA‐2010‐0002
Lowe’s
Specific guidance for the two
parcels subject to rezoning
TLZM‐2010‐0002, Lowe’s
Chapter 6, Regional
Office Policy 21 &
Resolution 2014‐010
January 28, 2014
TLTA‐2010‐0003 Amendment to Policy Map
north of Russell Branch
Pkwy. related to Lowe’s
Remove portion of
Keystone Blvd. from
Transpo. Policy Map
Resolution 2015‐136
November 10, 2015
TLTA‐2014‐0001 Reclassify Davis Avenue as a
Through Collector Road
Amendment to
Crescent District
Land Use Policy Map,
Change to Roadway
Network Policy Map
and Chapter 9
Transportation
Resolution 2016‐029
February 23, 2016
TLTA‐2015‐0001 Amendment to allow a
parking garage facility on the
Pennington Lot as part of the
Loudoun County General
District Courthouse
Expansion
Change to the
Planned Land Use
Map and Chapter 6
Land Use
Resolution 2016‐081
June 14, 2016
TLTA‐2015‐0003 Amendments: 1) To allow
new auto dealerships South
of Route 7 and East of the
Lowe’s property. 2) Remove
portion of Keystone Drive
between Russell Branch
Parkway and Tuscarora
Creek.
Amendment to
Chapter 6 Land Use
and Roadway
Network Policy Map
Resolution 2016‐137
TLTA‐2016‐0002 Amendment to revise the
Town Plan Roadway
Network Policy Map to
remove a section of Miller
Drive from Sycolin Road east
to Kincaid Boulevard
Amendment to
Roadway Network
Policy Map
Amendments to the 2012 Town Plan
Leesburg, Virginia
Resolution 2017‐111
July 11, 2017
State Proffer
Legislation Update
Amendment to Chapters 3,
6, 9, 10 and 11 to address
state legislation related to
proffers for developments
containing a residential
component
Resolution 2018‐___
June __, 2018
TLTA‐2018‐0002,
Eastern Gateway
District
Eastern Gateway District
Small Area Plan.
Amendments to
various Town Plan
Sections to
incorporate Small
Area Plan.
7/11/2017 i
Table of Contents
A. Introduction
The Planning Vision ................................................................................ 1-1
Powers of the Plan ................................................................................... 1-2
Town Plan Process .................................................................................. 1-2
2012 Town Plan Update ......................................................................... 1-4
Regional and Local Planning Context................................................... 1-4
Joint Land Management Area ............................................................... 1-6
Plan Implementation and Monitoring .................................................. 1-7
Plan Amendment Process ...................................................................... 1-9
How to Use the Plan ............................................................................... 1-9
B. Town Plan Elements
Natural Resources ........................................................................ 2-1 – 2-12
Parks and Recreation ..................................................................... 3-1 – 3-4
Heritage Resources ........................................................................ 4-1 – 4-6
Community Design ........................................................................ 5-1 – 5-6
Land Use ....................................................................................... 6-1 – 6-36
Housing ........................................................................................... 7-1 – 7-4
Economic Development ............................................................... 8-1 – 8-4
Transportation .............................................................................. 9-1 – 9-16
Community Facilities and Services ......................................... 10-1 – 10-6
C. Special Districts
Overview
Crescent District ................................................................... 11-1 – 11-17
Crescent District Maps ......................................................... 11-18 – 11-20
Eastern Gateway District……………………………..…12-1 – 12-51
Eastern Gateway District Maps……………………..….12-52—12-59
D . P o l i c y M a p s
Green Infrastructure .................................................................................... I
Heritage Resources .................................................................................... II
Land Use .................................................................................................... III
Airport Area Land Use ............................................................................ IV
Roadway Network ...................................................................................... V
Fixed Bus Routes ...................................................................................... VI
Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities .................................................................. VII
Appendix
Appendix A: Action Program ............................................................. A-1
Appendix B: Off-site Transportation Cost Data ............................. B-1
06/26/2012 Page 1-1
Chapter 1
Introduction
The Planning Vision
For 250 years, the Town of Leesburg has evolved from a rural hamlet to the
commercial center of western Loudoun County, one of the fastest growing counties
in the nation. The pressures for growth in the Town are the result of the robust
regional economy that will continue to draw more businesses, government jobs and
residents. Leesburg’s challenge and planning vision is to accommodate its share of
that growth while retaining and enhancing the Town’s character and quality of life.
Town character is of paramount importance to Leesburg. In particular, the Old and
Historic District is the basis of Leesburg’s identity. It is a compact, energizing mix
of land uses; its blocks and buildings are pleasingly and conveniently human scaled;
its streets, with automobiles tamed, glimpses of historic landmarks, and intimate
views of architectural details, invite walking; its civic squares and rustic W & OD trail
offer counterpoints of nature within a richly human environment.
Other portions of the Town have a different character. There is a strong residential
component of the community that was designed and built upon the mid-20th century
subdivision model where more uniform uses and large lots, curved streets and cul-
de-sac dominate the landscape. These residential areas need protection as growth
continues.
The planning vision for the foreseeable future is to continue the diversity in
economic and housing opportunities in a manner that reflects the best and essential
qualities of the old and historic downtown. Leesburg will maintain a high quality of
life by providing a full range of community facilities and services and diverse
economic opportunities, protecting natural and heritage resources, and protecting
against negative environmental impacts.
Concert on Courthouse Lawn
Chapter 1
Page 1-2 06/26/2012
Powers of the Plan
A comprehensive plan is an instrument of government that is designed to give a local
jurisdiction within the Commonwealth of Virginia responsibility for managing
development, services and public infrastructure. The legal basis for the plan is
established in the Code of Virginia, Section 15.2-2223, which states:
the local planning commission shall prepare and recommend a
comprehensive plan for the physical development of the territory within its
jurisdiction…[to achieve] a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious
development of territory which will, in accordance with present and
probable future needs and resources, best promote the health, safety,
morals, order, convenience, prosperity and general welfare of the
inhabitants.
According to the code, the comprehensive plan is general in nature and may include,
but is not limited to, the designation of land use, transportation systems, community
facilities and services, and historic areas. The code also identifies methods of
implementation, such as a zoning ordinance or a map of zoning districts, a
subdivision ordinance and a capital improvements plan.
A comprehensive plan includes a concise statement of the community’s goals for
long-range development, as well as objectives for implementing the goals. The goals
provide general direction based on the aspirations of the community. Objectives
provide further direction for achieving an aspect of a goal.
This Town Plan serves those purposes for the Town of Leesburg. More particularly,
it serves as the general guide for the Town Council in its legislative role, the Planning
Commission in its advisory role, the Board of Zoning Appeals, Town staff, citizens,
and land-owners with respect to directing development and redevelopment in the
Town.
This Plan contains goals and objectives that are designed to guide land use and
development decisions. The full implementation of some of the Plan objectives
necessitates modifications of certain ordinances and regulations, preparation of more
specific development guidance, and research of additional methods to implement
Plan objectives. The additional efforts needed to do these are detailed in an Action
Program that is attached as an appendix to this Plan.
2012 Town Plan Process
The first comprehensive plan for the Town was adopted in 1974. More recently the
1997 Town Plan was updated in 2005. An update of the 2005 Town Plan was
undertaken between 2010 and 2012 with final revisions adopted by Town Council
June 26, 2012. This update supersedes the 2005 Plan.
Introduction
06/26/2012 Page 1-3
The basic vision for the
2012 Plan, as outlined
above has not changed.
However, some changes
were necessary to
address community
conditions and priorities
that had changed since
the last comprehensive
update. As such the
2012 Town Plan Update
retained the fundamental
vision as outlined above
but updated portions of
the Plan. The first phase
included a review of the
2005 document by the
Planning Commission
who solicited input from
staff as well as boards
and commissions
appointed by the Town
Council These included Tree Commission, Board of Architectural Review,
Economic Development Commission, Environmental Advisory Commission, Parks
and Recreation Commission, Information Technology Commission, and the
Commission on Public Art.
Staff prepared background reports for each element which included the following:
1) Summary of issues and deliberations that shaped the 2005 Plan;
2) Overview of the respective goals and objectives in each element of the 2005
Plan;
3) Identification of conditions that changed since 2005 and changes that are
anticipated in the future;
4) Evaluation of implementation of items in the Action Program; and
5) Staff recommendations for policy changes in the update.
The Planning Commission reviewed these reports prepared between 2010 and 2011
and considered input received by the Boards and Commissions who were invited to
join the Planning Commission in discussion. A draft containing changes was
prepared and reviewed in 2011. Public input was entertained during a number of
public hearings and the Planning Commission considered how to incorporate this
input into the draft.
The Commission certified a final draft of the Plan on February 2, 2012 and again on
April 19, 2012 in order to allow more time for the public review of the document.
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Page 1-4 06/26/2012
The Town Council, held work sessions on the draft, one of which was a joint work
session with the Planning Commission. A public input session was held on May 22
and a pubic hearing was held on June 12, 2012. Based on that public hearing, Town
Council adopted this Town Plan by ordinance, effective June 26, 2012.
2012 Town Plan Update
State Code Section 15.2-2223 requires a local planning commission to review the
comprehensive plan at least every five years. Between 2005 and 2010 the Town
updated several sections of the Plan meeting the State Code intent. In 2010, the
Planning Commission began a comprehensive review and update of all elements of
the Plan to assure that the Town Plan remains relevant and cohesive in its policy
guidance.
Through 2010 and 2011, the Planning Commission completed an extensive,
thorough review of Leesburg’s Town Plan to identify policies that might be updated
to better reflect current Town land use and public service provision objectives. The
review included seeking input from Town advisory boards and commissions,
Loudoun County, and the public.
The Planning Commission considered Town Plan update recommendations in light
of the following:
Town Council priorities and policy directions since the 2005 Plan adoption
New federal and state requirements or initiatives
The need for better coordination of policies between elements to address
conflicting policy direction
Updates to trend analysis
Clarification of unclear objectives
Deletion of outdated or completed initiatives
This effort culminated in adoption of Town Plan amendments by Town Council on
June 26, 2012 following two public hearings and several work sessions.
Regional and Local Planning Context
Leesburg is intimately connected to the larger region in a variety of ways. The
Town’s economy is dependent upon the regional economy. Leesburg’s
transportation system is a small but important segment of the region’s. Regional
environmental issues have consequences for Leesburg, whose air and water
resources are inextricable from those of the region. Planning for Leesburg cannot
ignore the relationships between the Town and its neighbors.
Leesburg is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). An MSA is defined as a city and associated
Introduction
06/26/2012 Page 1-5
areas that are marked by a high degree of economic and social integration with the
city. The MSA not only includes the District of Columbia and its suburbs in
Northern Virginia and central Maryland, but it also extends to Fredericksburg, Va.,
and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The MSA is part of a larger combined
metropolitan area that extends from Baltimore, Maryland, to Hampshire County,
West Virginia.
The MSA is home to 5 million residents and a very strong economy driven by the
presence of the federal government. In addition to employment in the government
sector, the MSA’s economy benefits from corporate headquarters, professional and
industrial associations, and non-profit organizations, as well as Maryland and
Northern Virginia's bio-technology, high technology, and educational sectors. All of
this provides significant opportunities for economic growth. As a part of this larger
region, Leesburg is subject to the regional growth pressures.
Transportation is critical to the flow of goods, services, and commuters in this vast
metropolitan area. With Leesburg being in the midst of Loudoun County’s
voluminous growth, traffic from development in the County combined with traffic
from the adjoining states of West Virginia and Maryland which travels through
Leesburg will increase the traffic impact on the Town’s roads. Transportation
planning and funding is complicated by the nature of the region and the fact that
several public and some private transportation organizations provide services across
governmental boundaries. Perhaps the most critical public finance issue for the
region is increasing transportation funding. The fact that Leesburg has no local
independent funding source for transportation and that it has no direct
representation at the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is a major
challenge.
Regional transportation planners continue to address the vital relationship between
transportation and land use. In recent years there has been a heightened emphasis on
inter-jurisdictional coordination on transportation planning. Legislation passed by
the General Assembly in 2012 emphasized inter-jurisdictional coordination on
transportation planning by requiring local jurisdictions to coordinate road network
planning with the state.
Leesburg’s location at the crossroads of two major highways, Route 7 and U. S.
Route 15, and at the western end of Dulles Greenway is a critical point in the
region’s highway network. The long-range proposal is to extend the Metro Silver
line to Leesburg by 2017 and the County and State are identifying funding for this
improvement.
Two particular environmental resources tie Leesburg to the rest of the region. Air
and water quality, which are affected by local decisions throughout the region, are
subject to regulations applied at the regional level. The metropolitan Washington
region is in “non-attainment” for ozone according to the provisions of the Clean Air
Act. Leesburg is a small part of the metropolitan Washington region for air quality
Chapter 1
Page 1-6 06/26/2012
planning purposes. However, though the Town is not a major contributor to the air
quality attainment issue any penalties given that reduce federal infrastructure funds to
the region would apply to Leesburg as well.
The Federal Clean Water Act, because of the reduced quality of the region’s streams,
requires all jurisdictions to comply with regulations pertaining to stormwater flowing
from yards, parking lots, and streets into watercourses, the National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System.
This Town Plan recognizes the influence of these regional issues on Leesburg. They
translate into tremendous opportunities but also potentially negative impacts. The
challenge to the Town is how well it can take advantage of the opportunities while
minimizing the negatives.
Joint Land Management Area
Leesburg’s Joint Land Management Area (JLMA) is situated almost entirely to the
south and east of the corporate limits and contains about 7,000 acres. The JLMA
was established originally as an “Urban Growth Area” in the 1991 General Plan and
designated by the County in consultation with the Town. In that plan the County
recognized that the concept of the JLMA was a means to guide growth in the area
around the Town. The policies established in the 1991 General Plan committed to a
framework for joint planning and development review by the Town and the County
within the JLMA, which became the planning area used in the 1997 Town Plan.
The 2001 Loudoun County General Plan updated the JLMA boundary of the 2001
Plan is similar to the Urban Growth Area of the 1991 General Plan and the 1997
Town Plan, but reduced in area. Also reduced in the 2001 General Plan are the
densities of residential developments in a portion of the JLMA, the removal of
Crosstrail Boulevard between the Dulles Greenway and Route 15, the removal of
land areas between Route 15 and the Dulles Greenway, and the elimination of a
small portion of the JLMA on the north side of the Route 15 corporate limits.
It is envisioned that the Town and County will continue to coordinate land uses in
and adjacent to the JLMA. This is critical for the future of Leesburg Executive
Airport and for the Town’s economic development goal to diversify its tax base. In
addition, traffic generated outside the Town will make use of roads leading to and
through Leesburg. Finally, it is important, to ensure that the Town’s goals and
coverage areas for water and sewer service be stated in the Town Plan.
Joint planning efforts will establish a mutually agreeable plan that will guide
development regardless of the jurisdictional boundaries.
Introduction
06/26/2012 Page 1-7
Plan Implementation and Monitoring
The Town Plan is a dynamic document, which is actively used by the Town Council,
the Planning Commission, Town government staff, and the public at large to
formulate and guide decisions about the built and natural environments. Both the
public and private sectors are participants in development, and implementation of
the Plan is a joint effort.
In order to ensure that the Plan has a dynamic character, the community and the
Town government will review and update the Plan on an as needed basis, which may
be more frequent than the five year mandate by the Code of Virginia. Citizen
participation in the planning process is a critical element in making the Town Plan
successful.
Plan Implementation
There are a number of mechanisms for implementing the Town’s planning goals and
objectives. Some of these are described below.
The Comprehensive Plan: The Plan itself is a mechanism for defining and
implementing the Town’s planning goals. The Plan’s goals and objectives are
considered when producing small area plans, in evaluating legislative applications
(rezonings, special exceptions, and their amendments) and reviewing requests for
Plan amendments. The Plan contains specific guidance for the Town’s decision-
makers regarding land use, housing, economic development, community facilities
and services, community design, heritage resources and natural resources and
environmental protection. There is some guidance for specific geographic areas
throughout the Town, referred to as “planning areas” in this Plan, as well as general
guidance for realizing goals and objectives, town-wide.
The Zoning Ordinance: The Zoning Ordinance is adopted in order to protect the
health, safety and welfare of the residents of Leesburg. It is intended that the
Ordinance will implement and be consistent with the goals and objectives of the
Town Plan. Within the Ordinance are regulations for specific aspects of
development and redevelopment, such as land use, type of building and building
height, bulk, and setback; size of lots; parking and pedestrian access; flood
protection; and signs.
Some uses are allowed by right and others may require special exception. There are a
series of zoning districts generally related to type of development and land use, each
with specific requirements related to development. Several objectives of this plan will
require Zoning Ordinance amendments in order to administer intent and vision.
Subdivision Regulations: The Town’s Subdivision and Land Development
Regulations (SLDR) is the governmental instrument that provides procedures and
regulations for the subdivision and development of land within the Town. The
intent of the SLDR is to encourage the development of safe and attractive residential
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neighborhoods and nonresidential developments; ensure the provision of
appropriate public street access between and among adjacent properties; ensure
adequate provision for drainage and appropriate arrangements of buildings and
parking areas on the site and with nearby properties; obtain public right-of-way,
easements and other public land dedications, consistent with the Town Plan;
maintain appropriate buffers between potentially incompatible land uses; discourage
development on steep slopes and in floodplains; and encourage preservation of
historical, archaeological, and significant natural features and landmarks.
Design Requirements for Community Facilities and Public Infrastructure:
The Town’s Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) controls the type,
extent and design of all public facilities that must be provided for development,
redevelopment and public infrastructure projects. Design standards for the physical
infrastructure may have an impact on adjacent land uses, natural and historic
resources and community design.
Capital Improvements Program: The capital improvements program (CIP) is a
document that is designed to guide the efficient and cost-effective provision of
community facilities. The planning of facilities involves projecting future needs for a
five-year period, as well as defining current deficiencies and priorities based on the
fiscal policies established by the Town government. By looking beyond year-to-year
budgeting to project what, where and how capital investments should be made,
capital programming enables government entities and agencies to continually
maintain an effective level of public services. The CIP is meant to implement the
community facilities and services element of the Comprehensive Plan. The CIP is
reviewed on an annual basis.
Action Program: The Town Plan Action Program, an appendix to the Town Plan,
is a set of tasks that are designed to accomplish a number of objectives discussed
throughout the Plan. The Action Program provides the general timeframe for
completing the tasks and identifies the Town Departments and Commissions
responsible for the work. Staff will develop a specific annual work program to
accomplish the Action Program.
Plan Monitoring
The public and the government of Leesburg should measure the effectiveness of the
Town Plan periodically.
A monitoring process could include analytical and statistical information in a
periodic report regarding any of the following information: (1) the status of elements
in the Action Program; (2) land development; (3) the provision of capital facilities
and services; (4) the balance of housing and jobs; (5) the ratio of residential and non-
residential general fund revenue; (6) current perspectives on planning issues and
conditions; (7) new planning related information on such subjects as the economy,
Introduction
06/26/2012 Page 1-9
population; (8) federal, state and County laws and planning policies; and (9)
environmental impacts, and public concerns.
Plan Amendment Process
The Plan is a dynamic public governing instrument that should be tuned periodically
because both internal and external forces are always at work and changing. Code of
Virginia Section 15.2-2230 requires a comprehensive examination of comprehensive
plans every five years. Given the vitality of the forces that affect such a high growth
area, Leesburg may reexamine aspects of the Plan more frequently as circumstances
seem to dictate. The periodic Plan monitoring process is designed to provide a
comprehensive report of changed facts, conditions, and the evolving status of Plan
implementation. This, and a formal survey of citizen planning and services concerns,
is often the basis for making decisions about the need for amending the Town Plan.
In addition, a developer or citizen may also apply to amend the Town Plan. Code of
Virginia Section 15.2-2229 outlines those procedures.
In 2010 - 2011, the Planning Commission completed a thorough review of the Town
Plan to assess how current and relevant the plan’s goals and objectives are since
adoption in 2005. The project covered all nine major elements of the plan, as well as
maps. As part of the review, the Planning Commission received input from other
Town Boards and Commissions as well as staff from the Town’s various
departments. The project culminated with adoption of Town Plan Amendments on
June 26, 2012.
How to Use the Plan
The Town Plan consists of four sections. Section A, (Chapter 1, “Introduction”)
provides information on the purpose and powers of the Plan, the 2005 Town Plan
process, and the regional and local planning context for the Plan, Plan
implementation and monitoring, the Plan amendment process and how to use the
Plan.
Section B (Chapters 2 – 10) contains the Plan elements, or subject categories, which
include natural resources, heritage resources, housing, economic development, land
use, community design, transportation, parks and recreation, and community
facilities and services. The Plan elements sections are designed to provide an overall
goal for each subject category and to explain the nature and importance of the goal.
The section goes on to detail a series of objectives that are in turn designed to
implement the overall goal. These objectives suggest specific actions that will create
an outcome that supports the goal. There are many levels of detail in the various
objectives, depending upon the need to provide development guidance.
The Plan objectives for every Plan element are to be used as the criteria and a guide
for evaluating legislative applications, such as rezonings, special exceptions, or
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amendments to those that exist. The Town Plan also provides guidance for
developing the Town’s capital improvements program.
Environmental protection is a theme found in several elements, with major emphasis
in the natural resources element. While there is no element with the term
“environment” in the title, it is an important concept in the Plan. Land use planning
and development should progress with consideration for the protection and
restoration of ecologically valuable land and concern for environmental health that
impacts the well-being of the Town’s residents as well as its natural systems.
The text of Section B is supplemented by a series of policy maps that are found in
Section D. The Plan text always provides the guidance for land use and community
facilities decisions. The maps are provided as conceptual references so that an
overall, generalized picture of Plan objectives can be formed regarding the subject
matter of the map.
Section C (“Special Districts”) provides detailed policy guidance for particular
geographic areas of Town. Small area plans as they are developed and adopted to
supplement the Town Plan will be included in this section. Unless otherwise
specified, if there is a conflict between the policies of Section C and other chapters in
the Plan, the provisions of Section C take precedence.
Appendix A of the Town Plan contains the Action Program, which lists specific
tasks to be performed to implement the plan. A timeframe in which to begin each
task and an identification of Town departments and commissions responsible for the
tasks are included in the Action Program. Appendix B provides a table for
calculating off-site transportation costs and is used to assess transportation impact
costs associated with land development proposals.
Questions regarding any aspect of the Town Plan should be directed to the
Department of Planning and Zoning at (703) 771-2765. Plan information, such as
proposed Plan amendments, will be kept up to date on the Town’s website:
www.leesburgva.gov.
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Chapter 6
Land Use
Goal
Leesburg will offer a variety of land uses that are appropriately located and
compatible to adjacent uses, that allow for diverse housing, employment, and
retail/service opportunities, sufficient for the needs of the present and future
while preserving the Town’s green infrastructure and complementing its
historic character.
For 250 years, the Town of Leesburg has evolved from a rural hamlet to the
commercial center of western Loudoun County, one of the fastest growing counties
in the nation. The pressures for growth in the Town are strong, nurtured by the
robust regional economy that will continue to draw more businesses, government
jobs and residents. Leesburg’s challenge and vision is to accommodate its share of
that growth while retaining and enhancing the town’s character and quality of life.
The character of the Town is of paramount importance to Leesburg. In particular,
the original Old and Historic District is the basis of Leesburg’s identity. It is a
compact, energizing mix of land uses; its blocks and buildings are pleasingly and
conveniently human scaled; its streets, glimpses of landmarks, and intimate views of
architectural details, invite walking; its civic squares and rustic W & OD trail offer
counterpoints of nature within a richly human environment.
The original Old and Historic District is cherished and its character and value should
be further protected as downtown is expanded with major redevelopment and infill
within the Bypass and along all major road corridors. In addition, much of Northern
Virginia’s tourist attraction is its Civil War sites. Leesburg’s development policies
See “Land Use Policy Map”
in Section “D” of Town Plan
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should protect Civil War and other historic sites and ensure that they are
incorporated into any development as a valuable tourism destination.
The Town’s more recent development, mostly outside the Bypass, should also be
protected and enhanced. Seventy percent of Leesburg’s housing stock was built
after 1980 and 42% after 1990. These extensive residential areas and subdivisions
provide a lower density pattern, wide streets, long blocks and more homogeneous
types of buildings and designs than those within the Bypass. Future development
and redevelopment should respect these existing residential areas by being
compatible to the type and character of adjacent and nearby uses.
Low density residential development, without supporting nonresidential uses nearby,
generates more and longer automobile trips. One way to minimize this traffic impact
is to locate retail, service, and office uses near residential areas; and to locate these
retail and service uses next to employment areas. Better integration of land uses will
also improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility.
Many of the objectives and land use categories of this Plan are intended to integrate
and mix land uses in appropriate locations to reduce traffic problems.
To date, growth in the Town has been primarily the result of new development on
vacant land with some redevelopment of existing uses or properties. Only 19% of
the Town’s total 7,983 acres remain available for development. As the supply of
developable vacant land dwindles, redevelopment will play a greater role and will
present new opportunities to integrate the goals and objectives of all elements of the
Town Plan.
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8/14/2018 Page 6-3
According to the Loudoun County Department of Management and Financial
Services Round 8.1 forecasts and the Town’s Research and Communications
Manager, the following ranges are forecast for Leesburg by 2030, the horizon year
for this Plan:
• 45, 445 – 48,446 population
• 16,689 - 17,559 units
• 34,027 – 39,027 employees
The challenge for Leesburg will be to accommodate the projected increases in
resident population, employees, businesses and housing while retaining and
enhancing its character, services and quality of life.
Advancements in technology continue to blur the distinction between home and
workplace. The mix of residential and business uses both within single buildings as
well as within individual developments are increasingly important to the next
generation of millennials and to business industries alike. This is particularly true for
knowledge/technology-based businesses. Businesses today emphasize maximum
flexibility for managing work space. This includes the flexibility to reduce work space
per employee through use of teleworking programs but also to increase shared work
space within office buildings for collaborative, creative employee interaction.
Other important considerations affecting land use decisions are an increasing desire
for businesses and residents to be proximate to transit and multi-modal options.
Walkability between business, residence, and entertainment options is even more
important than it was when this Plan was initially adopted. Energy efficiency in land
development site and building design is also an important factor for residents and
businesses. The Town encourages commercial buildings to incorporate high
bandwith and cyber secure networks to attract businesses.
The land use element of this Plan builds upon and integrates all of the guiding
principles outlined previously in other elements of this plan and applies them to
future policy decisions of the Town Council, future administrative actions and future
development applications.
These principles have helped mold the goals and objectives of the land use element.
The primary guiding principles of those goals and objectives are summarized below.
• Identify, protect, and restore a green infrastructure system
• Minimize adverse environmental impacts, such as air and water pollution,
tree canopy loss, and noise
• Identify, protect and restore historic and archeological resources
• Address the quantity, quality and affordability of the housing supply
• Diversify the economy and build upon strengths of the region and the Town
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• Approve development based upon attractive and functional community
design standards
• Provide for a comprehensive park system
• Provide for community facilities that are cost-effective, equitable, and
environmentally sensitive as well as sustainable and maintainable
• Provide for a safe, convenient, efficient, transportation system
Such are the goals this Plan and these land use objectives seek to implement and
apply in order to achieve well-designed, desirable land uses necessary to
accommodate growth and maintain Leesburg’s quality of life.
Objectives
The land use objectives are presented in two sets. The first is a set of objectives that
address land use from a town-wide perspective. The other is a set of objectives
presented geographically, based on the four Planning Areas (see the “Planning Area
Objectives” and “Land Use Policy Map” sections of this element) that include land
both in the Town and the Joint Land Management Area (JLMA). The land use
element concludes with a discussion of the Airport Area Land Use Policy Map.
For planning purposes, the Town has been divided into four Planning Areas -
Central, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest. They are delineated by the major
arterial roads that accommodate regional traffic which result in physical divisions
within the Town. The land use element utilizes the Planning Areas as sub-areas of
the Town in which to try to balance housing, shopping and employment.
Land use objectives, the Land Use Policy Map, and the Airport Area Land Use
Policy Map also address design and use of lands within the JLMA. It is understood
that these properties are within the jurisdiction of Loudoun County and the contents
of this Plan are intended as a starting point for a joint planning effort.
The Plan calls for accommodating future office growth
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General Objectives
The means to achieve the goal of the land use element and the goals of the other
eight elements of the Plan can be focused into these major land use themes:
• Protect resources
• Protect residential areas
• Preserve and expand town character in terms of uses and pattern
• Protect the airport
• Maintain supply of land for high wage employment
• Phase timing of development with adequate facilities
• Accommodate future growth
General land use objectives 1-16, below, are general land use objectives that
represent a synthesis of the major objectives of the other elements of this Plan as
they apply directly to land use. The land use objectives are designed to resolve the
dynamic tension between current market forces and the overall vision for the Town.
For example, the current demand for new housing and retail must be balanced with
the community’s desire to have land available when there is a market and where it is
appropriate to build offices.
Protect Resources
Protection of natural and heritage resources is paramount to achieving the
Town’s vision of preserving its quality of life. These two protections are
essential first steps in determining the remaining land suitable for development
or redevelopment.
Protect Residential Areas
Residential areas should be protected from incompatible uses and buildings as
well as aircraft and traffic noise. Efforts should be made to maintain the quality
of the housing stock as it ages, and additional housing should be available to
accommodate future growth and a diverse workforce.
Preserve and Expand Town Character
The Town’s many historic resources, as well as the compactness, mixed uses,
pedestrian friendly streets of the historic district, define Leesburg’s identity and
should serve as the model for future development. There is a desire to expand
elements of the historic character outside the Bypass by encouraging new and
infill development to use more efficient site planning principles and architectural
features that reflect Leesburg.
Protect the Airport
The Leesburg Executive Airport is viewed as an economic engine for the Town.
Land use decisions around the airport should prohibit residential intrusions and
promote employment-generating uses that will support the airport.
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Maintain Land Supply for Employment
The Town has a strong residential market and stock but desires additional local
jobs to balance its economic base beyond the predominant retail/service and
government jobs. Pressure to convert valuable non-residential land to residential
has been constant. If Leesburg wants office, emerging technologies, or other
high-wage employers, it must be willing to preserve the land until the market is
ready.
Apply Mixed Use Concept
Having a mix of land uses in one location helps improve transportation in a
number of ways. When uses are close enough such that people can walk among
them it tends to reduce the number and length of automobile trips. In addition,
increased densities in mixed use areas could improve bus transit by providing
higher demand in a concentrated area. Mixed use areas should be considered in
appropriate locations within the Town.
Phase Development
If uses are mixed and timed appropriately, the impact on existing facilities can be
minimized. The community services and facilities element and Objective 4
encourage the timing of development so that it is phased so that public facilities
are available.
Accommodate Growth
All projections lead to the conclusion that Leesburg and Loudoun County will
continue to grow at a rapid pace. The challenge for the Town is to maintain its
small-town character and quality while adding jobs and residents. The goals and
objectives discussed previously culminate in the following land use objectives
and the Land Use Policy Map in order to meet that challenge.
Leesburg will preserve heritage resources while growing
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General Objectives
Objective 1. Preserve natural and heritage resources and design
development so that these resources are incorporated as
amenities.
Objective 2. Development and redevelopment should be compatible with
the Town’s character in terms of land use and design.
Objective 3. Create a Town-wide land use pattern that accommodates
desired levels of population and employment growth.
a. Provide a variety of land uses that maintains the Town’s
jobs/housing balance so that for every household there are between
1.4 and 1.7 jobs available.
b. Provide land uses for a diversity of housing types so that affordable
housing is available for those employed within the Town.
c. Provide a mixture of types of development so that no more than
45% of general fund revenues are generated from residential sources.
d. Produce periodic development reports as part of the Plan monitoring
process that indicates the status of the jobs/housing ratio.
Objective 4. Strive to approve development only if adequate community
facilities exist or are provided through development
applications.
a. Phase future development with capital facilities improvement
programming.
b. For commercial development with no residential component, as well
as residential development within a qualifying small area
comprehensive plan, obtain a fair share contribution for community
facilities—such as schools, transportation, parks and recreation
facilities, fire and rescue emergency services, public safety, and
libraries—in the development review process.
c. Prepare proffer guidelines for residential development that occurs
within a qualifying small area comprehensive plan, providing for
uniform and equitable contribution for capital facilities costs related
to development. Some of the community facilities, such as schools
and fire and rescue, are provided by the County. Coordinate with the
County to estimate capital facility costs on a per unit basis so that a
capital intensity factor (CIF) can be established.
d. New development and redevelopment applications should provide
for the construction of public facilities and infrastructure
improvements, according to applicable standards for these facilities.
These facilities and infrastructure should be provided as they are
needed during the construction of the development.
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Objective 5. Ensure that development complies with the transportation
objectives in the transportation element of the Plan.
Objective 6. Use the mixed use concept as designated in the Planning Areas
and in some land use categories to increase walkability and
help reduce traffic. This type of development is not appropriate
in established residential areas.
Objective 7. Allow uses that build upon regional and local economic assets.
a. Protect the original Old and Historic District, including its function
as a tourism and government center.
b. Protect the river corridors and other green infrastructure of the
Town, according to the objectives in the natural resources element.
c. Encourage land uses that capitalize on existing and emerging business
in the Route 7 corridor including information technology, higher
education, and life sciences.
d. Encourage land uses that capitalize on the transportation and
economic development assets of the Dulles Greenway corridor.
e. Protect the Leesburg Executive Airport from residential intrusions
and encourage high wage employment and airport-related uses
adjacent to and near the airport.
Objective 8. Do not increase land designated Regional Retail.
Objective 9. Locations for light industrial uses will be designated in Town
as well as in the JLMA. Low impact industrial uses may be
acceptable inside the bypass depending on how their impacts
are mitigated through setbacks, landscape buffering and site
planning. Those light industrial uses that have greater impacts
will be more suitable for outside the bypass or in the JLMA.
Objective 10. The Leesburg Joint Land Management Area will serve as an
area for town growth and it will gradually and ultimately be
annexed into the corporate limits. As property owners request
central utility service, and the Town agrees to extend central
utilities to such properties in the JLMA, the Town will
anticipate that these properties will be incorporated into the
Town.
Objective 11. Encourage infill development that is compatible with the
character of existing or planned development in the vicinity.
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8/14/2018 Page 6-9
a. Mitigate potential negative impacts through site design, including
location of facilities and access, building height, scale, and massing;
and buffers between different uses.
Objective 12. Provide institutional uses, such as schools, libraries, and
government facilities, throughout the Town.
a. Facilities should be compatible
in scale and design with existing
or planned development in the
vicinity.
b. Facilities should not have a
negative impact in terms of
automobile traffic, noise,
lighting, and visibility.
c. Fiscal studies should be
provided with land development
applications to assess the
potential loss in tax revenue
where residential or institutional
uses are proposed for land that
is designated for non-residential
use.
Objective 13. Land use or intensity/density transitions should be provided
between non-residential uses and residential areas.
Objective 14. Design King Street (Route 15) with consideration given to its
being a gateway to the Town, an essential segment of the
Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor, and a multi-
modal route bordering residential and commercial areas.
Heavy landscaping and appropriate traffic calming should be
used so that King Street functions as a Town street.
Objective 15. Encourage home fruit and vegetable gardens and urban
agriculture for community health and well-being.
a. Ensure Town regulations facilitate local food production and access
to fresh, healthful foods.
b. Promote backyard gardens, community gardens, rooftop gardens,
and small scale greenhouses to transform unproductive spaces into
sources of fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs.
Objective 16. Residentially designated land use may include uses such as
schools, places of worship, and community centers.
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Planning Area Objectives
For planning purposes, the Town is divided into four Planning Areas bounded by
the major arterial roads that provide the major access to and around the Town:
Route 7, the Route 7/Route 15 Bypass, and the Dulles Greenway (see the Land Use
Policy Map). These are identified as the:
• Central Planning Area (area inside the Bypass)
• Northeast Planning Area (the area outside the Bypass and north of Route 7)
• Southeast Planning Area (the area between the By-pass, Route 7, and the
Greenway)
• Southwest Planning Area (the area outside the Bypass and west of the
Greenway)
Each Planning Area includes any portion of the JLMA that is associated with that
Planning Area.
The four Planning Areas have their own particular character and that character
should be protected and enhanced with the advent of new development or
redevelopment. The Planning Area format is designed to provide specific land use
objectives and development guidance to realize the optimal land use configuration
for that Planning Area. The Southeast Planning Area contains the airport, which
drives much of the policy direction for this area. The land use objectives for each
Planning Area are designed to provide locations for those uses lacking within that
Planning Area so that automobile trips can be reduced, historic and natural resources
can be preserved and public infrastructure funds can be used more efficiently.
If a general land use objective and a more specific Planning Area objective conflict,
the Planning Area objective should take precedence.
Central Planning Area
The Central Planning Area contains the original Old and Historic District, which is
the major determinant of the Town’s character as well as that of the Central Planning
Area. Opportunities for new development and redevelopment will help to extend
that character into an enlarged downtown east and south of the current downtown.
This will ensure that as the heart of Leesburg expands it maintains its scale and
continues to serve as the County government seat, as a major regional tourist
destination, and as a vital activity center for Town residents.
The Central Planning Area is the area located within the Route 7/Route 15 Bypass,
which is a physical and psychological divider. It is 83% developed and primarily
defined by the character of the original Old and Historic district, in which many of
the original buildings, the grid street network, and the fine-grain, mixed land use
pattern still exist. Fine-grained is generally defined as a land use pattern that has
several of the following characteristics:
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8/14/2018 Page 6-11
• There are a variety of uses within a short distances promoting pedestrian use
instead of automobile use
• Entrances to the uses are provided every 25 to 50 feet along the length of the
block
• Buildings and their entrances are at the edge of the street rights-of-way
• Buildings have a mixture of uses, such as retail on the ground floor and
residential and office on upper floors
• Buildings should have a mixture of scale and massing consistent with that of
buildings in the original Old and Historic District
• Blocks are short and walkable, typically not more than 400 feet long
• Architecture and public spaces are human scaled, rather than massive as found
in regional retail shopping centers
Beyond the original Old and Historic District, the Central Planning Area is a mixture
of stable residential areas and commercial uses along the major road corridors.
Most of the portion of the Central Planning Area outside of the original Old and
Historic District comprises older, stable residential areas dating to the post-World-
War-II era. These residential areas will remain intact, enhanced with compatible
infill and improvements to community facilities. Significant but inefficiently
designed commercial uses are located in the southeastern quadrant of Catoctin Circle
and on East Market Street. Light industrial uses are also located on Catoctin Circle.
Those areas are expected to redevelop in the near future, providing opportunities to
expand the character of the original Old and Historic District, although at a higher,
transitional density.
Only two significant parcels in the Planning Area are undeveloped. The Rogers
Farm on Dry Mill road at Lee Drive and the O’Connor tract on North King Street
(which is partially in the Town and partially in the JLMA); and an older mobile home
park south of East Market Street that is suitable for redevelopment.
The following objectives are designed to provide specific land use and development
guidance for the Central Planning Area.
Central Planning Area Objectives
Objective 1. Ensure development reinforces the desired character of the
Central Planning Area.
a. In the area designated as Downtown on the Land Use Policy Map
use the development pattern of original Old and Historic District as a
guide for new development. Encourage pedestrian oriented mixed
use at a human scale incorporating public spaces, view of prominent
and historic buildings, and unified streetscape character.
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b. Integrate compatible land uses that strengthen the existing suburban
residential character of other Central Planning Area areas outside of
the Downtown area.
Objective 2. Encourage retail, personal and professional services uses for
the daily and weekly needs of residents of the Central Planning
Area in locations where they are lacking. Such uses are not
appropriate in established residential areas.
Objective 3. Pad sites should not have direct access to abutting major streets
and should be located within 300 feet of the primary buildings,
with sidewalks and landscaping to encourage walking.
Objective 4. New industrial, auto dealership, auto-related, and auto service
uses are not appropriate in the Central Planning Area although
existing uses can be expanded or updated if the land area is not
increased. Small scale, clean, high product value industrial uses
such as microbreweries, coffee roasters, and printers that do not
have significant noise, emissions, lighting, or outdoor storage
areas that will generate low truck traffic may be allowed. When
located adjacent to residential areas, these uses must be
appropriately mitigated through setbacks, vegetative buffering
or site design. These uses should be integrated into an urban
scale mixed use community.
Objective 1: Reinforce the desired character
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Objective 5. Take advantage of redevelopment opportunities outside of
residential areas to create pedestrian oriented mixed use
development connected to existing development.
a. Encourage a fine-grained variety of retail, service, office, and
residential uses.
b. Provide architecture, streetscaping, public spaces, pedestrian linkages
and height of buildings reflecting a Main Street character. Buildings
should be of a human scale on streets that are pedestrian-friendly.
c. Encourage floor area ratios (FARs) above 1.0, reflecting the
development character of the original Old and Historic District.
d. Encourage affordable housing.
e. Redevelop the Crescent District in accordance with the relevant goals
and objectives of Chapter D “Crescent District” in this Town Plan.
f. Develop a neighborhood plan for the area northeast of the Crescent
District generally bounded by Catoctin Circle, Edwards Ferry Road,
the Leesburg Bypass, and E. Market Street to take advantage of
opportunities to encourage development that strengthens community
character through coordinated development patterns, common
streetscaping and design guidelines, an effective pedestrian network
linking neighborhoods and retail uses, provision of public gathering
places, and improved recreational and park opportunities.
Objective 6. Ensure that development of the Loudoun Healthcare’s
Cornwall Facility and adjacent properties is sensitive to the
historic building on the site and the surrounding residential
area as the facility continues to serve the changing medical
needs of the Town and the County.
Objective 7. Building heights should generally not exceed 45 feet in the Old
and Historic District. Heights to 65 feet may be appropriate in
some areas where topography helps mitigate the visual impact
of the building height. Building setbacks should generally be
consistent to provide a harmonious streetscape but should be
increased as building heights increase. Increased height should
not negatively impact historically significant structures in the
Old and Historic District.
Objective 8. Preserve the rural character of the land on the west side of
Route 15 north of Ida Lee Park and adjacent to Morven Park.
a. Seek to add land to Ida Lee Park as needed. Encourage rural
residential elsewhere for the land shown on the Land Use Policy Map
for rural residential.
b. If community facilities are considered for the site, they should be
developed at a scale commensurate with the rural residential use
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planned for this property and designed in a way to protect sensitive
environmental features of the property.
c. Minimize visibility of development from North King Street by taking
advantage of existing topography and vegetation.
d. Use creative site design, including significant, well located
landscaping, to help retain the rural character of the site when viewed
from North King Street.
e. Design North King Street (Route 15) and adjacent development
considering North King Streets multiple functions as a gateway to the
Town, an essential segment of the Journey Through Hallowed
Ground corridor, and a multi-modal route. Heavy landscaping and
appropriate traffic calming should be used so that this portion of
North King Street functions as a Town street.
Objective 9. Preserve the forested area on the Rogers Farm property if
development occurs on the site.
Objective 10. Look for ways to improve the appearance of Town Branch and
make it more of a public amenity where it is contained in an
artificial channel. Along other streams, seek to preserve, restore,
and establish vegetated stream corridors consistent with natural
resource policies while taking into account any impacts to the
flood control function of the stream.
Objective 11. Undertake all new development and redevelopment only in a
manner that protects heritage resources according to the
objectives in the heritage resources element of the Plan and the
Heritage Resources Policy Map.
Objective 12. Preserve and protect the integrity of historic and archaeological
resources.
Objective 13. Work with developers and Loudoun County to provide
replacement housing for residents displaced by redevelopment.
Objective 14. Business and tourism-related opportunities should be
encouraged and promoted in the original Old and Historic
District. The intensity and architectural treatment of these uses
should reflect the character of the district.
Objective 15. Continue to ensure sufficient parking in the original Old and
Historic District as additional development occurs. Minimize
the impacts of parking on the pedestrian experience and
character of the district.
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a. Parking lots and parking structures should generally not front on
streets.
b. Parking lots and parking structures should be designed to provide
retail, office or residential use on the primary street frontage.
c. Plant shade trees in parking lots to reduce summer temperatures.
d. Conduct periodic parking studies to assure that parking supply keeps
pace with demand and consider developing a comprehensive parking
strategy for development and funding of future parking facilities.
Objective 16. Outside of the low density residential areas, roadways should
be designed to preserve and continue the character of the
original Old and Historic District and the more compact,
walkable pattern inside the Bypass.
Objective 17. The tract of land known as the “Pennington Lot” in the
northeast quadrant of Church Street and North Street is
designated for Downtown Land Use as shown on the Planned
Land Use Policy Map. The property is appropriate for
residential use of a design and density consistent with a
transition use between the Old and Historic District to the west
and south and the Low Density Residential uses to the north
and east. Alternatively, the property may be used for parking
associated with the Loudoun County Courts Complex, and
other low-intensity government center uses, provided that the
following conditions are met.
a. Church Street Extended is developed to public road standards.
b. Appropriate screening and buffering is provided for adjacent
residential development;
c. The impacts of onsite lighting on surrounding residential
development are mitigated through appropriate design and operation;
d. Any access to North Street from the site is limited to one-way exit
until such time as such access is aligned with Harrison Street.
Northeast Planning Area
The Northeast Planning Area is located outside the Route 15 Bypass and north of
Route 7. It is 83% developed. Regional retail uses are located on the eastern
frontage of the Bypass, with access via Edwards Ferry Road and Fort Evans Road
and include the Premium Outlet Mall, Kohl’s, Costco, Target, and Home Depot and
the Battlefield Shopping Center. The newly constructed Potomac Station Shopping
Center is located in this Planning Area and serves as a community level retail center.
There is low density residential development in the northern portion of the Planning
Area. The low density Potomac Station and Lansdowne subdivisions are located in
the eastern portion of this Planning Area, both in the Town and in the JLMA,
respectively. There is open space along much of the Potomac River frontage,
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including public park land and land with conservation easements that preclude
additional development.
The Northeast Planning Area has two large areas that are not developed, which
constitutes much of the developable land remaining in the Town. One area is
located between the Outlet Mall, Route 7, and Battlefield Parkway. The other is land
adjacent to the Rehau development and includes land in the northwest quadrant of
the intersection of Fort Evans Road and Battlefield Parkway. A small area of land on
the northern side of Route 7 between the Harper Park Middle School and Bow Lake
Place remains undeveloped. The development of this site may be challenging due to
the variety of adjacent land uses and limited opportunities to access the site. With the
planned future road improvements, direct access to E. Market Street will be
prohibited making access to the site difficult.
The following objectives are designed to provide specific land use and development
guidance for the Northeast Planning Area:
Northeast Planning Area Objectives
Objective 1. Do not increase land designated for Regional Retail. Existing
uses can be expanded or updated if the land area is not
increased.
a. Design updated and expanded retail use to incorporate integrated
open space, landscaping, and pedestrian access and circulation as
essential elements of the project.
Objective 2. Develop a small area plan for the E. Market Street Corridor
outside of the bypass including parcels between the north side
of E. Market St. south of Potomac Station Drive to provide
more detailed guidance for coordinating land use and design
and providing appropriate economic development
opportunities. The plan will cover both the north and south
sides of E. Market Street; additional guidance regarding the
small area plan is provided in the Southeast Planning Area
Objectives. Follow guidance in the Eastern Gateway District
Small Area Plan to consider land use, design, and
transportation needs unique to that area.
Objective 3. The land east of Costco is designated for Community Office
with a floor area ratio (FAR) at the low end of the range.
a. Provide a minimum 50-foot buffer between the use on this site and
the existing attached single-family residential development.
b. Design the project to blend with the residential architecture and to
protect the steep slopes.
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c. Flexibility in the amount and kind of retail may be considered to
enhance the availability of retail services.
d. Residential development under Medium Density Residential policies
can be considered on this land provided that substantial buffers that
are generally at least 150 feet are provided between the Costco site
and any residential lots and that substantial existing tree cover is
preserved to ensure appropriate transitions between Costco and any
residential uses.
Objective 4. The land area adjacent to Battlefield Parkway generally located
between Fort Evans Road and Route 7, the majority of which is
within the Potomac Station planned unit development, is
appropriate for Community Commercial useNeighborhood
Center Use.
a. The maximum building floor area should be 250,000 square feet for
non-residential buildings.
b. An anchor grocery store should continue to be a focal point of the
commercial center.
c. Other retail space should not exceed 10,000 square feet per tenant.
d. Offices should not exceed 30% of the non-residential building area.
e. The maximum residential building area should be one dwelling per
600 square feet of the non-residential building square footage.
f. Until such time as the E. Market Street Corridor Small Area Plan is
completed, land Land fronting on northern side of Route 7 between
Tolbert Middle School and Potomac Station Shopping Center is
appropriate for development consistent with the Community
Commercial Neighborhood Center land use category, as shown on
the Land Use Policy Map [see also the Land Use Policy p. 6-22]. As
an option, use consistent with the Community Office land use
category may be considered if no access is provided to Route 7.
Under this option, development at an intensity above .35 FAR can be
achieved if pedestrian and vehicular connections are provided to the
non-residential portion of Potomac Station.
Objective 5. Any development along the Edwards Ferry Road corridor east
of Battlefield Parkway should preserve the abundant significant
natural and historic resources (such as the Cattail Run stream
corridor, mature tree canopy, historic homes, and remnant Civil
War features) in that corridor.
Objective 6. Preserve and protect the integrity of historic and archaeological
resources.
Objective 7. Design development on the higher elevations on the north side
of Fort Evans Road to prevent negative visual impacts related
to the immediate vicinity and views from a distance. No
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negative visual impact should result regarding any design
element or combination of elements, including height of
buildings, location of open space, scale and mass of structures,
color and type of materials, parking lot design and location,
signs, and outdoor lighting.
Objective 8. Consideration should be given in the E. Market Street Corridor
Small Area Plan to designating the properties fronting Route 7
between Harper Park Middle School and residential uses on
Bow Lake Place for Community Office or additional hotel use
provided that the primary access is not through the low density
residential subdivision, and a 50 foot vegetative buffer area is
provided adjacent to residential development. If instead, the
site will be accessed through the residential subdivision,
consideration should be given to designating the use as low
density residential.
Southeast Planning Area
This Planning Area is located between the Route 7, the Route 7/15 Bypass, Dulles
Greenway, and Sycolin Creek, which is the southern boundary of the JLMA. The
JLMA comprises about one-half the area of the Planning Area, which is 38%
developed and has 1,530 vacant acres, more available land than any other Planning
Area. There are four distinct areas within this Planning Area—the residential areas
south of the Bypass, Leesburg Executive Airport area, the Route 7 corridor, and the
industrial areas around Cochran Mill Road.
Residential development consists of the Oaklawn, Tavistock, and Kincaid
subdivisions located south of the Bypass. There are no retail areas within this
Planning Area.
The Leesburg Executive Airport is the prominent feature of this Planning Area and a
major economic resource for the Town and County. Undeveloped land near the
airport can provide opportunities for land uses that either support the airport
functions or take advantage of the unique accessibility that the airport provides.
The major gateways of Route 7 and Dulles Greenway offer opportunities for
intensive development of emerging technologies, higher education facilities,
corporate offices, research and development, hotels, and conference centers. These
sites are appropriate for the Town’s highest intensities because of their regional
access.
The Cardinal Park Drive/Trailview Boulevard area includes a variety of light
industrial and auto-related uses. This is one of the few viable remaining industrial
areas within the Town limits.
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Loudoun County owns a large tract of land southeast of the airport and Sycolin
Road. Philip A. Bolen Park, a 400-acre regional facility, has been approved for a
portion of the site. There is also and 89 acre site opposite the airport that contains
vehicle storage and maintenance facilities, a fire training facility, offices, and land for
future facilities.
Within the JLMA, there is an existing industrial area on Cochran Mill Road near
Route 7. Stone quarries, concrete and asphalt mixing plants, and other
manufacturing businesses are located east of the W & OD Trail. There is land
available for future industrial development on either side of Cochran Mill Road. No
public water and sewer service is yet available in this portion of the Planning Area.
Major road improvements are needed to serve proposed development. Crosstrail
Boulevard is a 4-lane road identified in the County’s transportation plan that extends
from River Creek Parkway to the Greenway south of the airport. Russell Branch
Parkway is a 4-lane road planned to that extends from Battlefield Parkway to
Crosstrail Boulevard, south of and parallel to Route 7. A regional commuter park
and ride facility is also identified in the County’s transportation plan for a location
near the Greenway and the Town boundary.
The following objectives are designed to provide specific land use and development
guidance for the Southeast Planning Area.
Southeast Planning Area Objectives
Objective 1. Encourage Regional Office use, which includes corporate
headquarters, emerging technologies facilities, hotels,
conference centers, and higher educational facilities, along the
Route 7 corridor and between the Leesburg Executive Airport
and Dulles Greenway.
Objective 2. The Town seeks to conduct more detailed planning in the near
future Guidance in the Eastern Gateway District Small Area
Plan should be used to address land use, transportation, site
planning, community development, and market trends for the
East Market Street corridor outside the Bypass.
Objective 3. Develop and implement effective design guidelines and/or
ordinance requirements along E. Market Street to create a
desirable entrance corridor into the Town.
Objective 4. Building heights and uses in the vicinity of the Leesburg
Executive Airport should be compliant with Federal Aviation
Administration requirements.
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Objective 5. Continue to seek development and expansion at the Leesburg
Executive Airport, as depicted and defined within the adopted
master plan of the Leesburg Executive Airport.
Objective 6. Protect the Leesburg Executive Airport from incompatible land
uses.
a. Encourage Regional Office use, which includes corporate
headquarters, emerging technologies facilities, hotels, conference
centers, and higher education facilities, between the Leesburg
Executive Airport and Dulles Greenway.
b. Implement land use categories depicted on the Airport Area Land
Use Policy Map and accompanying text in order to limit the
development of noise-sensitive uses, such as residences, hospitals,
and convalescent homes, in areas close to the airport and subject to
typical flight patterns generated by the airport.
c. Require the disclosure at the time of purchase of property in areas
subject to typical over flight that the property may be subject to noise
from airport traffic.
d. Develop a program to notify the public within the area subject to
over flight, as indicated by the typical flight patterns on the Airport
Area Land Use Policy Map that the area may be subject to over flight
air traffic noise.
Objective 7. Locate commercial aeronautical support services, such as fixed
base operators and specialized aeronautical service operators,
as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration, which
provide aeronautical support services to the flying public, on
the Leesburg Executive Airport property.
Objective 8. Preserve and protect the integrity of historic and archaeological
resources.
Objective 9. The area south of Route 7 outside of the bypass, north of
Tuscarora Creek, and west of the Village at Leesburg should be
developed as Regional Office recognized as regional retail
development including the existing Lowe’s store and proposed
auto dealerships. Alternatively, existing industrial, auto
dealerships, auto service, and light industrial uses may be
appropriate provided that:
a. The property is currently zoned for light industrial use.
b. Design of development adjacent to Route 7 meets design guidelines.
c. A substantial buffer is provided to residential development south of
Tuscarora Creek; and
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d.a. New auto dealership uses may be appropriate east of the Lowe’s
property identified as PIN #149460836 and the Town Wastewater
Treatment Plant provided objectives a, b, and c above are met.
Objective 10. Philip Bolen Park should continue to function as a regional
park with adequate road access from Sycolin Road and
Crosstrail Boulevard.
Objective 11. Land fronting on the eastern side of Sycolin Road between the
Route 15 Bypass and the neighborhood commercial center at
the corner of Sycolin Road and Battlefield Parkway is
appropriate for development consistent with the Community
Office land use category, as shown on the Land Use Policy Map
[see the Land Use Policy section, p. 6-22] provided that (a) an
appropriate buffer is provided for adjacent residential
development; (b) substantial consolidation of the parcels is
achieved and development is coordinated with existing uses;
and (c) access is aligned with Hope Parkway and coordinated
with other access points on Sycolin Road.
Objective 12. The land designated for the Regional Office category along the
eastern side of the Dulles Greenway north of Tolbert Lane is
appropriate for this type of development if the following
conditions are met:
a. A 50 foot baseline setback from residential property lines should be
provided. For every foot of building height, two feet of additional
setback (beyond the 50 foot baseline setback) should be provided.
b. A maximum of 10% of the total building square feet may be used for
daily retail and services.
c. A planted S-3 buffer, at least 50 feet wide, should be provided on any
boundary abutting residential uses or zoning districts. No
development should occur within this buffer area except for
pedestrian or bicycle walks or trails.
d. All other criteria contained in the definition of the Regional Office
land use category that are not superseded by the above conditions
should be satisfactorily addressed.
Southwest Planning Area
The Southwest Planning Area is located south of the Route 7 Bypass and west of
Dulles Greenway. The Southwest Planning Area is 48% developed primarily with
residential uses. Residential use in the Town portion of the Planning Area is low
density while in the JLMA it is rural density. Three schools and Freedom Park are
located in the Planning Area. There are no retail uses within this Planning Area and
residents must travel to other parts of the Town to do daily shopping and services.
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There is an undeveloped tract of about 300 acres in the middle of the Planning Area.
A portion of the Woodlea Subdivision is situated outside the incorporated town
limits and is designated JLMA. With respect to utilities, these lots are served by
Town wastewater systems but have individual wells for water.
The following objectives are designed to provide specific land use and development
guidance for the Southwest Planning Area:
Southwest Planning Area Objectives
Objective 1. A Community Commercial Neighborhood Center use is
planned for either the southeast or northeast quadrant of
Evergreen Mill Road and South King St. The quadrant not used
for Community Commercial Neighborhood Commercial Use is
designated for Low Density Residential use at a compatible
density to adjacent residential development.
a. If developed with retail uses only, the total area of commercial
buildings should not exceed 150,000 square feet.
b. An anchor grocery store of no more than 70,000 square feet should
be provided.
c. With the exception of a secondary anchor that could be up to 14,000
square feet in size, other commercial space should not exceed 10,000
square feet per tenant.
d. A 50 foot planted or natural vegetative buffer area should be
provided adjacent to offsite residential development.
e. Alternatively, if the site is developed for integrated mixed use with
between 15 to 30% office use and zero to 20% residential use, the
total area of buildings may be up to 250,000 square feet. Under this
option, up to 4% of restaurant uses may count toward the office
component.
Objective 2. Except for the Community Commercial Neighborhood Center
use specified in Objective 1, the remainder of the 275 acre site
bounded by Rt. 15, Evergreen Mill Road, and Masons Lane
should be developed at a residential density of one (1) dwelling
unit per acre.
Objective 3. Preserve and protect the integrity of historic and archaeological
resources.
Objective 4. Design South King Street (Route 15) with consideration given
to its being an entrance corridor to the Town, an essential
segment of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor,
and a multi-modal route bordering residential and commercial
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areas. Heavy landscaping and appropriate traffic calming
should be used so that that portion of South King Street
functions as a Town street.
Objective 5. Protect the Leesburg Executive Airport from incompatible land
uses.
a. Implement land use categories depicted on the Airport Area Land
Use Policy Map and accompanying text in order to limit the
development of noise-sensitive uses, such as residences, hospitals,
and convalescent homes, in areas close to the airport and subject to
typical flight patterns generated by the airport.
b. Require the disclosure at the time of purchase of property in areas
subject to typical over flight that the property may be subject to noise
from airport traffic.
c. Develop a program to notify the public within the area subject to
over flight, as indicated by the typical flight patterns on the Airport
Area Land Use Policy Map, that the area may be subject to over flight
air traffic noise.
Objective 6. The undeveloped parcels on the west side of South King Street,
commonly known as the Greenway Farm neighborhood
commercial center, may develop in accordance with their
approved zoning. Despite the designated land use of low
density residential, these properties may seek to make
modifications to the approved zoning and make application for
special exception uses, so long as the overall density does not
exceed 100,000 square feet.
Land Use Policy Map
The Land Use Policy Map will be utilized in conjunction with the goals, objectives
and text of this Plan to direct new development, redevelopment and public facilities
decisions. In making such land use and infrastructure decisions for specific projects,
relevant goals and objectives stated throughout all elements of this Plan must be
considered in conjunction with the map’s assigned category for that parcel.
Land use designations in the JLMA are recommendations, to be used as the basis for
a joint planning effort with Loudoun County, upon adoption of the Town’s Plan.
Upon agreement on the appropriate land uses and the boundaries of the JLMA, the
Town and County will amend their Plan maps accordingly. It is understood that the
County retains regulatory authority over parcels within the JLMA. These
recommended land uses are based upon the Town’s concerns for growth adjacent to
its borders and the significant impacts on the Town’s residents, businesses, facilities
and fiscal health.
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The Land Use Policy Map is intended to provide site-specific direction of the general
land use desired, with additional detailed direction provided by:
• Goals of all Plan elements
• General objectives of all Plan elements
• Planning Area objectives of the land use element
• Text of the Plan
The Land Use Policy Map has been developed with those goals and objectives in
mind and is implemented as a series of land use categories. The following describes
each land use category. The Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan provides two
additional land use categories unique to that area. Policies from the Eastern Gateway
District can be applied to other parts of Town on a case by case basis when
considering similar types of development.
Residential
Table 1 shows the different residential categories, their density ranges, and the types
of buildings that are generally developed within those density ranges. Each of the
categories is designated separately on the Land Use Policy Map.
When the Town Plan states a range of densities for a residential land use category, it
is the Town Council’s position that the low end of the stated range provides the
most appropriate use of the property. Clear justification is needed before
development at a higher density is warranted or appropriate.
Consideration of a density above the low end of the range should be based on an
application’s conformance with ordinance requirements under the proposed zoning
and the extent to which applicable objectives in the Town Plan are fulfilled or
exceeded, but exceeded in a manner that justifies special consideration. Included in
such objectives are, but not limited to, the following:
1. Protection of natural resources, including green infrastructure and tree save
areas.
2. Protection of heritage resources.
3. Provision of community facilities, including transportation.
4. Offset of community facilities costs, such as related to schools, fire and
rescue facilities.
5. Provision of park and recreation facilities.
6. Inclusion of design amenities, including landscaping, streetscaping, setbacks
or berming along major roads.
7. Addressing affordable housing goals and objectives.
8. Compatibility with the surrounding area.
9. Commitment to provide appropriately phased development.
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Table 1: Residential
Category Density
Range Building Type
Rural 1 dwelling
unit/20 acres
Single-family
detached
Low 1-4 dwelling
units/acre
Single-family
detached, single-
family attached (if
part of a cluster)
Medium
5-12
dwelling
units/acre
Single-family
detached, single-
family attached
and multifamily
Downtown
The Downtown land use category covers much of the Central Planning Area. The
heart of the Downtown, and of Leesburg itself, is the historic crossroads of King
and Market streets. Town and County government offices, businesses, and
residences are situated around this intersection that form the original Old and
Historic District. Those uses form a fine-grained mix that is surrounded by historic
residential areas. This mixed use core is surrounded by established residential areas
some of which are also historic. These areas are planned to remain as they are, with
compatible residential infill.
Outside of these residential areas, many properties along South King Street, East
Market Street, and the southeastern quadrant of Catoctin Circle (the Crescent
District) are occupied by mid-20th century retail and industrial land uses. These areas
offer opportunities for rehabilitation, significant redevelopment, and infill. Such
development should extend the character of the original Old and Historic District,
with a fine-grained mix of multi-story buildings in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Regional Office
Intent
1. To help meet the need for a broad spectrum of local and regional
employment that offers high paying jobs and supports a balanced tax base.
2. To provide some of the daily retail and service needs of people associated
with the primary office use in a convenient manner that reduces automobile
use.
3. To provide these service and retail uses within walking distance of the
primary office uses.
4. To provide a high degree of regional and local transportation accessibility,
including automobile, bus, pedestrian, and bicycle modes of transportation.
5. To encourage development along the major gateway corridors into Town
that is compatible with adjacent uses and Leesburg’s character.
6. To provide an option, additional retail and service uses and residential uses,
where the Town determines that it promotes compatibility with residential
areas, reduces automobile traffic, and/or provides a multi-activity
environment. (See the “Optional Uses and Design” subsection, below.)
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7. To provide flexibility in uses so that light industrial and high tech uses may
be permitted where compatible with other Regional Office uses.
Uses
1. Office uses, include including corporate headquarters, emerging technologies
facilities, other public and private sector office uses, hotels, conference
centers, and higher education facilities and other major office users.
2. Retail and services for daily needs of workers, customers, and businesses in
the development, including such uses as personal services (e.g., dry cleaners,
hair dressers), business services (e.g., office supplies, copying centers), bank
facilities, restaurants, health clubs, and day care facilities.
3. Light industrial and high tech uses as appropriate provided that issues related
to compatibility, emissions, outdoor storage and traffic are effectively
addressed.
Intensity
1. The floor area ratio (FAR) should be between .35 and 1.0.
2. Up to 20% of total building square feet for retail and services.
3. At least 5% of the site’s land area, excluding any open space for natural
resource protection (such as creek valley or tree preservation land) or
required landscaping, should be provided for well-integrated outdoor use and
amenity.
Site Design and Location
1. The site should be designed architecturally and functionally as a well-
integrated unit.
2. In order to make a visual statement in the gateways to the Town, office
buildings should be located close to the highway with parking behind, or
underneath and/or located in the interior of the development.
3. Retail and service uses should be located within office buildings or oriented
to the interior of the site and should be within walking distance of the office
buildings that they serve.
4. Pad sites are not appropriate.
5. Structured parking is strongly encouraged.
6. Site design should conform to H-2 district design guidelines.
7. Provide pedestrian and bicycle access. Site design should provide
accessibility and internal circulation for automobiles, public transportation,
bicycles, and pedestrians.
8. Gateway landscaping (enhanced landscaping with a unified design that
creates an entrance feature) should be provided in addition to landscaping
and buffer ordinance requirements.
Building Design
1. Strongly encourage the incorporation of retail and services into office
buildings; or they should be designed as a unified group of buildings located
within 600 feet of the primary use.
2. Building design should conform to H-2 district design guidelines.
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3. Architecture should be compatible with and reflective of character, materials,
and features of Leesburg.
Optional Uses and Design
As an option, individual projects may develop as mixed use with retail and residential
components to compliment the Regional Office use. The following criteria should be
used to evaluate proposals with mixed use characteristics:
1. Any retail and service uses may be considered that provide for daily and
weekly needs of people associated with the project, and for comparison and
entertainment shopping for a larger market area.
2. Individual retail tenant building size should not exceed 60,000 square feet,
with a footprint of no more than 30,000 square feet.
3. The office component of a project should be the predominant use as
construction occurs.
4. Regional office projects that include a retail and/or residential component
must be approved under a single integrated plan of development and
designed as a well-integrated unit.
5. Land use or intensity/density transitions should be provided between
nonresidential uses and existing residential areas.
6. Such a project should offer the benefits of convenience, accessibility, and
social and economic vitality.
7. Such a project should combine uses vertically or horizontally to achieve
convenience and walkability.
8. Such a project should have a Main Street character with a fine-grained land
use pattern at a human scale. Blocks are typically not more than 400 foot
long.
9. Buildings should be located at the edge of the street right-of-way and have
entrances every 25 to 50 feet along the right-of-way.
10. Design elements should be integrated with wide sidewalks, street trees,
benches, and entrances to buildings at the edge of street rights-of-way,
bicycle facilities, structured parking, and usable public spaces.
11. Buildings should be at least two stories.
12. All facades of buildings should be designed with architectural detail
consistent with that of the front elevation of the building.
13. Pedestrian circulation should be designed as an integral part of the
development.
14. Vehicular and pedestrian links should extend into the surrounding
development.
15. Streets should be designed for the comfort and convenience of pedestrians,
including wide sidewalks, street trees, and benches and other amenities.
Street design should calm automobile traffic and provide appropriate
accommodations for public transportation and bicycles.
16. Such a project should provide 10% of the gross land area for outdoor
amenity and use, preferably to include a connective character between or
among various uses.
17. Parks and streets should be designed to support adjacent uses.
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18. Landscaping should exceed ordinance requirements and should be part of
the streetscape, parks, and open spaces.
19. Such a project should be designed to encourage pedestrian use and
discourage automobile use.
20. Such a project should provide accessibility and internal circulation for
automobiles, public transportation, bicycles, and pedestrians.
21. A further option to permit a higher ratio of retail use due to unique
circumstances (proximity to the Town of Leesburg Waste Water Treatment
Facility and the existing auto-oriented nature of the Lowe’s store) is applied
to two parcels designated as PIN 149-46-0836 and PIN 149-45-7383. These
parcels can optionally be developed in compliance with (a) and (b) below,
instead of the Regional Office policies set forth above, but remain subject to
other relevant chapters of the Town Plan. Development on these parcels
can include retail and other non-residential uses that serve the community
and are compatible with the auto-oriented nature of the Lowe’s store and the
Town maintenance facilities subject to the following criteria:
a. Special consideration should be given to landscape and building
design to enhance these parcel’s function as a gateway into the
community. High-quality architecture and façade treatments should
be used for all new development.
b. All development should maintain the long term potential for a “main
street” roadway connecting to the Village at Leesburg.
Community Office
Intent
1. To help provide for the diverse employment needs of the Town.
2. To provide some of the retail and personal services needs of the employees
and customers of the primary use for daily needs.
Uses
1. Office uses, including corporate headquarters, emerging technologies
facilities, hotels, conference centers, and higher educational facilities
2. Retail and services for daily needs of workers, customers, and businesses in
the development, including such uses as personal services (e.g., dry cleaners,
hair dressers), business services (e.g., office supplies, copying centers), bank
facilities, restaurants, health clubs, and day care facilities.
Intensity
1. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) should be .60.
2. Up to 20% of total building square feet for retail and services.
3. At least 5% of the site’s land area, outside excluding any open space for
natural resource protection (such as creek valley or tree preservation land) or
required landscaping, should be provided for well-integrated outdoor use and
amenity.
Land Use
8/14/2018 Page 6-29
Site Design and Location
1. The site should be designed architecturally and functionally as a well-
integrated unit.
2 Retail and service uses should be located within office buildings or oriented
to the interior of the site and should be within walking distance of the office
buildings that they serve.
3. Pad sites are not appropriate.
4. Provide pedestrian and bicycle access. Site design should provide
accessibility and internal circulation for automobiles, public transportation,
bicycles, and pedestrians.
5. Landscaping should be provided in addition to landscaping and buffer
ordinance requirements.
Building Design
1. Strongly encourage the incorporation of retail and services into office
buildings; or they should be designed as a unified group of buildings located
within 600 feet of the primary use.
2. Architecture should be compatible with and reflective of character, materials,
and features of Leesburg.
Implementation
1. The site should be developed and approved under a single development plan.
2. The project should be subject to phasing related to the provision of adequate
community facilities.
Regional Retail
Intent
1. To meet the needs for comparative shopping and entertainment or recreation
shopping needs for a market area of 15 or more miles.
2. Market area up to 15 or more miles for a population of 150,000 or more.
Uses
1. Retail and service uses including department stores, clothing and other
specialty stores, restaurants, theaters, service stations, and health clubs.
2. Office uses and hotels.
Intensity
1. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) should be .35.
2. Individual retail tenant size should not exceed 150,000 square feet.
Site Design and Location
1. The site should be designed architecturally and functionally as a well
integrated unit.
2. Pad sites should not have direct access to abutting major streets and should
be located within 300 feet of the primary buildings, with sidewalks and
landscaping to encourage walking.
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3. Automobile access from abutting major streets should be consolidated, while
at the same time providing adequate access and internal circulation.
4. Site design should provide accessibility and internal circulation for
automobiles, public transportation, bicycles, and pedestrians.
5. Promote structured parking as a means to help consolidate regional retail use
so that it is more walkable.
6. Internal parking lot landscaping should be incorporated or augmented and
exceed ordinance requirements.
7. Pedestrian circulation should be designed as an integral part of the
development.
Building Design
1. Building height should not exceed 45 feet.
2. Architecture should be compatible with and reflective of character, materials,
and features of Leesburg.
Implementation
Land designated as Regional Retail on the Land Use Policy Map should be not
increased.
Community CommercialNeighborhood Center
Intent
1. To meet the Planning Area needs for daily and weekly shopping and personal
services.
2. Market area up to 4 miles for up to 3,000 households.
Uses
1. A grocery store should be the single anchor store.
2. Retail and personal services, including such uses as dry cleaners, nail parlors,
hair dressers, office supplies, restaurants, pharmacies, bookstores, service
stations, and day care facilities.
3. Offices, such as but not limited to medical, legal, real estate, and travel.
4. Residential use can be considered.
Intensity
1. The maximum building floor area for Community Commercial
Neighborhood Center areas should be 250,000 square feet.
2. Office uses should not exceed 30% of the total non-residential square
footage.
3. Single large format buildings should not exceed 70,000 s.f.
Site Design and Location
1. Community Commercial Neighborhood Center projects should have a Main
Street character with a fine-grained land use pattern at a human scale. Blocks
are typically not more than 400 foot long.
Land Use
8/14/2018 Page 6-31
2. Buildings should be located at the edge of the street right-of-way and have
entrances every 25 to 50 feet along the right-of-way.
3. Design elements should be integrated with wide sidewalks, street trees,
benches, and entrances to buildings at the edge of street rights-of-way,
bicycle facilities, structured parking, and usable public spaces.
4. Such a project should combine uses vertically or horizontally to achieve
convenience and walkability.
5. Such a project should offer the benefits of convenience, accessibility, and
social and economic vitality.
6. Such a project should provide 10% of the gross land area for outdoor
amenity and use, preferably to include a connective character between or
among various uses.
7. Pad sites should not have direct access to abutting major streets and should
be located within 300 feet of the primary buildings, with sidewalks and
landscaping to encourage walking.
8. Land use or intensity/density transitions should be provided between non-
residential uses and existing residential areas.
9. Design guidelines of the H-2 design corridor overlay district apply in addition
to the others in these guidelines.
10. Streets should be designed for the comfort and convenience of pedestrians,
including wide sidewalks, street trees, and benches and other amenities.
Street design should calm automobile traffic and provide appropriate
accommodations for public transportation and bicycles.
11. Parks and streets should be designed to support adjacent uses.
12. Vehicular and pedestrian links should extend into the surrounding
development.
13. Landscaping should exceed ordinance requirements and should be part of
the streetscape and open spaces.
Building Design
1. Buildings should be at least two stories, and building height should not
exceed 45 feet.
2. All facades of buildings should be designed with architectural detail
consistent with that of the front elevation of the building.
3. Architectural treatment, materials, and colors should be compatible with
adjacent residential architecture.
4. Facades of large-format buildings (40,000 – 70,000 s.f.) should be broken up
to appear as several buildings so as to mitigate the effect of the scale and
mass of the building.
Implementation
1. The site should be developed and approved under a single development plan.
2. The project should be subject to phasing related to the provision of adequate
community facilities.
Community Office/Light Industrial
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Page 6-32 8/14/2018
Where land is designated Community Office/Light Industrial on the Land Use
Policy Map, development following guidelines for Community Office and Light
Industrial land use categories is appropriate.
Light Industrial
Light industrial uses include a wide range of uses that can involve any one or
combination of the following: manufacturing, processing, assembling, fabrication,
treatment, packaging, storage, sales, research and development, and distribution of
materials. Light industrial businesses that involve manufacturing typically involve
processing from previously prepared materials as opposed to processing from raw
materials. In addition, light industrial businesses do not produce, sell, or distribute
products in bulk which is another differentiation between light and heavy industrial
uses. Light industrial uses are characterized as those that will not generate excessive
noise, particulate matter, vibration, smoke, dust, gas, fumes, odors, radiation and
other nuisances. Typical light industrial uses include flex industrial facilities, light
manufacturing and assembly, automobile related facilities, including dealerships and
body shops, swimming pool outlets and home improvement wholesalers.
Depending on the light industrial activity, many light industrial uses can locate in
traditional office buildings while others that are more intensive in activity, are better
suited to locate in buildings and areas that will accommodate more intensive land use
activities that are physically separated from residential areas.
Heavy Industrial
Heavy industrial use contains uses such as quarry extraction and related
manufacturing uses, solid waste facilities, construction firms, large vehicle storage,
and regional distribution warehousing. Industrial uses should have little or no
visibility from major roads and residential areas. This category applies to the JLMA
only.
Major Open Space
The Major Open Space category includes several large parks, private golf courses,
and major tracts along the Potomac River that are protected by conservation
easements. Two regional multi-use paths are also shown on the map. Parks and
other open space land smaller than ten acres are not shown on the Land Use Policy
Map. Additional open space may be established from time to time.
The Green Infrastructure Policy Map identifies the major parks, as well as other
areas to be preserved. These open space and green infrastructure lands provide
buffers between land uses, places for passive and active recreation, land for wildlife
habitat, and locations for bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well as air and water quality
benefits. The parks, open space, and green infrastructure areas are depicted on the
Green Infrastructure Policy Map, and its administration is outlined in the natural
resources element of this Plan. Additional such spaces may be established from time
to time.
Land Use
8/14/2018 Page 6-33
Major Institutional
The Major Institutional category, as shown on the Land Use Policy Map, includes a
variety of facilities that provide services for the community and that are developed
on at least 10 acres. Some major institutional facilities are owned and operated by
Town, County, state, and federal governments. Some are owned and operated as
private facilities. Major institutional facilities include Town and County government
offices and facilities, the Town’s water supply and wastewater treatment plants,
Loudoun County public schools, the Loudoun County Government Office Park on
Sycolin Road, the Federal Aviation Administration facilities, and the Virginia
Department of Transportation residency office for Loudoun. Loudoun Hospital at
Cornwall is a private institutional facility. Institutional facilities developed on smaller
than ten acres are not shown on the Land Use Policy Map. Additional institutional
uses may be developed throughout the Town on appropriate sites when the need
dictates.
Airport Area Land Use Policy Map
The Airport Area Land Use Policy Map shows the location of the airport, the extent
of the runways and the anticipated extension on the southern end of the runway.
Also identified on the policy map are the runway protection zones as established
under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, air traffic flight patterns, and an
area of influence as drawn by the Leesburg Airport Commission. The runway
protection zone establishes an area within which building heights that might interfere
with landings and take-offs are limited. The traffic flight pattern covers an area that
is subject to overflights from aircraft using the airport. People should expect to hear
aircraft routinely within this area. A line circumscribing the land area within 7,500
feet from the centerline of the runway identifies the airport’s area of influence.
Residents within this area may hear aircraft overflights also, but less frequently than
people located within the traffic flight pattern.
In addition, the area west of the airport is planned consistent with the future plans
for airport expansion identified in the Leesburg Airport Master Plan.
Various land uses for areas around the airport have been identified and addressed on
the Land Use Policy Map and in the Southeast Planning Area and Southwest
Planning Area objectives. Generally, Regional Office, Community Office,
Community Office/Light Industrial, and Major Institutional land use categories are
designated from Dulles Greenway eastward to Tuscarora Creek. Those categories
call for land uses that are compatible with the airport and its operations. Parks, such
as the proposed Bolen Park across Sycolin Road from the airport, are another
compatible use planned near the airport. No residential land uses should be
developed where these categories are designated.
Rural Residential and Low Density Residential land uses are planned west of the
Dulles Greenway. They are compatible with the existing land use pattern, which is
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Page 6-34 8/14/2018
supported by schools and recreation facilities on Evergreen Mill Road. Similarly, the
Low Density Residential designation in the Southeast Planning Area is compatible
with existing land use patterns and community facilities.
__________________________________________________________________
06/26/2012 Page 8-1
Chapter 8
Economic
Development
Goal
Leesburg will have a diversified economy that builds upon the strengths of
the Town and region with opportunities for entrepreneurship and well-paying
jobs, and a strong fiscal condition.
Leesburg’s economic development goal rests on the idea of a diversified economic
base. The Town’s strongest economic sectors are government, with Town and
County facilities, and retail, with Leesburg serving as the major shopping area for
western Loudoun. The round 8.1 projections of the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments (MWCOG) indicate that between 34,027 and 39,662 jobs
will be located within the Town boundaries by 2030.
Tourism and regional retail do not provide the high-wage jobs that come with
corporate offices and emerging technologies, such as high technology,
biotechnology, and telecommunications, which are important to the area’s economic
competitiveness and to residents’ quality of life. Similarly, Leesburg is poised to
participate in the growth of the emerging technologies industries and research and
development businesses that have located along eastern Route 7, in the “Learning
Corridor,” as well as the office development as it progresses westward along the
Dulles Greenway corridor.
This diversity in turn is to be balanced with other aspects of the community. A
variety of housing opportunities is needed for customers and employees of the new
businesses, as measured by a jobs/housing balance. Additionally, economic growth
must remain in character with the Town. While economic development should build
upon the assets of the original Old and Historic District, it must also not damage the
existing character, which may become susceptible to inappropriate pressures for
development. Conversely, outside of the original Old and Historic District, the
Town’s character is different and available for economic development at a different
scale. Even new development can build on the essential character of the original Old
and Historic District, its convenient mix of uses, its high quality building design, and
its streets that are inviting to pedestrians.
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Page 8-2 06/26/2012
A primary purpose of economic development in a balanced community is to
improve the quality of life. Economic development supports rather than competes
against treasured aspects of the Town that give it its high quality of life—protecting
the natural resources, maintaining the Town’s character, and sitting comfortably with
cultural, parks, recreation, and community facilities. This kind of economic
development meets the aspirations of the Town’s residents to find meaningful and
well-rewarded employment, from starting a new business to finding a job in
advanced technology.
Finally, just as the private sector economy should be healthy so should the Town
government be in a fiscally sound condition. Leesburg, as almost all American
communities, relies on nonresidential land uses to generate most of its general fund
revenues. This reduces the tax burden on residents while providing services at an
acceptable level.
Objectives
Leesburg’s economic development efforts continue to build upon the Town’s assets:
the government sector and the original Old and Historic District as a tourist
destination, the Route 7 corridor, the Dulles Greenway corridor, and the Leesburg
Executive Airport.
At the same time, the Town must make careful decisions among those strengths in
order to create a diverse economy. Sustainable jobs in corporate offices, research
and development, emerging technologies and telecommunications are important to
Leesburg’s competitive market position and to the ultimate quality of life for our
citizens. The hospitality industry adds variety to the job market. The businesses that
generate higher wages generally provide higher general fund revenues for the Town
than retail development. Striving for a diverse economy also results in a more
balanced, fiscally stronger community.
Finally, a strong and diverse economic base will enhance the Town’s character and
improve the quality of life in Leesburg.
Park Center II
Economic Development
06/26/2012 Page 8-3
Objective 1. Promote economic development that builds upon the strengths
of the Town and region.
a. Promote tourist-oriented business development, based on the
historical, cultural, and natural attractions of the Town and the
surrounding area.
b. Retain County government facilities in Leesburg, while ensuring that
the facilities are in keeping with the Town’s character.
c. Give priority to emerging technologies, homeland security, corporate
offices, research and development, and higher education.
d. Build upon the role of the Downtown area as an activity center.
e. Coordinate with the County to ensure that master planning for
telecommunications facilities and services is consistent with Town
policies.
f. Encourage compatible office and light industrial uses in the area
surrounding the Leesburg Executive Airport.
g. Encourage redevelopment and infill development.
h. Facilitate implementation of the strategic plan of the Town’s
Economic Development Commission.
i. Work cooperatively to implement appropriate goals and objectives of
Town business organizations and associations.
Objective 2. Promote a diversified economic base which takes advantage of
emerging opportunities.
a. Support economic development that creates jobs that match the
occupational needs of the Town’s residents.
b. Give priority to emerging technologies, government contracting,
internet based high-tech, data centers, corporate headquarters,
research and development, higher education, and life sciences.
c. Promote entrepreneurial resources, infrastructure, and institutions
(such as business incubators) for business growth.
d. Foster an environment for a higher education institution presence.
e. Cooperate with county, regional, and state efforts as well as those of
local business associations within the Town to promote economic
development.
f. Do not increase the land designated on the Land Use Policy Map for
Regional Retail use.
Objective 3. Promote business and employment growth that enhances the
quality of life and maintains the character of the Town.
a. Promote business that is compatible with existing or planned
development in the vicinity.
b. Provide economic development opportunities that maintain the
Town’s jobs/housing ratio (so that for every household there are
Chapter 8
Page 8-4 06/26/2012
between 1.4 and 1.7 jobs available) and that attain a jobs/housing
balance (so that available housing is affordable for those employed
within the Town).
c. Increase business and employment so that at least 55 % of general
fund revenues are generated from nonresidential sources.
d. Ensure that all new construction and redevelopment provide
community facilities, such as water, sewer, stormwater,
transportation, and parks, to the extent that they create demands for
facilities.
e. Promote businesses that contribute to the Town’s revenues and
employment that provides high wages.
f. Implement the goals and objectives for the Crescent District and
Eastern Gateway District that are contained in Section C of this
Plan.
g. Encourage arts-related businesses and facilities to create a vibrant and
diverse visual and performing arts community in town.
h. Promote an efficient land development process that provides clear
expectations and project management.
i. Review and refine regulatory practices that facilitate successful
businesses while maintaining the overall quality and character of the
Town.
j. Promote improved data and transportation programs to better serve
the business community.
__________________________________________________________________
Leesburg Central
7/11/2017 Page 9-1
Chapter 9
Transportation
Goal
Leesburg will have a safe, convenient, and efficient motorized and non-
motorized transportation system that satisfies both short-term and long-term
transportation mobility needs of Town residents and visitors alike while
maintaining the character of the Town.
Transportation is one of the most important services provided by government. It
connects citizens with their jobs, schools, and other community activities and is
critical to the economic vitality of an area. However, this most important service is
not always integrated into the community fabric. This is most evident in the
interaction between transportation and land use. Furthermore, enhancements to the
existing transportation system do not always consider the impacts to quality of life
for local residents.
The overarching vision prepared in support of the transportation element is
intentionally summarized in one comprehensive goal to represent the multiple
interests that must be balanced simultaneously to successfully implement a
responsible transportation system within Leesburg. The individual components of
the goal reflect comments of citizens at various public policy area and visioning
meetings. Common elements that support a sustainable transportation system
include modal choice, complementary land uses, human-scaled streetscapes, and
identified funding for implementation.
Leesburg, like many towns in Northern Virginia, is struggling to balance its historic
character, quality of life, and ever-increasing traffic demands within the community.
Pass-through traffic and the increasing amount of low-density residential
development in the surrounding County contribute significantly to the amount of
automobile traffic on local roadways. These impacts are compounded by limited
mode choices (i.e. pedestrian, bicycle, and transit) for travel within the Town that
forces many residents to clog already congested roadways even for short trips. The
transportation element is committed to improving conditions for walking and
bicycling within the Town consistent with the visions set forth in the parks and
recreation element and land use element and stresses coordination between Loudoun
Chapter 9
Page 9-2 7/11/2017
County and the Virginia Regional Transit for improving public transit options in
Leesburg to begin replacing automobile trips with transit trips for longer travel.
Together, these improvements to the transportation system provide modal choice
for the residents of Leesburg that could improve mobility and potentially support a
healthier community taking advantage of a more active transportation system.
A second hurdle towards sustainable transportation in Leesburg is linking
transportation and land use decisions, especially in terms of the context in which
decisions are made. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, land use planning is
regulated on the local level and established in adopted comprehensive plans.
Conversely, transportation planning is primarily the responsibility of the Virginia
Department of Transportation and other regional transportation agencies concerned
with issues impacting the county, multi-state, and/or the Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan area.
The difference between land use and transportation planning in Virginia often places
local and regional government agencies at odds over critical issues. Examples for
Leesburg include adopted level of service standards, context sensitive design for
major transportation corridors, and funding. The transportation element stresses
coordination among local, county, state, and regional transportation agencies to
ensure successful implementation of the transportation objectives.
An equally important challenge towards implementing a sustainable transportation
system is a lack of adequate funding. Leesburg currently has few sources of
continued funding for implementing transportation improvements. Therefore, the
Town relies upon various federal, state, or County funding sources disbursed
annually among competing municipalities and/or upon proffers from new
development within the Town to implement major transportation improvements.
The proffer system has the potential to foster less than desirable development
patterns within Leesburg as rezoning applications are made more attractive to
decision-makers eager to use potential road proffers for continuing stalled projects.
The transportation element calls for exploring other local funding mechanisms
available to the Town for implementing transportation improvements.
Battlefield Parkway Bridge at
Tuscarora Creek
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-3
Objectives
The goal for the transportation element is supported by eight objectives that work
together to ensure responsible transportation planning for the Town. These
objectives generally implement one of four aspects commonly associated with
sustainable transportation, mode choice, neighborhood integrity, coordination, and
funding. In addition, the objectives address the Leesburg Executive Airport, which
is both a special transportation facility and a valuable economic development asset.
Each of these is discussed below. Those general objectives are followed by specific
corridor objectives that identify right-of-way reservations, access management
guidelines, and other targeted improvements.
Mode Choice
Transportation modes currently available to residents in the Town include walking,
bicycle, transit, air, and automobile. However, the environment and supporting
infrastructure in place to encourage use of these individual modes is drastically
different. Five of the objectives in the transportation element look to create a more
balanced transportation system within the Town that allows for mobility options
when traveling between destinations and/or increase the likelihood that residents use
portions of the transportation network for recreational purposes. Furthermore, the
Town is committed to integrating these different modes of travel into single
transportation corridors, where appropriate, for direct access to employment,
schools, and residential neighborhoods. As one example, a single transportation
corridor could include dedicated travel lanes for automobiles and bicycles, bus bays
for transit, and sidewalks for pedestrians. Commuter parking facilities are sources of
alternative transportation options. Standards and recommended practices for
implementing multi-modal corridors for Leesburg will be memorialized in revisions
to the Town’s subdivision and land use regulations.
Community Integrity
One of the objectives in the transportation element is to balance the needs of the
transportation system with surrounding land uses and the sense of place unique to
Leesburg that dates back to the late 1700s. Often times, transportation
improvements destroy the fabric of a community, with the best-known example
being construction of the interstate highway system through downtowns.
Alternatively, streets can be designed to be livable, where they balance the needs of
all transportation modes while considering the function of the street in relationship
to the surrounding land use. In this way, transportation decisions take into account
function and context simultaneously. The objectives specifically call for the
protection of the character of the historic district and integrity of surrounding
development as improvements are made to the transportation system.
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Coordination
The transportation system in Leesburg is part of a much larger regional network
maintained by county, state, and regional transportation agencies. As mentioned
previously, there are potential hurdles in Virginia to coordinating land use with a
sustainable transportation system. A formal structure and continued commitment to
routine coordination with these transportation agencies will ensure that a single
vision for linking land use and transportation in Leesburg is communicated to other
levels of government.
Funding
Funding and scheduling for implementing identified improvements can sometimes
be the most frustrating aspect of transportation planning. As transportation
improvements are identified for future years, the Town should consider potential
funding tools to share the costs for implementing transportation improvements
associated with new development and partner with various regional transportation
agencies to earmark state and federal funding for projects in the Town and secure
grant funding from various sources.
Leesburg Executive Airport
The Town-owned airport serves an important role to provide capacity relief for the
heavily congested airspace in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and
specifically Dulles International airport. Locally, the airport is critical for the overall
economic development and diversification initiatives of the Town and Loudoun
County. In 2007, the airport completed an update to its master plan. The plan
addresses future growth and land uses at the airport, the accommodation of a runway
expansion, and the installation of an Instrument Landing System (ILS). Growth and
expansion at the airport, as well as encroaching residential development, are major
concerns for the sustainable operation of the airport in the future.
The master plan for the airport is a document intended to provide guidance for
growth and development at the airport, as well as for future capital improvement
projects related to the airport.
Objective 1. Maintain the adopted roadway level of service standards for all
roadways within the Town, to the maximum extent within the Town’s control.
a. Require a traffic impact study be prepared for all development and
redevelopment applications submitted to the Town.
b. Require new development to maintain Level of Service (LOS) C for
each intersection approach at the time of the development’s build
out. A LOS D should be required twenty years after the
development’s build out. This applies to roadways maintained by the
Town.
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-5
c. Require new development to maintain LOS D for each lane group at
the time of the development’s build out. The same LOS should be
required at twenty years after the development’s build out. This
applies to roadways maintained by the Virginia Department of
Transportation.
d. Complete an internal review of the transportation planning process
to determine whether revisions to the current system for evaluating
level of service should be made to better reflect the Town’s
commitment to a multi-modal transportation system and whether the
current level of service standards are still appropriate for a 10-year
planning horizon and beyond.
e. Preserve rights-of-way in the development review process for future
transportation facilities as identified in the transportation element and
policy maps.
f. Continue to maintain a functional street classification system within
the Town to create the desired design characteristics for each
particular classification of street and for the street system as a whole.
g. Continue to update the Leesburg transportation model for future
year land use and transportation conditions unique to Leesburg.
h. Coordinate the of timing of traffic signals maintained by the Town
(Rt. 7 within the Bypass and on Rt. 15 between Meade Drive on the
south and Battlefield Parkway on the north) to ensure the most
efficient utilization of the street network for automobiles, bicycles,
and pedestrians alike. Work with VDOT to coordinate traffic signals
that they maintain (elsewhere on Rt. 7 and Rt. 15).
Objective 2. Coordinate with Loudoun County, the Northern Virginia
Regional Commission (NVRC), the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments (MWCOG), the National Capital
Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Northern
Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), the Virginia
Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Regional
Transit (VRT), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
so that the desired future growth patterns shown in the Land
Use Policy Map may be adequately supported.
a. Continue to request voting membership in the Northern Virginia
Transportation Authority (NVTA).
b. Work with officials from the various transportation agencies to
promote the inclusion of projects in their plans, programs, and
development regulations that adequately provide future capacity (i.e.
motorized and non-motorized) for moving people safely and
efficiently through Leesburg.
c. Coordinate with Loudoun County and other regional transportation
agencies to better coordinate land use and transportation planning
towards implementing a more sustainable transportation system.
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d. Ensure that the Town is actively involved in all feasibility studies and
preliminary design plans for major improvements included in the
long-range plan prepared by the Northern Virginia Transportation
Authority (NVTA) to advocate for context sensitive design and
coordination with land use.
e. Conduct transportation planning within the Town for the short term
(5 year), intermediate term (10 year), and long term (20 year) planning
horizons to be consistent with other County and regional
transportation plans, programs, and funding cycles.
Objective 3. Develop and expand the Town’s transportation system in a
manner that does not adversely impact community and
neighborhood integrity.
a. Seek recommendations from the Standing Residential Traffic
Committee for traffic calming, pedestrian and bicycle access and
safety, and other issues regarding traffic and transportation in
residential areas in accordance with the Residential Traffic
Management Plan.
b. As part of all decisions for major transportation capacity
improvements, continue to balance ever-increasing traffic demands in
the Town with the need to maintain the historic character and unique
quality of life enjoyed by residents of Leesburg. This may include
investigating new design techniques and standards; multi-modal
transportation options; network improvements or combinations of
these and other options that will maintain an acceptable level of
service and connectivity while also maintaining community amenities
and livability.
c. Monitor parking supply and demand on a regular basis and conduct
parking studies as necessary to assure that adequate parking is
available to meet current and future needs.
d. Work with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on
context-sensitive designs that may diverge from VDOT’s adopted
guidelines. Designs should recognize and minimize impacts on
Leesburg’s historical and archeological resources, aesthetics, vistas,
bicycle and pedestrian facility connections, and streetscapes.
e. Support the construction of a new bridge crossing over the Potomac
River, connecting Virginia to Maryland, as part of a Western
Transportation Corridor (WTC) only if the facility is located east of
Goose Creek and it does not negatively impact neighborhoods
and/or traffic flow on Route 15 within Leesburg.
f. Continue to prohibit through truck traffic in accordance with Town
regulations.
g. Reduce the number of existing and minimize the number of new
access points along major and minor arterials and limited access
highways through the use of internal service roads, shared access
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-7
points, and controlled access easements. While doing so, each
development should provide adequate access for automobiles,
bicycles, pedestrians, and transit; and adequate internal circulation
should be provided for each mode of transportation that will have
access to the development.
h. Include visual and noise buffers, such as landscaping, earth berms,
and building setbacks, for all development along major arterials and
limited access highways. Consider options such as reduced traffic
speeds to mitigate noise impacts. If sound attenuation walls are
necessary as a last resort, these should be landscaped and constructed
with materials to be as unobtrusive as possible.
i. Consider the use of appropriate traffic calming measures.
j. Encourage a street grid pattern to support all new development and
redevelopment within the Town that disperses traffic more evenly
throughout the street network and encourages more multi-modal
transportation options. Existing streets should not be closed so as to
block through traffic.
k. Design of overpasses and flyovers so that they enhance the Town’s
gateways and are in keeping with the Town’s character.
l. Consider Rt. 15 in Leesburg as an essential segment of the Journey
Through Hallowed Ground corridor. Any improvements to Rt. 15 in
the Town should be consistent with its role as a segment of that
corridor.
m. Design all corridors with consideration given to their being a gateway
to the Town, with heavy landscaping and appropriate traffic calming
used so that all corridors function as Town streets.
n. Design the Town’s transportation system to provide modal options
that offer safe, convenient, affordable, and accessible choices for
physical activity for everyone.
o. Design the Town’s transportation system to provide safe, convenient,
and affordable access to housing, worksites, schools and community
services.
Objective 4. Increase the use of public transit service by local residents,
employees, and visitors alike to help reduce motor vehicle use
and traffic congestion, reduce automobile emissions, and
improve air quality.
a. Work with the County to identify potential locations for park and
ride facilities along the Dulles Greenway and Route 7 corridors,
connections to transit and vanpools, and funding sources for
commuter parking lots to serve the Town of Leesburg and its
surrounding areas.
b. Coordinate with Loudoun County to support continued
improvements to the commuter bus system operating within the
Town, including the potential for new routes (such as along Rt. 15N
Chapter 9
Page 9-8 7/11/2017
to the Point of Rocks MARC station), increased service (i.e.
headways), etc.
c. Coordinate with Loudoun County and the Virginia Regional Transit
(VRT) to provide continued improvements to transit service in town
and to provide connections to county park and ride lots that are
located near Leesburg. Enhanced service should include bus transit
or rail transit planned for the Dulles Greenway and Route 7 corridors
and within the Town along local bus routes.
d. Coordinate with Loudoun County and VRT to provide transit service
that adapts to changes in land use over time. Such changes include
redevelopment within the Downtown, and development of the
Community Commercial and optional use of the Regional Office
land use categories as transit-oriented development that can serve as
nodes for transit service. Principles of Transportation Demand
Management (TDM) should be incorporated into transportation
planning for those areas. If additional intensity of development is
dependent upon transit services as a means to mitigate traffic impacts
associated with the increased development, the requisite transit
improvements must be operational prior to the occupancy of said
development.
e. Make revisions, as necessary, to Town ordinances to promote transit
oriented development in geographically specific areas identified
through coordination with Loudoun County and VRT.
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-9
Objective 5. Provide a safe, convenient, continuous, comfortable, and
aesthetically pleasing transportation environment that promotes
bicycling and walking as legitimate alternatives to the single-occupant
automobile for trips less than one mile in length.
a. Reinvest in the pedestrian environment by retrofitting sidewalks and
multiuse paths that do not meet current standards, where feasible.
Require all new development to include internal pedestrian amenities.
b. Accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians, including pedestrians with
disabilities, along with motorized transportation modes in the
planning, funding, design, construction, operation, and maintenance
of the Town’s transportation network to achieve a safe, effective, and
balanced multimodal transportation system.
c. Commit to providing a local bicycle environment that serves both
recreational and functional trip purposes, including on-street
improvements for direct connections between complementary land
uses and a multi-use path system for recreational purposes consistent
with the Leesburg Twenty Year Parks, Recreation, Open Space,
Trails, and Greenways Master Plan.
d. Complete a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian master plan for
providing an interconnected bicycle and a multiuse path system that
connects local residents and visitors to the area with transit stops and
close-by destinations.
e. Emphasize within the capital improvements program (CIP) bicycle
and pedestrian improvements that connect public parks, schools, the
W & OD Rail-Trail, the C & O Canal path, and the Town’s
residential areas.
f. Provide safe bicycle parking facilities at all new employment,
commercial, and recreational destinations. The Town should also
work with local business owners to provide bicycle parking facilities
at all existing nonresidential developments.
g. Re-submit a grant application for federal transportation enhancement
funds to provide a multi-use path connection between the W & OD
Rail-Trail and the C & O Canal via White’s Ferry.
h. Examine the need and feasibility of raised pedestrian crossings for
key locations within the Town, such as over the Route 15 Bypass at
Ft. Evans Road and at Old Ball’s Bluff Road.
i. Coordinate with the County to ensure consistency with applicable
portions of the “Loudoun County Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility
Master Plan.”
j. Coordinate with Loudoun County Public Schools to participate in the
county’s safe routes to schools program for schools located in town
to enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to
walk and bicycle to school.
Chapter 9
Page 9-10 7/11/2017
Objective 6. Promote and protect the Leesburg Executive Airport as a
primary reliever airport within the regional air transportation
system.
a. Revise Town ordinances, as needed, to address applicable objectives
within the adopted airport service plan related to protection of the
airport and its air traffic patterns.
b. Prohibit residential development near the airport. (See the land use
element for specific guidance.)
Objective 7. Encourage equitable distribution of financial responsibility for
construction of off-site roadway improvements necessitated by
new development in accordance with existing and potentially
new methods for financing to mitigate these off-site
development impacts.
a. For commercial development with no residential component, as well
as residential development within a qualifying small area
comprehensive plan, seek proffers and conditions of approval to
mitigate the transportation impacts of new development and
redevelopment consistent with the findings from site-specific traffic
impacts analyses prepared for all development applications.
b. For commercial development with no residential component, as well
as residential development within a qualifying small area
comprehensive plan, use the table, “Off-site Transportation Cost
Data” in Appendix B for evaluating rezoning and special exception
applications and for quantifying potential fair-share contributions to
offset new development impacts on the surrounding transportation
system. The information presented in the table should be updated as
necessary to reflect current year dollars and the most current trip
generation data for the individual land uses.
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-11
c. Consider adoption of a funding source pursuant to Virginia Code
15.2-2321 so that the Town is not so reliant upon developer proffers
to obtain roadway improvements.
d. Partner with state, regional, County, and local stakeholders to
examine the potential for allowing “multi-modal development
financial credits” against anticipated proffers collected for new
projects as one means to encourage development patterns more
supportive of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit modes of travel.
e. Work with federal, state, regional, and County partners to make
available additional funding options to resolve transportation
problems.
f. Consider adoption of special assessment districts pursuant to Virginia
Code 15.2-5100 to fund transportation improvements benefiting a
localized area.
g. Consider the creation of guidelines formed under the Public-private
Partnership Transportation Act to allow for this type of funding for
needed transportation facilities.
Objective 8. Refine the Town’s street standards to address the function,
aesthetics, safety, compatibility with the properties they serve,
and cost of public maintenance. Furthermore, the revised
standards should provide guidance for implementing design
features that support multi-modal transportation and
strengthen the local character of Leesburg.
a. Update the design and construction standards manual (DCSM) to
include design standards for integrating multiple modes of travel into
single transportation corridors, including typical cross sections for
various functional classification streets within the Town.
b. Provide practices in the subdivision and land development
regulations for protecting the historic character of Leesburg related
to installing traffic calming measures, and building streets at a more
human scale with appropriate streetscape enhancements.
c. Consider overlaying a “street typology” on the existing functional
classification system that relates various streets to the land uses they
serve and incorporates principles of context sensitive design or
neotraditional town planning in transportation planning to achieve a
more sustainable transportation system.
d. Revise the subdivision and land development regulations to
incorporate recommendations in the new publication from the
Virginia Department of Transportation entitled “Subdivision Street
Design Guide.”
e. Conduct education and enforcement programs as critical
components in pedestrian and traffic safety.
Chapter 9
Page 9-12 7/11/2017
Transportation Corridor Objectives
Limited Access Corridors:
Dulles Greenway (Route 7/15 Bypass to south corporate limits)
1. Encourage widening to six lanes with rail.
Route 7 and Route 7/15 Bypass (excluding Route 7 within the Bypass)
1. The through traffic function of the Bypass will be protected by limiting the
number of intersections and by grade-separating all permanent intersections
when warranted by traffic. Funding for these improvements will be provided
by development served by these intersections in proportion to their
contribution of traffic upon build out. Provide grade-separated interchanges
at Battlefield Parkway, and South King Street. Provide overpass at Sycolin
Road.
2. Widen to six lanes as necessary. Consider safe, cost-effective, efficient
alternatives that might better meet Town objectives in lieu of building eight
lanes on E. Market St. (Route 7) east of the by-pass where the transportation
forecasting model shows the need for such expansion.
3. The improvements for Route 7 on the transportation policy maps will be
dedicated and constructed in conjunction with development.
4. Limit the number of new at-grade intersections with Route 7 in accordance
with the Route 7 Corridor Plan and Annexation Area Development Policies
(AADPs).
5. Continue the Loudoun Memorial Parkway landscaping and design concept
for Route 7 within the Town. This concept will address sight distance and
clear zone requirements and be subject to VDOT approval.
6. Encourage existing businesses fronting Route 7 to obtain access from parallel
access roads and future developments will be required to obtain primary
access from parallel access roads when those roads come into existence.
7. Do not allow additional at-grade intersections along Route 7.
Route 15 Bypass (north of Route 7)
1. Widen to 4 lanes divided.
2. Provide grade-separated interchanges at Battlefield Parkway and Edwards
Ferry Road.
3. Modify access from Fort Evans Road to connect to the newly constructed
collector/distributor road paralleling the Route 15 Bypass between Market
Street and Edwards Ferry Road. No direct access shall be provided from
Fort Evans Road to the through lanes of the Bypass.
Western Transportation Corridor (formerly the Western Bypass)
1. Ensure that the selected alignment improves access to the greater Leesburg
area while minimizing the negative impacts of noise, air pollution, and
excessive traffic on the Town.
2. The Town strongly urges that only a limited access divided highway that
extends across the Potomac River into Maryland be considered. The Town
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-13
adamantly opposes any alignment for the Bypass corridor that terminates on
Route 7.
3. As a part of the development of a Western Transportation Corridor (WTC),
the Town expects the Virginia Department of Transportation to model the
County’s road network, including the proposed location and interchanges of
the western Bypass, prior to funding or preliminary design of the corridor.
The results of such modeling will be presented to the town. Any portions of
the network that are degraded as the result of trips added due to the addition
of the WTC are expected to be mitigated by the state or federal governments
as a condition of endorsement of the bypass by the Town.
4. Review and revise this transportation element as appropriate upon selection
of an alignment for the Western Bypass and upon receipt of the VDOT
traffic modeling.
Major Arterial Corridors
The decision of whether or not roads shall be divided rests with the Town.
Battlefield Parkway (overall)
1. Limit the number of at-grade intersections to minimize access points.
2. Consider designating Battlefield Parkway a memorial parkway with a
significant treescape as a component of the total design theme, incorporating
this function consistent with all required road design standards.
3. Make a top priority the dedication of the right-of-way, construction, and
completion of all of Battlefield Parkway to ultimate functional classification
design standards as indicated on the road network policy map.
Battlefield Parkway (Route 15 Bypass north to Fort Evans Road)
1. Require right-of-way dedication and road widening as development occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Battlefield Parkway (Fort Evans Road to South King Street (Route 15
south)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
4. Eventually widen to six-lane urban divided section.
5. Construct interchange at Route 7.
Fort Evans Road Extended (Route 773) (Battlefield Parkway to east
corporate limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and require construction as
development occurs.
2. Construct four-lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Chapter 9
Page 9-14 7/11/2017
3. Control the number and location of access points.
South King Street (Route 15 South) (Route 7/15 Bypass to south
corporate limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Secure appropriate development setbacks.
3. Widen to four lanes with acceleration/deceleration lanes and a median.
4. Control the number and location of access points.
Crosstrail Boulevard (Route 7 to south corporate limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Route 621 (Battlefield Parkway to south corporate limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Route 643 (Sycolin Road) (Battlefield Parkway to south corporate
limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
4. For the segment in the Joint Land Management Area (JLMA), work with the
County on the realignment of Sycolin Road to accommodate the planned
southward extension of the Leesburg Executive Airport runway.
Trailview Boulevard (Keystone Drive to east corporate limits)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Widen to four lanes with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Minor Arterial Corridors:
The decision of whether or not roads shall be divided rests with the Town.
North King Street
1.Preserve the appearance and historic character of North King Street.
Edwards Ferry Road (Route 15 Bypass to Battlefield Parkway)
1. Require 120’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Transportation
7/11/2017 Page 9-15
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Fort Evans Road (Route 15 Bypass to Battlefield Parkway)
1. Require 90” right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Widen to four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Modify access from Fort Evans Road to connect to the newly constructed
collector/distributor road paralleling the Route 15 Bypass between Market
Street and Edwards Ferry Road. No direct access shall be provided from
Fort Evans Road to the through lanes of the Bypass.
Route 643 (Sycolin Road) (Route 7/15 Bypass to Battlefield Parkway)
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development occurs.
2. Construct four lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Through Collector Corridors:
The decision of whether or not roads shall be divided rests with the Town.
Airport Connector Road (Battlefield Parkway to south corporate limits)
1. Require 70’ right-of-way dedication as development occurs.
2. Construct 4 lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Edwards Ferry Road (Battlefield Parkway to east corporate limits)
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Widen to four lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Keystone Drive
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
Cardinal Park Drive
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Construct an overpass over Route 7 at Cardinal Park Drive or other suitable
location according to guidance in the Eastern Gateway District Small Area
Plan.
Plaza Street
1. Study Plaza Street between Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway for
reclassification to a minor arterial or through collector to reflect the traffic it
Chapter 9
Page 9-16 7/11/2017
is anticipated to handle in the future. Options for addressing the numerous
driveways on Plaza Street will be set forth in any reclassification study.
Potomac Station Drive
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and road widening as development
occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided or undivided with acceleration/deceleration
lanes.
Route 621 (Evergreen Mill Road) (Route 15 Business to Battlefield
Parkway)
1. Require 70’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development occurs.
2. Construct four lanes undivided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Russell Branch Parkway (Trailview to east corporate limits)
1. Require 90’ right-of-way dedication and construction as development occurs.
2. Construct four lanes divided with acceleration/deceleration lanes.
3. Control the number and location of access points.
Davis Avenue-Gateway Drive Extended
1. Require a minimum 70’ right-of-way dedication and construction as
development occurs.
2. Construct two travel lanes with on-street parking with required turning lanes,
or additional travel lanes as required by a traffic impact analysis
3. Construct street sections in accordance with Crescent District street sections.
__________________________________________________________________
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DRAFT – February 6, 2020
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 12-1 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Chapter 12 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
A. Introduction
Small Area Plan Purpose
During the 2012 Town Plan update, the need for a Small Area Plan along East Market Street outside of the Bypass was
identified as an important means to provide more detailed guidance for coordinating land use and design and
providing more appropriate economic development opportunities. In particular, this plan addresses changing
economic development trends and the shift away from campus style office development that were supported by
previous planning efforts. The overall goal of maintaining opportunities for economic development and employment
has not changed.
This Small Area Plan is recognized as a Small Area Comprehensive Plan as described in Va. Code § 15.2-2303.4.E and is
designated as a revitalization and redevelopment area, and an urban development area doing the following:
1. Setting the stage for the long-term redevelopment of the District in an urban pattern and form.
2. Providing community stakeholders a reasonable expectation of how the Small Area Plan will look and
function in the future.
3. Respecting the character of Leesburg’s historic downtown while providing a transition to more automobile-
oriented parts of the community.
4. Developing a setting for a true mixture of uses that recognizes Leesburg’s role as a center of retail, office,
and residential uses for Loudoun County.
This Small Area Plan covers a portion of the Town of Leesburg that currently serves many purposes throughout the
community. For some, the area simply serves as a through corridor and is referred to as Route 7. For others, it is
known as East Market Street. Still others do business, live, and recreate in this area. Two aspects of this planning
effort are to better define the area and its role in the Town of Leesburg and to establish a vision for the Plan Area that
will guide development in the future. Under current zoning, the East Market Street Corridor could develop with a
haphazard mix of industrial uses, strip retail, single-family homes, townhomes, and apartment buildings. This Small
Area Plan aims to develop the area under a more cohesive plan with benefits that provides lasting benefits to the
Town.
Planning Process
The Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan is based on feedback and ideas gathered through extensive public input.
An overarching principle that guided development of the plan was the need to have support/participation from the
majority of residents, land owners, the Town Council and Town advisory commissions. As such, a significant
component of this process has been building consensus among stakeholders and the public through the following
efforts:
May 2014 – Design Charrette with Loudoun County Design Cabinet
DRAFT – February 6, 2020
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 12-2 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
April 2016 – Southwest Quadrant Roundtable Discussion
June 2016 – Northwest Quadrant Public Meeting
2016 – Leesburg Listens online survey
May 2017 – Stakeholder Meetings
June 2017 – Public Input Session #1
September/October 2017 – Stakeholder Meetings
October 2017 – Public Input Session #2
November 2017 – Online survey
Efforts to prepare the Small Area Plan began in 2014 when
the Town worked with the Loudoun County Design Cabinet to
develop “big ideas” for the future of the East Market Street
Corridor. The design cabinet is a group of engineers,
architects, planners, and designers who come together to
discuss community design issues in the County. Several ideas
relating to transportation, land use, and design, were
discussed and documented in the Loudoun County Design
Charrette Report. Future efforts in the process built off of
ideas in the report and members of the public were able to
weigh in on land use concepts first envisioned by the Design
Cabinet. Many of these early concepts have been carried
forward into this planning document.
In April 2016, the Town held roundtable discussions that were primarily attended by study area property and business
owners. These roundtable discussions evaluated strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the corridor.
Cited strengths included Leesburg’s Location, the transportation system with Route 7 running through the study area,
and access to the W&OD trail. Weaknesses discussed included
traffic, lack of connectivity, and an outdated land uses vision.
Notable opportunities that were discussed included plans for
the Battlefield Parkway Interchange and opportunities to
develop land to meet local needs. Threats included difficulty
attracting and retaining millennials and development that did
not consider the needs of the community.
The Loudoun County Design Cabinet began the
planning process in May 2014 with a broad
visioning Session
Stakeholder Meetings in April 2016 were used to
evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats.
DRAFT – February 6, 2020
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 12-3 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
Another meeting was held in June 2016. The primary focus of this meeting
was to establish a vision for the large vacant property east of the outlet mall.
This property is one of the largest remaining tracts of undeveloped land in the
Town. As such, developing a cohesive vision for the future of the property and
integrating it into the overall fabric of the Town was seen as key for the Small
Area Plan. Attendees sketched out ideas for how the property might be
developed and provided examples of uses that should be considered. The
overall concepts discussed provided a preliminary vision for mixed use
development that has largely been supported and carried forward in
subsequent parts of the process.
The Town also
conducted an online
survey to better gauge
the public’s opinions
and future desires for
the Eastern Market
Street Corridor. The survey was conducted using the Leesburg
Listens tool and over 150 people participated. While a wide
range of viewpoints were presented, there were four key
takeaways and areas of consensus that drove the process
moving forward:
1. A strong interest mixed-use development but variable opinions on the characteristics of mixed use
development.
2. Desire to have more retail and entertainment options.
Respondents to an online survey
overwhelmingly envisioned the East Market
Street Corridor as Mixed-Use
0
10
20
30
40
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60
70
80
90
100
1
I Envision the East Market Corridor as:
Mixed Use Commercial Residential Industrial Other Suburban
A sketch was prepared to consider
a vision for the property east of the
outlets at a June 2016 Meeting
DRAFT – February 6, 2020
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 12-4 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
3. East Market Street is a gateway into downtown.
4. Architectural design is important to Leesburg and the
gateway and a traditional design is favored.
Efforts on the project continued in May 2017 when Town Staff again
met with stakeholders in one on one meetings. Stakeholders raised
several issues about existing conditions, the real estate market, and
the transportation network that were considered in the process.
Visions for the future varried by property. Some stakeholders
expressed a desire to maintain current conditions while others were
considering development and redevelopment. Stakeholders also
proivded insight into development trends and market conditions
that helped shape the land use policies in this document. Follow-up
discussions with several stakeholders took place in September 2017.
The general public was also engaged to refine the vision based
on the takeaways from the Leesburg Listens survey. The key
point gleaned from these efforts showed consensus in the
concept of having different portions of the East Market Street
corridor serve different purposes and provide different uses.
These outreach efforts formed the basis for the plan’s
objectives discussed throughout the document. The single
overarching theme of the outreach efforts is that the East
Market Street Area’s role as a gateway into the historic
Downtown. Outreach participants emphasized the importance
of planning the East Market Street area to create an attractive
gateway into Downtown Leesburg. Given this concept, the
planning area has been designated as the Eastern Gateway
Area.
Competing Interests
The Eastern Gateway District currently serves a wide variety of purposes. People live, work, and play there. Many people
also use the East Market Street Corridor as a conduit into and out of downtown. Any planning effort needs to recognize
all of these functions and the sometimes competing goals of each. Throughout the planning process, a wide range of
visions for the future of the corridor were expressed. Some people prefer that the amount of development be limited
to what exists today while others envision a future with a bustling area with a variety of businesses, services, and places
to recreate. Some people expressed a desire to focus development on the pedestrian environment while others felt
that future development was better suited for a suburban, automobile dominate form. Despite these competing
interests, this plan has been developed with an emphasis on economic development, identifying ways to expand the
tax base, lessening the tax burden for residents, and providing new desired amenities for Town residents. Much of the
Town Staff met with several property
owners in the Eastern Gateway District as
highlighted in blue to better understand
current issues and visions for the future.
Participants at a public meeting in June of 2017
helped to refine a vision for the future of the
Eastern Gateway District and set priorities for
future initiatives.
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rationale for this approach is based on the fact that land in the Eastern Gateway District already has by-right zoning
that would allow the area to develop with a wide variety of uses regardless of any comprehensive planning efforts. This
Plan attempts to create a new development pattern that provides cohesive development with added benefit to
Leesburg residents.
Current Issues
The current Town Plan designates much of the East Market Street corridor for Regional Office and Community Office.
Regional Office use is described as a ‘campus-style, corporate office headquarters’ which is largely an outdated land
use concept today. Stakeholders emphasized that the market for traditional campus style office development was
almost entirely non-existent. Community Office use is essentially a smaller scale version of Regional Office. Today’s
office needs are not focused on centralizing office space into campus-style office headquarters. Instead, most office
space currently being leased is located in mixed-use environments. Another trend is that office space is being
downsized and decentralized thorough use of practices like teleworking and offsite/remote office locations.
Another issue being addressed through this planning effort is existing land use does not match the planning land use
designation. This has largely resulted from relatively recent land use decisions like Leegate, Lowe’s, Brown’s Car
Stores, and the Village at Leesburg. Through this planning effort, recent land use approvals have been recognized in
the Plan and the planned land use designations have been updated to reflect a better balance between existing land
uses and the long term vision for the corridor. The anticipated land pattern for the next 30 years also anticipates
redevelopment within the corridor. As land use trends continue to evolve, the plan should be updated periodically to
position the Town in the best possible place to capture new development opportunities.
Emerging Trends
Creating and maintaining employment opportunities will remain a focus of the Eastern Gateway Area. However, in
recent years, the demand for collaborative work space has increases while the need for individual office space has
shrunk. With this trend, the office market in Leesburg may be trending toward new start up endeavors and small
business development. Collaborative work spaces and shared office environments like We Work and Leesburg
Junction are also increasing in popularity. As such, identifying appropriate work space for any such businesses must
be an area of focus.
Another market trend that Leesburg should capitalize on is business that is best described as a blend of office/clean
industrial functions. This type of use may have typical office functions but also has elements of highly technical
industrial functionality with a mixture of research and design, assembly, production and/or distribution business
components. K2M and EIT, both located in Leesburg, are examples of such business. Increasingly, there is also a trend
towards new technology related businesses and the Washington DC area is home to several new technology industry
startups. Leesburg’s proximity to airports, fiber networks, and a highly educated workforce make it an ideal place for
this type of business.
National trends emphasize integration of office with other uses such as residential, retail, entertainment, and civic
uses. Highly integrated, walkable, planned development that incorporates all of these uses has been growing in
popularity with all segments of population from millennials to empty nester baby boomers. Outreach efforts during
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the planning process also emphasized a general desire to have more mixed-use communities in Leesburg because of
the entertainment and place-making value they provide. This planning process strives to create desirable mixed-use
environments and to foster an environment that is favorable to employment generating uses. With the creation of
mixed-use development, the Town will provide new residential uses that are most appropriate for Leesburg.
The retail market is also shifting in Loudoun County and throughout the county. Retail is becoming highly competitive
and factors like proximity, convenience, and experience are becoming increasingly important. In many cases, brick
and mortar stores are suffering with the growth of online retail. Aging shopping centers are often being replaced by
destinations that have improved amenities. The newest and most successful retail destinations typically incorporate
“experiential” components that provide entertainment value to customers.
Planning Context
Regardless of how different people use the Eastern
Gateway area and what they desire for the land and roads
within it, the area serves as a gateway to downtown
Leesburg. This point was emphasized throughout the
public engagement process. This planning effort focusses
on the concept of establishing the Eastern Gateway District
as a gateway to downtown Leesburg. The Eastern Gateway
District will be one of three distinct planning districts in the
Town that are based on Leesburg’s long history and the
areas of unique character that developed over time. The
Old and Historic District comprises some of the oldest
development in the Town that attracts people for its
unique charm and sense of place. In fact, this area was
recognized as Leesburg’s greatest strength during the
outreach efforts. Surrounding the Old and historic district
lies more recent development that occurred beginning in
the 1960’s including areas along East Market Street inside
the bypass. Much of this area is now encompassed in the
Crescent Design District which was established in 2013 to consider future redevelopment of this area as buildings
begin to age and more favorable land uses are considered. Through this Small Area Plan, the entire East Market Street
Corridor within the Town Limits outside the bypass will be considered under specific plan policies that address current
development trends while promoting the image of Leesburg’s Historic Downtown.
The Town of Leesburg has 3 distinct Planning Districts
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B. Eastern Gateway District Goal and Vision
Goal
The Eastern Gateway District will become a prominent gateway into downtown Leesburg that provides economic
development and employment opportunities, enhances the image of Leesburg, serves as great place to live, promotes
tourism, and provides services, entertainment, quality open spaces, and other amenities to Town Residents.
Vision
The Eastern Gateway District will be a place that is easily distinguished from points east because of its architectural
character and design that incorporates Leesburg’s unique history. Motorists traveling along Route 7 (East Market
Street) will be alerted of their arrival into Leesburg by high quality architecture, streetscaping, and landscape
treatments. The Eastern Gateway District will be a place where people from the surrounding areas come to work in
modern industries and visit for tourism, recreational, and entertainment opportunities. People living in the Eastern
Gateway District will have great pride in their community because of its attractiveness and uniqueness.
In order to achieve this vision, the Eastern Gateway District incorporates opportunities for new residential density
that is an integral part of mixed use land planning design and development. During the outreach process, many
people agreed that some form of residential density or employment uses was a necessary element of a vibrant mixed-
use community to put “feet on the street” and create a community that can support new restaurants and shops.
Guiding Principles
A series of guiding principles were developed for the Eastern Gateway District based on public input, comments from
stakeholders, and the results of research and studies conducted during the planning process. These principles form
the framework for more specific policies in the Small Area Plan. Each legislative application (such as a rezoning or
special exception request) that comes before the Town in the Eastern Gateway District should consider and address
these principles and the extent to which the application can reasonably conform to these principles.
1. New Mixed-Use Neighborhoods: The Town seeks to create significant new employment opportunities and
explore methods to enhance tourism. Recent trends and case studies demonstrate that walkable mixed-use
neighborhoods like the Village at Leesburg, Reston Town Center, and the Mosaic District provide some of the
best opportunities to create employment under current market conditions and attract visitors. This type of
neighborhood and key design elements should be incorporated in areas designated for mixed-use and
considered where feasible in other parts of the Gateway District.
2. Technology and Employment Park: The Town will maintain the viability of land in the southwest quadrant for
a technology and employment park. This area is intended to remain one of the primary employment areas in
Leesburg. The intent of the Technology and Employment area is to allow for existing and traditional light
industrial uses to remain while also along for innovative new uses.
3. Facility Needs: Community facilities including parks and open space, event spaces, transit facilities, and
community gathering spaces benefit the community and contribute to a sense of place. The Town will
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partner with the development community and provide incentives for development that provides beneficial
new facilities. New development should also mitigate its impacts on community facilities.
4. Walkability: Enhance walkability and bicycle access throughout the Gateway District as appropriate and
create and maintain safe pedestrian and bicycle connections across Route 7, Route 15, and Battlefield
Parkway.
5. Design: Good design is important to Leesburg residents
and property owners. Leesburg takes pride in its
community and especially in the Historic Downtown.
New development should incorporate high quality
architecture, streetscaping and landscaping that reflects
and enhances Leesburg’s traditional character.
6. Connectivity: Roadways should be designed and built to
maximize connectivity into and within the study area.
The number of roadway connections should be
maximized and roads should accommodate multi-modal
transportation. Congestion and opportunities for transit
options will be carefully considered.
7. Recognize as-built conditions: The Town will reconsider planned land use designations for recently approved
development to ensure viability of these uses and minimize future compatibility issues.
8. Economic Development Tools: Proposals that include use of economic development tools including
incentives and special financing will be considered as a key means to help the Town achieve its vision for the
Eastern Gateway District.
9. Housing: New residential development will provide housing that limits new demands on Town services while
providing attractive and affordable options to the local workforce and young professionals.
10. Tourism: Tourism is recognized as a key component of Leesburg’s economy. The Town will explore new ways
to promote tourism and make the Town a desirable place to visit.
The Historic Character of Downtown Leesburg
should be incorporated into new development
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C. Eastern Gateway District Policies
Overall Planning Objectives
The overall intent of the Eastern Gateway District is to promote new development that increases economic
development and minimizes the tax burden on existing residents. At the same time, the Eastern Gateway District
provides an opportunity to enhance the aesthetic of the Route 7 Corridor and make it an attractive gateway into
Leesburg’s Historic Downtown. A key premise of this planning document is recognition of the fact that the potential
for green field development opportunities is limited to a few specific areas. As such, some policies and overall
objectives, particularly those focused on streetscape design, housing, and transportation may not directly apply to all
parts of the Eastern Gateway District. Instead, these policies are primarily pertinent for new development on the few
remaining large tracts of land and those were redevelopment may occur.
Objective 1. Improve the Visual Appearance of the Route 7.
a. Create a streetscape plan that considers new landscaping and other design elements that
create a unique and highly attractive entrance to the Town’s eastern gateway.
Objective 2. Improve the function of the Eastern Corporate Limit Line as a visual gateway into Leesburg
a. Create an area of enhanced landscaping at the River Creek Parkway/Crosstrail Boulevard
bridge.
b. Improve gateway and entry signage at the Town Line.
Objective 3. Recognize Leesburg’s historic downtown as the Town’s greatest strength and provide new
development that builds upon the historic character of downtown Leesburg.
Objective 4. Provide a unique sense of place in the Eastern Gateway Area that is distinguished from other
parts of the Northern Virginia region by high quality architecture, landscaping, and amenities.
Objective 5. Allow a range of land use and development types with the intent of maximizing economic
development and employment opportunities in the Town.
Objective 6. Reduce traffic congestion for those vehicles either entering Town or exiting to the Bypass.
Land Use
The land uses that will be allowed in the Eastern Gateway District are intended to achieve the vision of providing an
attractive gateway into downtown Leesburg while also providing economic development opportunities. The Eastern
Gateway District considers a diverse range of land uses and community types to put Leesburg into a position where it
can better attract different types of businesses. The Small Area Plan is specifically intended to promote development
of new mixed-use neighborhoods that provide desired amenities for residents and create a desirable environment for
employment uses. However, since different businesses succeed under different conditions, some portions of the
Eastern Gateway District will allow for uses that are considered less compatible with mixed-use development and
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residential uses. Some areas will be focused on auto-oriented uses while others will be focused on pedestrian-
oriented uses and some areas will be afforded increased flexibility to fit the needs of a particular business.
Objective 1. Amend the Town Plan with new Planned Land Use Categories to achieve the desired land
use vision.
Objective 2. Allow a diverse range of land uses in the Eastern Gateway District making it a place where it
is possible to live, work, play and have easy access facilities, goods, and services.
Objective 3. Provide for a range of housing types that are needed in the Town including workforce
housing, housing with smaller units, housing to support empty nesters, and housing that is
suitable for people that are just entering the workforce.
Objective 4. Provide flexibility in reviewing specific land use proposals that can enhance the economic
base of the Town and generate tax revenue.
Objective 5. Consider tourism related uses including uses that build off of Loudoun County’s rural
economy and Leesburg’s historic downtown.
Design
Planning in the Eastern Gateway District will rely on a holistic approach that considers building design, site design, and
streetscape design. While generic guidance demonstrating the overall vision is provided below, additional design
guidelines should be developed to more clearly articulate specific design details that are desirable in the Eastern
Gateway District. All of these elements should be considered and evaluated as plans for development and
redevelopment in are prepared in the Eastern Gateway District.
Applications should also address the multiple facets of sustainability related to a development proposal including
building architecture, interior fit-up, site design, and technology. Examples of items that should be addressed in
consideration of project design and sustainability include:
Building Design: High quality building materials are preferred. Building designs should make use of imitation materials
in only limited circumstances where they are demonstrated to provide improved design, efficiency, or environmental
benefit. Building designers should aim to provide “green” buildings that are able to meet the requirements of LEED
certification, Energy Star, National Green Building Standard, and/or other similar certification and standards.
4-sided Architecture: All buildings should make use of 4-sided architecture with special attention paid to any facades
that are visible from any public areas subject to high traffic.
Character: Building designs should emphasize compatibility with Leesburg’s character. Corporate designs and
trademark architecture should be avoided or adapted to Leesburg’s Character.
Site Design: Special attention should be given to site design that enhances the public and pedestrian experience. Sites
should be planned with multiple areas for trees, benches, walkways, bike racks, etc.
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Technology: Development and Redevelopment in the Eastern Gateway District should make use of available
technologies that demonstrate a commitment to innovation. A range of emerging building technologies like smart
appliances, smart meters, and other energy saving features are desired. Site design should also be easily adaptable to
consider emerging transportation technologies and “smart city” technologies.
Architectural Design
Throughout the process of developing the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan, architectural design has been an
ongoing topic of discussion. Community input confirms that architectural design is important to Town residents and
most believe that new development should reflect Leesburg’s traditional character. The Town has developed basic
guidance for architectural design in this document and will continue to refine design guidance as policies with
ongoing efforts.
Objective 1. Develop all new structures to reflect and
respect the historic character of Leesburg.
a. Use building materials such as brick, stone,
lap siding.
b. Avoid unarticulated boxes with flat roofs and
incorporate features like gables, parapets,
bays, porticos.
c. Buildings over 2 stories in height should have
first floors that are taller in height and faced
with different materials than the remainder of
the building.
d. The building massing should employ
techniques that decrease perceived size and
create a human scale.
Objective 2. Ensure that standard corporate building designs are adjusted to better reflect Leesburg’s
Historic Character.
Objective 3. Provide four sided architectural character to minimize blank walls and maintain a high quality
appearance throughout the Eastern Gateway District.
Objective 4. Ensure that all new primary building facades use a traditional 3-part architectural approach
that includes a foundation treatment (bottom), storefront or midsection, and entablature (top).
Objective 5. Recognize the character and functions within each quadrant of the Eastern Gateway District
and develop design guidelines as appropriate.
Example of traditional building facade
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Objective 6. Consider architectural designs that allow building uses to evolve over time.
Blank Walls and repetitious architecture should be avoided
Example of Compatible Architectural Character
1. Mix of traditional and contemporary forms that
draw on Leesburg’s historic character
2. Variety of roof forms and projecting bays create
visual interest, break up the massing of large
multi-block length structures.
3. Facades are well articulated with glazing,
awnings, projecting/recessed bays, balconies.
4. Mix of traditional and contemporary materials.
Example of Compatible Architectural Character
1. Traditional roof forms
2. Use of intersecting gables, dormers, chimneys, and
varied rooflines to break up mass of roof
3. Mix of traditional materials to articulate large facades
4. Projecting/recessed bays to create visual interest
5. Creates illusion of multiple smaller buildings rather
than one large expanse
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Example of Compatible Architectural Character
1. Traditional forms and details (gable roofs, arched
storefront windows)
2. Projecting/recessed bays break up the large
massing
3. Mix of traditional materials creates visual
interest and provides façade articulations.
4. Traditional ground floor storefronts with large
display windows, awnings, and attractive entries.
Example of Compatible Architectural Character
1. Traditional roof forms (gable roof/hipped roof,
intersecting gables) and traditional detailing
(dormers, cornice, porch)
2. Well-articulated facades – visual interest, larger
massing is broken up with projecting bays, porch
details, recessed entries, dormers.
3. Mix of traditional materials including brick, stone, lap
siding, and standing seem metal roof.
4. Residential form consistent with Leesburg Downtown
5. Traditional fenestration – balanced, ratio of solids to
voids, smaller windows on upper stories
6.
Example of Compatible Architectural Character
1. Gabled Roof
2. 4 sided architecture
3. Traditional materials
4. Fenestration reflects traditional ratio of solids to
voids
5. Landscape incorporated into overall design
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Streetscape and Site Design
The streetscape and block design of a community have a major
impact on the way it functions and the way it looks to
customers, residents, and tourists. Throughout the process of
developing the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan,
people stressed the importance of making sure the area is
visually appealing. The design of roadways also dictates how
transportation along those roadways can occur and the extent
to which mobility options exist. Many roads in the Eastern
Gateway District have already been constructed and
development has occurred along those roadways. However, to
the extent new development and redevelopment occur in the
Eastern Gateway District, they should implement a more
urban form that encourages pedestrian activity and enhances mobility while providing an aesthetically pleasing
landscape.
Example of Incompatible Architectural Character
1. Large expanses of contemporary materials (EIFS)
2. Overly exaggerated cornice detail is heavy and
visually incongruent with building
3. Lacks visual interest due to limited and
repetitious color/material pallet
4. Lack of building articulation due to minimal
projection of brick piers
5. Lack of traditional roof design elements
Example of Incompatible Architectural Character
1. Excessive use of windows and glazing with non-
traditional placement of windows
2. Overly contemporary design that lacks relationship to
Leesburg’s historic character
3. Lack of any traditional roof form elements such as
gables, parapets, bays, porticos
4. Minimal use of traditional materials, relies more
heavily on contemporary materials (metal, concrete,
and glass)
5. than one large expanse
Example of Incompatible Architectural Character
1. Overly contemporary appearance
2. Non-traditional materials
3. Non-traditional color pallet
4. Repetitious design over large façade expanse
5. Lack of design elements that reflect Leesburg’s
historic character
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Objective 1. Develop strategically placed landscape areas along the East Market Street Corridor to signify
arrival into a unique place, to create a positive and attractive image for the corridor, and to
create a prominent gateway for traffic as it enters into Downtown Leesburg.
Gateway Design Features Map
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a. Develop Gateway Landscape features throughout the Eastern Gateway District and
specifically in locations shown on the Gateway Design Features Map. Gateway Landscape
features may include flower gardens, monument signs, fountains, and public art.
b. Create Gateway Landscaping which includes design features like regularly spaced trees,
structures, or decorations along key corridors.
c. Provide enhanced architectural treatment for key intersections where new development
occurs. The enhanced architectural treatment should include elements like four-sided
Examples of Gateway Design Features
Examples of Landscaping along Gateway Corridors
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Page 12-17 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
architecture, iconic building design, buildings with minimal setbacks, and an avoidance of
blank walls to the extent practical.
Objective 2. Design and retrofit neighborhood
roadways in the Eastern Gateway
District to make them complete streets
that offer mobility for all modes of
transportation.
Objective 3. Design new roadways in
neighborhoods with on-street parking
to create a buffer between pedestrian
and vehicular traffic and to help satisfy
parking needs.
Objective 4. Provide new development that has a
distinct block edge that defines and
enhances the public realm.
Complete Streets incorporate options for all modes
of transportation.
On-street parking provides a buffer between cars
and pedestrians and makes an area feel safer to walk
A consistent block edge enhances the
neighborhood and Main Street feeling of a
community.
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Objective 5. Consider guidance in the Virginia
Department of Rail and Public
Transportation Multimodal System
Design Guidelines when considering
Roadway and Streetscape Designs.
Objective 6. Design new roadways to provide safe
and attractive pedestrian routes and
encourage pedestrian activity.
a. Provide amenities to enhance the
pedestrian experience along sidewalks
including street furnishings, pocket
parks, planting areas, pedestrian level
window displays, and pedestrian scale lighting.
b. Enhance the pedestrian experience by providing pedestrian scale features in public areas.
These features may include elements like public art, landscaping, benches, trash cans, bike
racks, bus shelters, light fixtures, and curb and pavement treatments.
c. Design primary roadways to provide an active street frontage with pedestrian-scaled
architecture, regular building entrances, public gathering spaces, and other unique design
features.
Examples of pedestrian scale features that should be included in new development.
Abundant small open spaces or pocket parks
should be provided throughout new development.
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Page 12-19 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
d. Avoid designs and streetscapes that
discourage pedestrian activity such as
buildings with blank walls, dark roads,
a lack of amenities, and unbuffered
high-speed vehicular traffic.
e. Provide safe pedestrian crossings for
all roads in the Eastern Gateway
District and include design elements
such as medians, mid-block
crossings, pedestrian refuges, bump
outs, and decorative pavements
wherever allowable and feasible.
Objective 7. Locate parking, service and loading areas away from public view corridors.
Objective 8. Legislative applications should include graphical depictions that demonstrate conformance to
Streetscape Policies where applicable. Suitable graphical depictions may include a
combination of building elevations, sketches, renderings, landscape plans, or similar work
products that provide an appropriate commitment to the desired design elements.
Service areas, garages, and utility features should be located away from primary public corridors.
Crosswalks should be designed to be safe and highly
visible and lengths should be minimized with
features like bump-outs and pedestrian refuges.
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Housing
While additional residential development is not intended to
be the focus of new development in the Eastern Gateway
District, it is recognized as a key component of the type of
mixed-use development that is desired for the Eastern
Gateway area. In addition, the Town can be better
positioned to capture new economic development
opportunities by having housing options that cater to all
parts of the workforce and income levels.
The type of housing options provided in the community
have a major impact on who lives in the community, the
level of services the Town and County must provide, and
the type of retail amenities that can be supported by the
community. During public outreach efforts conducted for
this Small Area Plan, concerns were expressed about the
lack of affordable housing options in Leesburg. Concerns
that were raised included the inability for people that grew
up in Leesburg to find housing they could afford when they
entered the workforce and the inability of some businesses
to attract employees since those employees could not
afford to live in Leesburg. Another concern is that
businesses may choose not to locate in Leesburg because
housing for their employees is not available.
Research and studies of other communities has shown that
young professionals often favor smaller housing units, but
in communities that provide a wide range of common
space and amenities. These amenities can include game
rooms, theatres, pools, exercise rooms, rooftop gardens,
and similar features. The overall intent behind these
amenities is to provide people an opportunity to socialize
and meet their neighbors. By providing the amenities on
site, the Town will realize the added benefit of reduced
demands for community facilities like Ida Lee Park. Another
anticipated benefit is that many young professionals will
choose to spend their income in local shops and
restaurants.
Examples of housing types and living experiences
that are encouraged.
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Objective 1. Provide a mix of housing types that
are attainable and desirable to all
levels of the workforce.
Objective 2. Encourage housing types that are
desirable to current and future
residents seeking affordability and
a wide range of community
amenities in an urban setting.
a. Encourage a wide range of
community amenities like outdoor
recreation areas, party rooms, and
theatre rooms
Objective 3. Encourage housing types that
provide smaller unit sizes and that
provide desirable types of living accommodations that are currently less common in
Leesburg and the surrounding area.
a. Multi-family housing products with average square footage of 700 – 1,000 square feet per unit
or less, are encouraged.
b. Encourage additional housing types and sizes for which there is an unmet need in Leesburg.
c. Encourage housing types that have a lesser tax burden on the Town. That is, housing types
that have a comparatively low ratio of Town services needed to taxes paid.
Objective 4. Provide housing opportunities for residents seeking more urban experiences by maximizing
walkability to shops and restaurants, providing bicycle infrastructure, and developing a robust
transit network.
Housing that provides a more urban-style living experience is encouraged.
New Housing in the Eastern Gateway District should
provide a wide range of amenities to residents like
common open spaces.
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Objective 5. Consider incentives for developers that address unmet housing needs. Incentives may
include density bonuses, fee waivers, and infrastructure assistance.
Transportation
The Eastern Gateway District currently must meet a wide variety of transportation needs. The area currently
accommodates significant volumes of traffic flowing along Route 7 as well as local traffic through existing
neighborhoods. Route 7 has been planned as a limited access highway for decades and currently carries over 50,000
vehicle trips per day. Bicycle and Pedestrians accommodations along Route 7 are generally not feasible but a network
of sidewalks and trails in adjacent areas is used to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle activity. The vision for the
transportation system considers a robust multi-modal transportation network that gives residents employees, and
visitors several desirable choices to travel within the Eastern Gateway District and to nearby areas. Achieving this
vision will require improvements to the existing sidewalk and trail network, new roadways, roadway improvements,
and enhancements to the transit system. In addition, new development will require an increased focus on
accommodating multi-modal transportation through design. In an effort to minimize demands on vehicular
transportation and the existing roadway network, new development should also identify ways to encourage
alternative modes of transportation and make use of those alternative modes a desirable choice.
Objective 1. Enhance connectivity into and within the Eastern Gateway District to provide better
circulation for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians
a. Construct a new overpass between the southwest and northwest quadrants.
b. Encourage the creation of bike lanes and trails throughout the Eastern Gateway District.
c. Encourage a new network of roads in the northwest quadrant that generally achieves the
concept of an urban grid that evenly disperses traffic and avoids cul-de-sacs.
d. Encourage development of a new road through the Market Place at Potomac Station
(between Giant and Best Buy) to provide additional access and connectivity to properties
fronting along Route 7 that will lose access when the Battlefield Parkway Interchange is
constructed.
e. Explore the potential to create a new frontage road along Route 7 to provide alternative
access to the Clarion Inn Hotel.
Objective 2. Maximize interconnectivity between parcels and create pedestrian and vehicular connections
wherever they can improve connectivity in the Eastern Gateway District.
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Objective 3. Improve direct sidewalk and trail
connectivity between different
neighborhoods and
developments.
a. Encourage connections between
the outlet mall and any new
development to the east.
b. Encourage connections between
the Potomac Station Marketplace
and adjacent residential
development.
Eastern Gateway District Planned Roadway Network Map
Gaps in the sidewalk network should be identified
and filled to enhance connectivity.
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c. Identify missing links in the pedestrian network and develop strategies for filling any gaps.
d. Identify strategies to improve sidewalk and trail connectivity to the Downtown area.
e. Improve sidewalk and pedestrian connectivity across Fort Evans Road.
Objective 4. Support opportunities to create additional connections to the W&OD trail.
a. Work collaboratively with NOVA Parks (formerly Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority)
to identify potential locations for new access points to the W&OD trail.
b. Encourage safe and viable pedestrian bicycle crossings across Route 7 to enhance
Connectivity from points north.
Objective 5. Study the potential for increasing pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between the Eastern
Gateway District and Downtown Leesburg.
Objective 6. Plan for and provide infrastructure for regional or other transit service.
Map showing current and proposed Trail Network
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Objective 7. Develop the Leesburg Gateway Property in a manner that allows it to serve as a transit hub
that provides connectivity between the Eastern Gateway Area, the downtown area, Regional
Retail locations, the Leesburg Airport area, Metro, and other parts of eastern Loudoun
County as shown in the Conceptual Transit Network Map.
Objective 8. Encourage enhanced connectivity and efficiency of the transit network.
a. Ensure that all applications for new development appropriately consider potential transit
routes and can accommodate transit infrastructure where appropriate.
b. Regularly work with Loudoun County Transit to update transit routes as new development
comes online
Natural Resources
A significant amount of public input stressed the importance of natural resources in the Eastern Gateway District and
providing undeveloped land to serve as natural habitat. Wherever possible, new development should provide areas of
higher densities to make preservation of land on other parts of a site more viable. The Eastern Gateway District
Conceptual Long-Term Transit Network Map
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should be developed as an area to be known for environmental stewardship and as an area that helps the Town
achieve State requirements.
Objective 1. Development should be planned, designed and built as sustainable to better achieve town
environmental objectives, state mandates, and provide model examples of environmental
stewardship.
a. To the extent practical, use a Green Infrastructure approach to site design and development
to minimize impervious surface, preserve and/or establish native vegetation.
b. To the extent practical replicate pre-development hydrology.
c. Consider best practices of the industry
as established in programs such as
Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED),
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES),
Living Building Challenge, and One
Planet Communities to site
development and building design.
d. Consider and incorporate to the extent
practical roads that are designed and
built as “Complete Green Streets”
providing for pedestrian, bicycle, and
vehicle driver safety while mitigating the
environmental effects of roads through a
stormwater management approach that
incorporates bioretention, landscaping,
street trees, and engineered systems
such as permeable pavement.
e. Where practical re-purpose buildings as opposed to constructing new ones. Redevelop
existing structures with renewable energy systems, water conservation, natural daylight, and
similar green building techniques.
Objective 2. Ensure that environmental quality is maintained as all new development occurs.
Green building techniques like green roofs are
encouraged help meet a project’s stormwater
requirements while simultaneously providing
recreational amenities.
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a. Conserve and restore open space
and natural resources to increase
resiliency and biological integrity of
the native ecosystem while
mitigating air quality degradation.
b. Identify strategies to minimize
waste generation and increase
reuse and recycling to conserve
resources.
Objective 3. Identify opportunities for
community engagement in
improving environmental quality
and encouraging programs and
protecting natural resources.
Parks, Recreation, and Community
Facilities
Public comment received throughout development of the Small Area Plan emphasized the need for passive park
amenities and open spaces. Several comments also spoke to the importance maintaining land for conservation
purposes. Given this desire and need, the Town will strive to identify land in the Eastern Gateway area that is suitable
for conservation. The Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan encourages areas of higher density so that large open
space amenities can be accommodated. In addition, the type of new development that is called for by the Small Area
Plan is expected to attract people seeking a more urban environment. As such, appropriate active recreation
amenities should also be included with new development to give future residents active recreation opportunities.
Objective 1. Provide new parkland and open space to offset the demand from new residents.
Opportunities for community engagement and
participation in environmental programs is
encouraged with new development.
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a. New development in mixed-use areas should include a contiguous area of publically
accessible open space that provides an undeveloped park like character. These areas would
typically include trails, ponds, streams, and wetland areas.
b. Appropriate small scale active park amenities like trails, picnic areas, fountains, tot lots,
playgrounds, and dog parks should be located throughout new development areas.
Examples of undeveloped land that should be included with mixed-use neighborhoods.
Examples of small scale active park amenities.
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c. Large scale active park and recreation amenities like ballfields, basketball courts, tennis
courts, skating rinks, disc golf courses, and skate board parks should be considered and
incorporated into new development areas as appropriate based on community needs.
d. Provide small open space areas or pocket parks throughout new mixed-use areas to give all
future residents, employees, and visitors abundant access to nearby areas for recreation and
relaxation.
e. Coordinate with the department of parks and recreation to determine the need for any
specific facilities that can be located in the Eastern Gateway District.
Objective 2. Work with appropriate agencies and departments to identify the need for any new
infrastructure and community facilities to support future development.
Examples of large scale active park amenities.
Examples of small open spaces and pocket parks.
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a. Ensure that appropriate utility infrastructure exists to support new development.
b. Work with individual Town departments to identify facilities that can be incorporated into new
development.
c. Incorporate community facilities into development proposals such as youth, teen, and senior
centers as well other community gathering areas.
d. Ensure appropriate capacity of community facilities such as schools prior to approving new
residential development.
e. Coordinate with Loudoun County Schools to identify future school infrastructure needs and
ensure that all new development can mitigate additional demands on those facilities.
f. Identify appropriate future school sites near new residential development if deemed
necessary.
g. Ensure that all new school facilities are built consistent with applicable architectural and site
design guidelines.
Heritage Resources
Heritage resources help to define a community and contribute to it giving it its own identity. The Town has several
specific programs aimed at preserving these resources and the overall historic character. This Small Area Plan is
intended to work in conjunction with the overall Town Plan and any overall policies or initiative that may be applied in
the future.
Objective 1. Encourage preservation and enhancement of Heritage Resources in the Eastern Gateway
District
a. Evaluate opportunities to increase access and awareness to Heritage Resources in the
Eastern Gateway District.
b. Ensure protection of Heritage resources in the Eastern Gateway Area including Caradoc Hall
and the Stone House at Harper Park.
Economic Development
The Town of Leesburg is committed to expanding the tax base, minimizing the tax burden on its residents, and
creating jobs for residents. In an effort to do so, the Town seeks to enhance economic development opportunities in
the Eastern Gateway District. A key component of fostering an environment that is conducive to such economic
development is creating a collaborative atmosphere and good working relationship with the private sector. The Town
be proactive in working with the private sector to identify new economic development opportunities and will
establish processes to ensure that all new and innovative ideas can be thoughtfully considered.
Objective 1. Work collaboratively with land owners and members of the development community to
enhance economic development opportunities.
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a. Work with the private sector to continuously identify new opportunities as business markets
evolve over time.
Objective 2. Identify opportunities for public private partnerships
a. Entertain proposals from the development community for any public private partnership ideas
that are proposed.
b. Establish a process for evaluating public partnership ideas and presenting them to the Town
Council for action.
Objective 3. Consider public investments that can
lead to financial returns and promote
economic development.
a. Create a list of potential transportation,
infrastructure, utility, or other
improvements that facilitate economic
development.
b. Create a process where property
owners and residents can suggest
public investments to be considered.
Objective 4. Consider any opportunities for grant
funding that can promote economic
development.
Development Process Objectives
The Town desires to have a land development process that can efficiently achieve the overall vision as expressed in
this Small Area Plan. There are additional efforts subsequent to adoption of this Plan that must be taken to help
implement it. The Town must ensure that Zoning Ordinance and other regulatory documents enable the type of
development that is desired and make any necessary changes. Furthermore, the private sector will be a partner with
the Town in implementing the vision of this Small Area Plan. As such, the Town will continue working with
stakeholders and development community to get feedback and identify any challenges that may inhibit achieving the
Town’s Goals. The policies below represent a collection of ideas and possible strategies that can improve the
development process.
Objective 1. The Town will work towards creating a Zoning Ordinance consistent with the guidance in this
plan to achieve the desired land development pattern.
Objective 2. The Town will identify and make changes to the Zoning Ordinance and Design and
Construction Standards Manual (DCSM) as necessary to ensure that the land development
pattern articulated in this plan is achievable in the short term.
The Town will consider a wide range of potential
public investments that can contribute to increased
economic development potential.
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a. Develop a standard process to amend the zoning ordinance to add new desirable uses as
new ideas are presented or provide flexibility in permitted use categories to ensure that
compatible uses are not unintentionally precluded.
b. Work with the development community and hold input meetings to identify sections of the
Zoning Ordinance and DCSM that have presented constraints to reasonable types of
development.
c. Ensure that required parking standards are consistent with the desired character of new
development in the Eastern Gateway District.
d. Establish an internal review committee to review zoning regulations that currently apply to
the Eastern Gateway District and suggest changes necessary to implement the Small Area
Plan.
e. Ensure that any uses that are consistent with the intent of the Eastern Gateway District Small
Area Plan are permitted, at least by special exception.
f. Create a process where any desirable new uses or combination of uses not currently
permitted by the Zoning Ordinance can be reviewed and considered for incorporation in the
Zoning Ordinance in a timely fashion.
Objective 3. Consider creating a new type of application that provides for faster administrative approvals
of non-residential uses in the area planned for Technology and Employment.
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D. Eastern Gateway District Land Use Categories
The planned land use in the Eastern Gateway District is based on the overall Town Plan Planned Land Use Policy Map
as revised through adoption of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan. To recognize unique conditions in the
Eastern Gateway Area, two new land use categories are being added to the Town Plan. The first category is
“Technology and Employment” and the Second Category is “Mixed-Use Neighborhood”. Specific policy guidance for
each of these categories is provided below.
The Eastern Gateway District Planned Land Use Map is intended to accomplish several things. First, the planned land
use designations are intended to prevent incompatible uses from developing next to one another. Specifically, the
Eastern Gateway District includes several residential neighborhoods that should be protected from incompatible uses.
Likewise, the Planned Land Use map prevents new residential development from being located in areas where it may
be adversely affected by more intensive uses.
Second, the Planned Land Use Map aims to rectify conflicts between existing and approved land uses and planned
land uses that previously covered those sites. For example, the recently built Lowe’s is planned “Regional Office”
when it and surrounding uses are in fact more reflective of the “Regional Retail” designation. The planned land use
Eastern Gateway District Planned Land Use Map
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designations are also intended to consider what may reasonably happen over the next 30 years. These designations
should be reconsidered over time as redevelopment opportunities arise.
Lastly, the Planned Land Use Map attempts to provide land use designations that balance a long term vision with
current market conditions and development trends. An overall goal of the Eastern Gateway District is to provide
opportunities for economic development and realization of tax revenues from non-residential uses. To achieve this,
the Plan designates land for uses that can realistically be developed in the near term based on current market
conditions.
Technology and Employment
The Technology and Employment area is intended to be a flexible land use designation that provides a range of
opportunities for employment and tax generating uses. This designation generally covers the area of Cardinal Park
Drive which currently provides space for a wide variety of light industrial and other non-residential uses. In the short
term, the Technology and Employment designations will allow existing businesses to continue operations and to grow
to achieve to overall planning objectives. Redevelopment of the area may follow over time but any such
redevelopment should maintain the intent of fostering a business environment and avoid potential impacts that may
affect the long term economic development potential of this area.
The Technology and Employment designation recognizes that different businesses will have unique needs and that a
conventional zoning approach may inadvertently prevent desirable tax and employment generating uses from
locating in Leesburg. While the Technology and Employment designation is intended to provide flexibility in uses and
standards, proposals should demonstrate consideration for potential compatibility issues and the desire to promote a
positive image that differs from traditional industrial parks. The Technology and Employment area may include uses
that need to attract perspective clients or visitors so one primary goal for the area is creating and maintaining an
attractive corridor. Proposals for larger scale industrial uses that have greater potential for impacts should be
considered and vetted more carefully if they may result in impacts or a character that make the area less desirable for
other business activities. Temporary uses such as self-storage facilities that do not fully meet the intent of Technology
and Employment designation may be considered if they are appropriately designed and integrated into the
community and if they contribute substantial tax revenue or employment.
The Technology and Employment area is also intended to be conducive to entrepreneurial activities. Flexible buildings
that offer small leasable spaces for manufacturing and fabrication or other businesses are encouraged. The
designation also encourages collaborative work spaces for activities like product design, product testing,
manufacturing, and research and development. Similarly, office spaces that provide conference rooms, collaborative
environments, and affordable spaces for entrepreneurs and small businesses are also encouraged.
Since some intensive non-residential uses are allowed and encouraged in the Technology and Employment
designation, new residential development will not be permitted in this area to avoid land use conflicts. Instead, the
Technology and Employment area should remain a flexible land use designation where potential new businesses will
not be confronted with opposition from neighboring residents.
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Intent
1. To encourage retention of tax and employment generating uses including existing business and light
industrial uses.
2. To foster an environment that is attractive to innovative new employment generating uses that require
flexibility in typical use standards.
3. To provide spaces for service related uses needed by Town residents that may not be compatible with uses in
other parts of the Town.
4. To enhance the overall image of Leesburg’s Eastern Gateway
Uses
1. Office and light industrial uses focused on employment generation including uses based on sciences,
technology, engineering, mathematics, media, education, and information industries.
2. Employment-supportive retail uses including delicatessens, copy and print services, or other similar uses that
directly benefit employees of businesses in the area.
3. Uses related to commuter and recreational users of the W&OD trail.
4. Temporary uses that can help the Town realize tax revenue generation and employment.
Design
1. Design sites to avoid compatibility issues with existing uses.
2. Design sites with a consideration for development or redevelopment that may occur on neighboring
properties.
3. Strive to design buildings in a manner that promotes the image of Leesburg and minimizes aesthetic concerns
that can adversely affect other existing and potential businesses.
4. Provide ample landscaping to screen outdoor storage areas and other less attractive elements of various
businesses.
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Mixed Use Neighborhood
New Mixed-use neighborhoods in the Eastern Gateway will be unique from other portions of the Town. This land use
category is generally represented by the character of development that has occurred at the Village at Leesburg. The
overall intent of this category is to provide opportunities for new employment focused growth and development in a
more urban format. There has been a notable shift in the market and preferences of young professionals toward this
type of development. Examples include Reston Town Center, the Village at Leesburg, the Mosaic District, and National
Harbor. To a certain degree, the development pattern in mixed-use neighborhoods will replicate the character of
downtown Leesburg with a downtown area surrounded by walkable residential areas. A primary intent of this land
use category is to create a community core where residents, employees, and visitors have easy walkable access to a
variety of shops, restaurants, services, entertainment, and recreational uses. Despite the modified vision for new uses
in the Eastern Gateway District, mixed-use neighborhoods are still intended to provide a diverse range of
employment uses to address overall Town Plan goals. Since the Eastern Gateway District contains some of the last
remaining undeveloped land in the Town, it is critically important for applications to make employment uses a focus
of mixed-use development. These employment uses should go beyond retail and service based employment which
already exists in locations throughout the Town and should instead provide opportunities for high wage employment.
Typical Uses in the Technology and Employment Planned Land Use Designation
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While these neighborhoods will have a wide range of uses, there are certain uses that should be avoided as they
would not be compatible with the desired character in those
areas. In particular, the mixed-use neighborhoods are
intended to be primarily focused on the pedestrian
environment. As such, every use in the mixed-use
neighborhood should be able to be well integrated into a
walkable pedestrian environment. Uses like gas stations, strip
retail development, and light industrial facilities would
typically be considered more auto oriented and are generally
not desirable in mixed-use communities. There is, however, a
known need for such uses and each mixed-use neighborhood
will have nearby land use categories that can fulfil these
needs like the community commercial, regional retail, and
Technology and Employment areas. To the extent that
compatibility with a walkable urban environment can be
demonstrated, a wide range of uses can be considered. All
Applications for development in mixed-use neighborhoods
should include sufficient information and graphical depictions to demonstrate how the neighborhood intent and
community design policies are achieved.
Intent
1. The primary intent of mixed-use neighborhoods is to provide employment uses.
2. To recognize existing mixed use neighborhoods that have developed in the Eastern Gateway District.
3. To create new development organized around a “main street” or community core that becomes a center of
activity and gathering place.
4. To promote compact development in amenity rich environments that expand the Town’s economic base,
promote tourism, provide employment opportunities, and minimize demands on Town services.
A wide range of uses can be considered in a mixed
use neighborhood if successful integration into a
walkable neighborhood can be demonstrated.
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5. To create an environment that is favorable to employers and employees seeking places of work in multi-use
environments that provide eating establishments, services, and recreational opportunities.
6. To provide an abundance of high quality, publicly
accessible community facilities, parks, and open
spaces that serve the larger Leesburg community.
7. To promote and enhance tourism in Leesburg and to
capitalize on the historic downtown area.
Desirable Uses (Community Core)
1. Employment generating uses with a particular emphasis on work spaces that are compatible with a compact
urban environment or downtown setting.
2. Large gathering areas and open spaces.
3. Non-residential uses in compact walkable environments that provide retail, recreational, or entertainment
value to residents, employees, and visitors.
4. Restaurants, shops, and service related businesses.
5. Community facilities including schools, recreation centers, community centers, museums, art galleries, and
performing arts venues.
Typical Character of a Community Core
Large open spaces and gathering areas are
encouraged.
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6. Residential development in a highly walkable environment with a strong preference toward residential units
located above retail or other non-residential uses in the same building.
7. Age restricted housing, assisted living, and similar housing types that address Leesburg’s housing needs.
8. Single-Family residential development is not permitted in the mixed-use neighborhood community core.
Desirable Uses (Supporting Areas)
1. Townhouse or single-family attached residential development.
2. Garden style condominium and apartment buildings.
3. Age-restricted housing, assisted living, and similar facilities that are consistent with the desired urban
character of the community.
4. Small scale neighborhood retail establishments including restaurants, dry cleaners, and pharmacies.
5. Schools and other community facilities necessary to support residential development.
6. Parks, open spaces, and recreational amenities.
Uses that should be avoided in mixed-use neighborhoods
1. Suburban Style Townhouse Development.
2. Suburban apartment and multi-family buildings.
3. Auto oriented non-residential development that detracts from the desired walkable character.
Strip retail and suburban style townhouse units should be avoided in mixed use areas
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Intensity (Community Core)
1. It is encouraged that mixed-use neighborhoods have
a clearly identified community core that is generally
central to a development and approximately 20 to 40
acres in size with a surrounding supporting area.
2. The Community Core will allow a maximum Floor
Area Ratio of 3.0. The goal is for the typical FAR in
the community core to range from 1.0 to 3.0 which
includes both residential and non-residential
development.
3. Development with proposed densities at the higher
end of the FAR range is expected to provide
significant open space, community amenities, or
improvements to offset potential impacts.
4. Typical heights in the community core are envisioned
to range from 4 to 6 stories but taller buildings may
be considered when there are demonstrated design
improvements or benefits to the Town with
increased height. All buildings over 3 stories must be
reviewed by the Federal Aviation Agency to ensure
that heights do not adversely affect air traffic control
operations.
Intensity (Supporting Area)
1. The goal for areas intended to support mixed-use neighborhoods is to have a Floor Area Ratio of up to 1.0.
with the typical FAR ranging from 0.25 to 0.75
2. Typical heights of supporting areas are envisioned to range from 2 to 4 stories. All buildings over 3 stories
must be reviewed by the Federal Aviation Agency to ensure that heights do no adversely affect air traffic
control operations.
Phasing
1. All applications for mixed-use development should provide a phasing plan that recognizes the designation’s
primary intent of providing employment generating uses.
2. Employment generating uses should remain the focus of mixed-use neighborhoods during buildout stages of
the project. Residential and employment uses can be built simultaneously but the phasing plan should
provide reasonable limitations to ensure that the eventual employment focus is not lost.
3. Application phasing plans should demonstrate the project’s employment focus and ensure that no or minimal
stand-alone residential development occurs in the early stages of a project until considerable employment
Typical Character of Mixed-Use Supporting
Areas
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uses are built and ready for occupancy or tenant fit up, unless a project offers and phases in significant
incentives such as infrastructure, community facilities, or other Town needs in an appropriate phasing plan.
4. Applicants are discouraged from seeking additional residential allowances that reduce non-residential use of
land once initial residential phases are complete.
Design
1. Mixed-use neighborhoods should be designed around a highly walkable grid of streets.
2. Mixed-use neighborhoods should be designed with urban principles to maximize walkability. Auto oriented
development is discouraged.
3. The streetscape design should incorporate the following elements and design guidelines should be provided
to detail the streetscape design approach:
a. Consistent minimal front setbacks with buildings along the sidewalks.
b. A planting strip between sidewalks and areas planned for vehicular traffic.
c. Street trees, benches, planting areas, sidewalk seating, bus stops, and street furniture should be
incorporated where appropriate throughout the neighborhood.
d. Sidewalks on active roadway frontages in the community core should be of sufficient width, exclusive of a
planting strip, to allow for seating areas, street furniture, and high levels of pedestrian activity. Active
roadway frontages are generally those frontages that include main entrances to uses like shops and
restaurants and frontages along primary neighborhood roadways.
Suburban Design is Discouraged Urban Concepts and Principles should be employed
Within mixed-use areas, uses that are typically suburban should be designed in a more urban format to
make them compatible with the desired character.
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4. Large Format Retailers should be integrated into an
urban streetscape.
5. Building forms, materials, fenestration, repetition,
and color should be varied in a manner that draws
cues from the historic downtown and design
guidelines should be provided with development
applications to demonstrate these concepts.
6. New development in Mixed-Use areas should
provide spaces that promote pedestrian activity,
create a place where people want to spend time,
and provide a unique sense of place that Leesburg
residents can be proud of.
7. Parks and open spaces should be centrally located
such that all new residents will have parks and open
spaces within easy walking distance.
8. Typical block lengths should generally range
between 250 and 500 feet in length. Larger blocks
can be considered where necessary to
accommodate engineering constraints or a specific
use if the overall neighborhood design objective is
not compromised.
9. Blank walls without pedestrian uses should be
avoided except where they front alleyways or
service roads.
10. Primary building entrances should face pedestrian oriented roads to the extent practical.
11. The majority of roads in mixed-use neighborhoods should provide on-street parking where practical.
Blank Walls should be avoided
Large format retail should be integrated into an
urban streetscape.
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12. Parking other than on-street parking should be provided at the rear of buildings where feasible.
13. New Development should be designed to relate to and include neighboring properties.
14. Mixed-use neighborhoods should be designed to include a wide range of parks, public areas, and open spaces
scattered throughout the community.
Community Core Supporting Area
Typical Land Uses Retail with residential above
Restaurants and shops
Office buildings
Multi-story apartment or
condominium buildings
Parks and other community
facilities.
Neighborhood Retail such as a corner
drugstore or convenience market
Take-out restaurants and coffee shops
Townhouse residential
Apartment and condominium buildings
Schools, parks, and other community
facilities.
A wide range of community open spaces should be incorporated throughout the community.
Auto Oriented Pedestrian Oriented
Buildings in mixed use areas should be Pedestrian Oriented and Designed with primary entrances facing streets
and sidewalks rather than parking lots.
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Typical Building
Height
4 to 6 stories 2 to 4 stories
Typical FAR 1.0 to 3.0 0.25 to 0.75
Typical Residential
Density
Up to 50 DU/AC Up to 16 DU/AC
Undesirable Uses Auto oriented uses (gas
stations, drive throughs).
Uses with blank walls or blank
facades.
Typical Parking
Provisions
Structured parking is
encouraged
Underground parking
encouraged where feasible
Surface lots can be considered.
Typically surface lots at the rear of buildings
Structured parking encouraged
Typical Building
Orientation
Primary building entrances
facing pedestrian streets that
serve as a “Main Street”.
Service entrances at building
rears.
Primary building entrances facing
pedestrian streets.
Secondary building entrances facing rear
alleys.
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Plan
E. Quadrant Specific Policies
A key premise of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan is that it is intended to consider the specific needs of
each part of the Eastern Gateway District. To accomplish this, the District was divided into four quadrants based the
intersection of Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway. Each of these quadrants have a unique character and the policies to
support the future vision. In some cases, the quadrant policies provide more specific guidance to supplement Town
Plan guidance as well as the guidance in other parts of this Small Area Plan. The quadrant policies provide guiding
principles which are based on existing conditions and overall goals. These guiding principles form the basis of land
use, transportation, and design policies.
Southeast Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
Southeast Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
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Policy Background and Rationale
1. The Village at Leesburg has partially developed as a mixed-use center and should be recognized as such.
2. Crosstrail Boulevard will be extended resulting in it becoming a significant transportation route.
3. New residential development has been approved surrounding the Village at Leesburg:
a. Residential on south side of Russell Branch
b. Tuscarora Crossing
c. Potential School Site
d. Goose Creek Club
4. Short term market realities should be recognized and compatible uses should be allowed near Lowe’s but the
roadway network, rights-of-way, and infrastructure should be maintained to allow long term possibility of a
“main street” between the Village at Leesburg and Battlefield Parkway.
5. Development on the east side of Crosstrail Boulevard will continue to be subject to heavy truck traffic due to
industrial uses along Cochran Mill Road and the future extension of Crosstrail Boulevard. This area is also
affected by high voltage transmission lines.
Land Use
1. Consider long term development opportunities to expand the existing development pattern at the Village at
Leesburg.
2. Land on the east side of Crosstrail Boulevard should be developed with auto oriented uses that may include
retail, convenience, and light industrial uses. Appropriate screening should be provided. Given traffic, nearby
industrial uses, and the powerlines, residential development is not appropriate in this location.
3. Land on the west side of Lowes should be developed with non-residential uses that serve the community and
are compatible with the auto-oriented nature of the Lowe’s store and Town maintenance facilities.
Residential development is not compatible with uses in this area.
4. The area along Crosstrail Boulevard and under the high voltage powerlines should be considered for a wide
range of uses that can generate revenue for the Town or provide services to the larger community.
Transportation
1. The Town will support enhancements to the pedestrian and roadway network to help bring foot traffic to the
Village at Leesburg.
2. Support opportunities for enhanced bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between the Village at Leesburg, the
W&OD trail, and the Kincaid Forrest and Tuscarora Crossing developments.
Design
1. The Town should evaluate opportunities to provide additional screening of the Water Pollution Control
Facility and Town maintenance buildings.
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Southwest Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
Policy Background and Rationale
1. This quadrant has been historically developed with a light industrial character.
2. This quadrant will likely see significant roadway network changes associated with the Battlefield Parkway
Interchange and traffic associated with the Leegate rezoning.
3. The Town wishes to maintain land for employment generating uses.
4. The Leegate property provides an opportunity for a mix of uses under existing Regional Office Policies to
support employment uses elsewhere in the corridor.
5. The Planned Land Use will be updated to reflect approved land uses in this area.
Southwest Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
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Land Use
1. The majority of land in the Southwest quadrant is envisioned to be developed for technology and
employment uses that are intended to be a significant source of tax revenue.
2. The Regional Office designation will be maintained to reflect approved land uses, to provide compatibility
with nearby uses, and to allow a mix of land uses.
3. To the extent possible, The Town will afford flexibility in development regulations to land owners in the
Technology and Employment area that seek to redevelop or modify their properties to expand employment
opportunities.
4. No additional land in the southwest quadrant currently planned or zoned for employment uses should be
considered for residential development to prevent land use compatibility issues.
5. The Town will consider land uses that are intended to directly benefit and attract users from the W&OD trail.
6. The residential component of the Leegate property will have the planned land use updated to match
approved conditions.
Transportation
1. Create a new bridge over Route 7 for pedestrian and vehicular traffic that will link the northwest and
southwest quadrants. The bridge may use an alignment that follows Cardinal Park Drive, an alternative
alignment that links with Sycamore Hill Drive, or other location as deemed appropriate to provide the desired
linkage.
2. Improve the sidewalk and trail network by identifying infrastructure gaps and installing new sidewalks where
necessary.
3. Identify improvements that can improve access to the W&OD trail.
4. Update the roadway network map to reflect major roads proposed to be built by the Leegate developer.
Design
1. Recognize the role of Route 7 as a gateway into downtown Leesburg and ensure appropriate high quality
architecture throughout the development and along Route 7.
2. Identify potential streetscape improvements along Trailview Boulevard and other roadways in the southwest
quadrant.
3. Create specific architectural control standards for principal structures fronting on Route 7 and Battlefield
Parkway that are consistent with the Eastern Gateway District’s overall architectural but creates options for
innovative design.
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Northwest Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
Policy Background and Rationale
1. The Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets serve as a major regional attraction and generate significant revenues
for the Town and contribute to tourism. The Town wishes to retain this use for the foreseeable future while
considering its long-term redevelopment potential. Regional Retail use can continue on the parcel.
2. The Leesburg Gateway property provides one of the largest remaining tracts of vacant land in the Town and
its purpose of providing employment generating uses is being carried forward from its previous land use
designation.
3. The Sycamore Hill and Evans Ridge developments provide established residential uses.
Northwest Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
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Land Use
1. Create a new mixed use center in the northwest quadrant that includes a community core with a Main Street
character.
2. Given significant development potential, applications for development in the Northwest Quadrant are
expected to offset their community impact by providing new facilities like schools and parks.
3. Anticipate a linkage between the new mixed use center and the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. Plan for
beneficial connections to the outlets and redevelopment in the long term.
Transportation
1. Develop the northwest quadrant of the Eastern Gateway District with a focus on transit and identify locations
that can serve as a transit hub in the new mixed-use center.
2. Create a bridge between the northwest and southwest quadrants using the general alignment of Sycamore
Hill Drive, Cardinal Park Drive, or other location as deemed appropriate to provide the desired linkage.
3. Create a grid-like pattern of new roads with block lengths generally ranging between 250 and 500 feet in
length. Different block lengths can be considered to accommodate certain uses and engineering constraints
or if there are demonstrated benefits.
4. Develop strong pedestrian connections between existing development on the north side of Potomac Station
Drive and any new development.
Design
1. Create a “main street” or neighborhood core to serve as a center of activity and gathering place.
2. The neighborhood core is encouraged to be between 20 and 40 acres in size and may have an FAR of up to
3.0 which includes both residential and non-residential development.
3. Buildings in the neighborhood core should not interfere with FAA operations and will require additional
studies to ensure their compatibility.
4. Recognize the role of Route 7 as a gateway into downtown Leesburg and ensure appropriate high quality
architecture throughout the development and along Route 7 as discussed in the architectural design polices
above.
5. While interim uses are not encouraged, any such uses should be located in a manner that does not preclude
long tem development potential in a walkable grid-like pattern.
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Northeast Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
Guiding Principles
1. This quadrant is comprised of land that has been largely developed or approved for development but
opportunities for improvements and infill development may be present.
2. The Potomac Station Marketplace currently serves daily needs of residents throughout the area.
3. The future interchange at Battlefield Parkway and Route 7 will result in significant changes to circulation
patterns and access to businesses along Route 7.
Land Use
1. Enhance the Potomac Station Market Place by exploring opportunities for infill development and improved
pedestrian connectivity to adjacent neighborhoods.
Northeast Quadrant Policies, Guidance, and Goals
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Page 12-52 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
2. Consider opportunities for development at the Potomac Station Marketplace that provides workforce
housing, enhances the mix of uses, or helps to fulfil other community needs.
3. The vacant property at the end of Bow Lake Place is appropriate for single family detached or attached
development that is compatible with the character of the adjoining residential neighborhood.
4. Anticipate the eventual redevelopment of uses along Route 7 in a manner that is consistent with the
Neighborhood Center designation and sensitive to the location immediately adjacent to Route 7 and the
future interchange.
Transportation
Create a new road through the Potomac Station Marketplace to provide enhanced access and
connectivity to businesses along Route 7 that will lose direct access.
Create a frontage road along Route 7 to provide access to businesses and to enable Route 7 to
become a limited access highway.
Design
Recognize the role of Route 7 as a gateway into downtown Leesburg and ensure appropriate high
quality architecture throughout the development and along Route 7.
F. Policy Implementation Matrix
Implementation of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan includes completion of several action steps that
should be completed in the near term as well as mid and long term actions necessary to achieve the ultimate planning
vision. The following table identifies those specific steps the Town or others must take on and the timing that should
be considered for those actions.
Implementation Action Steps Timing Responsible Parties
Land Use/Zoning
1
Evaluate the Zoning Ordinance and Design and Construction
Standards Manual (DCSM) to ensure that the land development
pattern articulated in this plan is achievable in the short term.
Near
Term TOL
2
Establish an internal review committee to review zoning regulations
that currently apply to the Eastern Gateway District and suggest
changes necessary to implement the Small Area Plan.
Near
Term TOL
3
Develop a standard process to amend the zoning ordinance to add
new desirable uses as new ideas are presented or provide flexibility
in permitted use categories to ensure that compatible uses are
unintentionally precluded.
Mid
Term TOL
4 Amend the Town Plan with new Planned Land Use Categories to
achieve the desired land use vision.
Near
Term TOL
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Page 12-53 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan
5
Create an internal committee to document the typical timeline for
development review and past issues and challenges that have
arisen.
Near
Term TOL
6
Consider creating a new type of application that provides fast
tracked administrative approvals for non-residential uses in the
Technology and Employment planning designation.
Mid
Term TOL
7
Work with the development community and hold input meetings to
identify sections of the Zoning Ordinance and DCSM that have
presented constraints to reasonable types of development.
Near
Term TOL
Pedestrian/Bicycle Access
8 Identify missing links in the pedestrian network and develop
strategies for filling any gaps.
Near
Term TOL
9
Study the potential for increasing pedestrian and bicycle
connectivity between the Eastern Gateway District and Downtown
Leesburg.
Near
Term TOL
10 Identify improvements that can improve access to the W&OD trail. Mid
Term TOL/NOVA PARKS
Transit
11 Plan for and provide infrastructure for regional or other transit
service
Mid
Term
TOL/LOUDOUN
COUNTY
Road infrastructure
12
Construct a new overpass between the southwest and northeast
quadrants of the Eastern Gateway District as shown in the Eastern
Gateway Planned Roadway Network Map.
Mid
Term TOL/Private Sector
Architecture
13 Create specific architectural control standards for principal
structures fronting on Route 7 and Battlefield Parkway
Near
Term TOL
Streetscaping/Landscaping
14
Create a streetscape plan that considers new landscaping and other
design elements that create a unique and highly attractive entrance
to the Town eastern gateway
Near
Term TOL/Private Sector
15 Create an area of enhanced landscaping at the River Creek
Parkway/Crosstrail Boulevard bridge.
Near
Term TOL
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16 Evaluate opportunities to provide additional screening of the Water
Pollution Control Facility and Town maintenance buildings.
Near
Term TOL
17 Improve gateway and entry signage at the Town Line Near
Term TOL/VDOT
Capital Projects
18 Create a process where property owners can suggest public
investments that should be considered.
Mid
Term TOL
19 Create a list of potential transportation, infrastructure, utility, or
other improvements that can contribute to economic development.
Mid
Term TOL/Private Sector
Other
20 Establish a process for evaluating public partnership ideas and
presenting them to the Town Council for action.
Mid
Term TOL
21
Identify opportunities for community engagement in improving
environmental quality and encouraging programs and protecting
natural resources.
Mid
Term TOL