HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2010-02-24 Downtown Improvements
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Scott E. Parker, AICP
Assistant to the Town Manager
703.771.2771
Town to Begin Downtown Improvements Project
Initial one day series of stakeholder meetings announced as first step
to provide input on direction
Leesburg, VA (February 24, 2010) – On March 17, 2010, the Town of Leesburg and
their downtown consultant, AECOM, will host a one day, multiple-meeting input session
for stakeholders interested in the Town’s Downtown Improvement Project. The Lightfoot
Restaurant in downtown Leesburg will host the event, and each of the four meetings will
focus on the interests of a particular group of stakeholders, although everyone is invited
to attend any, or all, of the sessions.
The meetings will be as follows:
• 9:30 am to 11:30 am: Business and related groups. All business and
commercial property owners are encouraged to attend this session.
• 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Government related groups. County government
and the courts are a large part of the downtown fabric, and this meeting’s
focus will be on that segment of the downtown.
• 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Downtown residents. This meeting will be geared
toward the residents of the downtown.
• 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm: General meeting. Can’t make any of the previous
meetings? Don’t know if your interest fits into a specific category? This
meeting will cover all topics discussed earlier in the day.
The purpose of these meetings is for the Town’s consultants to listen to stakeholders
and gain an “up-to-date” understanding of the priorities, concerns, comments and
suggestions by people and groups interested in the progress of the improvements
project, which has been in the works for a number of years.
TOL PR 2010-02-24 Downtown Improvements
Page 2
Building on and refining the concepts that were included in the 2008 Urban Land
Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel report for downtown Leesburg, the goal of the
first phase of the project, which includes this first series of meetings, is for the Town of
Leesburg to develop a Master Plan for downtown improvements. The Master Plan will
be developed this spring, and will “set the agenda” for which improvements should
happen and when. During this process, there will be additional stakeholder meetings
that will focus on discussing specific project proposals in more detail as the plan begins
to emerge. It is anticipated that the Town Council will receive a presentation on the
Master Plan by Summer 2010. Specific projects per Town Council direction from the list
of the Master Plan would potentially follow shortly thereafter.
In recent years, there have been several studies commissioned by the Town to solidify
a vision for downtown Leesburg to serve as catalysts for redevelopment efforts. These
studies included, but weren’t limited to, the 2003 Business Development Strategy, the
2006 Crescent District Master Plan, and the 2007 Downtown Market Study
In 2008, a group of property owners, businesses, organizations, and other stakeholders
who were interested in seeing the Leesburg Historic District regain vitality formed the
Downtown Improvement Association (DIA). In partnership with the Town of Leesburg,
the County of Loudoun, and the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association (LCVA),
the DIA commissioned the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to convene a Technical
Assistance Panel to develop an implementation plan to begin the revitalization process.
The DIA utilized the ULI report to develop a Strategic Implementation Plan for
improvements in the downtown area. This strategic plan was presented to the
Leesburg Town Council in May 2008. The design and construction of proposed
improvements are included in the Town’s FY 2010-2014 Capital Improvement Program
(CIP). A budget of $5 million has been established for the improvements. A copy of the
DIA Strategic Implementation Plan and the ULI report can be found on the Town’s
website at http://www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=19&parent=2.
For those wanting to attend, the Lightfoot Restaurant is located at 11 North King Street.
Parking is available onsite, on the street, or in the Town’s garage. It is not necessary to
RSVP to attend any of the meetings. For further information, please contact the Project
Manager, Scott Parker, Assistant to the Town Manager, at 703.771.2771, or
sparker@leesburgva.gov. Additional information will be posted on the Town’s website at
http://www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=982 as it becomes available, and on
Leesburg TV Channel 67(Comcast) or Channel 35 (Verizon).
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