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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). # # #