HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2016-03-21 Envision East Market Street
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Town Seeks Input on East Market Street Corridor Future
Development
Community members are invited to participate in the planning process by
completing a short survey on the Leesburg Listens online forum.
Leesburg, VA (March 21, 2016) – The Leesburg
Planning and Zoning Department recently kicked
off “Envision East Market Street,” a planning
process to reconsider the land use designations
within the East Market Street corridor, from the
Route 15 Bypass to the eastern Town limits (see
map at right).
“When we updated the Town Plan in 2012, it was
obvious that the designated land uses in the East
Market Street corridor don’t reflect current
trends,” explained Susan Berry-Hill, Leesburg’s
Director of Planning and Zoning. “The East Market
Street corridor contains some of last large
undeveloped parcels in Town. This planning
process gives the community the opportunity to have a say in how the area will look and
function in the future. We will address issues like housing needs, emerging businesses,
flexibility and sustainability. In addition, the two future grade-separated interchanges, while
improving the Town’s transportation network, will present challenges regarding access within
the study area, including pedestrian and inter-parcel access.”
The intent of the Envision East Market Street project is to develop policies that reflect today’s
economy, building upon existing employment opportunities to create a “vision” for the corridor
and address future transportation improvements. These revised policies will guide future
development.
The Envision East Market Street planning process includes five tasks: data collection, public
engagement, visioning, policy development, and vision refinement and approval. As part of the
date collection task, Town staff have created a survey on the Leesburg Listens online forum.
Community members are asked to indicate their preferences for future land use and types of
development. The data collected will be used as a starting point for discussions at future
community input meetings, planned for this summer.
“We wanted to get people thinking about the issues in the East Market Street area before the
public input sessions,” explained Berry-Hill. “Our hope is that the meetings will be more
productive if people know what we are going to discuss.”
The survey will be active through Monday, April 11, 2016 at
www.leesburgva.gov/leesburglistens.
For more information about the Envision East Market Street planning process, contact project
manager Michael Watkins at 703-737-7920 or mwatkins@leesburgva.gov.
# # #