Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Welcome to Loudoun – Just Avoid Route 7

—

by

sherlockj
in , , , ,

by James C. Sherlock

Saw this headline in the Washington Business Journal.

“Toll Brothers pushes big residential plans in Ashburn — and a tribute to enslaved people who once lived there.”

Behind the headline: This is to be a development of 1,300 residences in a project named Mercer Crossing.

Since it is being built by Toll Brothers, we’ll assume they will be pricey.

Their Lenah Mill project in Aldie has homes for sale from “$1,323,895″ and from “$1,499,950,” depending upon how much space one needs and how close one wishes to live to one’s neighbor.

Six other Toll Brothers developments in Loudoun are nearing sold-out status.

The new 108-acre Mercer Crossing development will offer “residential, retail, civic and public open space.” A promise of “some” affordable housing is included in the project. Toll Brothers are donating 4 acres for a new facility for the Loudoun Freedom Center.

Freedom Center seems like a worthwhile non-profit. It also should help with the rezoning Toll Brothers needs.

But good luck with the “Crossing” part.

It is to be on Harry Byrd Highway (Route 7) in Ashburn. The name of the highway is pending revision. Long overdue. Harry Byrd was a jerk. But that does not help with the traffic.

My parents lived in what was the new Reston development when I was in college. Route 7 was a trial then, in the early-mid 60’s before Tyson’s was anything but a butcher shop and a gas station. It was worse when I worked in that area in the late 90’s.

The good news — the new development will be right across from Inova Loudoun Hospital.

Bad news — a driver or two are likely to need Inova Loudoun twice a day at rush hour. Hopefully not a school bus driver supporting the new schools that will be needed.

Enjoy.

Share this article

ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)

ADVERTISEMENT

(comments below)

Comments

29 responses to “Welcome to Loudoun – Just Avoid Route 7”

  1. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead

    I know that neck of Loudoun. Used to ride dirt bikes all over the old Belmont Estate. I can remember when there was only a stop sign at the interchange for 7 and Belmont Ridge Road.

    Belmont was home to Ludwell Lee, son of Dec of Independence signer Richard Henry Lee. Belmont served as a haven to President James Madison after the burning of the White House in 1814. In 1825, Ludwell hosted a very elegant ball in honor of Lafayette during his famous revisit of America. A long and storied history in the equestrian world of racing, steeple chases, and fox hunting. It is now a fancy smancy golf club house. I can remember when it was empty and falling apart.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Manor_House#/media/File:BELMONT_MANOR_HOUSE,_LOUDOUN_COUNTY.jpg

  2. James Kiser Avatar
    James Kiser

    Toll bought bought the county board and staff years ago.

    1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      If true, that means the board and staff were sellers. But be careful with such accusations. Bad practice to level charges without evidence. Innocent people can get smeared.

      1. James Kiser Avatar
        James Kiser

        They bought their influence through campaign contributions and job offers that took effect after certain people left county positions elected and paid. Can’t say any of it was “illegal” but you could tell which developers were blessed and which were not by zoning actions and approvals and disapproval. For example a developer named Greevnest who had already built two major developments in the county applied to build another out along Rt 50 between Aldie and Middleburg, they were even trying to get GMU to open a satellite campus there. But the county boards had turnover at the chaiman position and because Greenvest never got along with certain board members they ended up selling the property at loss. They claimed that it was too much changing of landscape and they wanted to keep that area rural. Of course after the property was sold, you can guess what happened. It was eventually approved and now million dollar homes sit there. Lots of them. Can I say that what was illegal? No but it sure wasn’t ethical.

        1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
          James C. Sherlock

          I take your point. We have certain developers from other parts of Hampton Roads who could not get a permit to build a dog house in Virginia Beach. One is currently in court against the City Council because it is so blatant.

          1. James Kiser Avatar
            James Kiser

            Thanks for the reply. I enjoy you column

  3. Donald Smith Avatar
    Donald Smith

    “Six other Toll Brothers developments in Loudoun are nearing sold out status.”

    If the average Toll Brothers houses in this part of VA are over $1 million plus on average, then it’s time for average-income Virginians to start migrating south.

    1. dick dyas Avatar
      dick dyas

      Heavens, no!

  4. RKW Avatar
    RKW

    The price of a Toll Brothers home is scary. https://www.tollbrothers.com/luxury-homes/Loudoun-County-VA?gclid=CjwKCAiA4veMBhAMEiwAU4XRryR5nMBIVtiXVTEjyinhUJB5CpMNTEJL7bHJqrYS7CMixz6zI-KRexoCgEsQAvD_BwE

  5. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Really fits a hot, overpriced housing market too…
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkkcs5JMiPs

  6. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Seen this show before here in LC. Toll Brothers will run up costs and over build as long as demand continues. Then the local market will collapse and those poor saps will sit on their “investment” and bleed for decades. Toll Brothers knows that there is one born every minute…. LC pays the price… alas, that’s the free market for ya…

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Actually, that’s wrong. PT’s statement. I worked the numbers using 2016’s Presidential Election. Given the voting results, and population age distribution, Trump voters were born every 5 minutes.

  7. James C. Sherlock Avatar
    James C. Sherlock

    Readers are jumping on Toll Brothers. That company is the largest luxury homebuilder in the country. Building is what it does. It is up to the county board to regulate development.

    I don’t live in Loudoun County, but the City Council here in Virginia Beach has been pro-development since the founding of the City from Princess Anne county in the early 60’s. In an example of intense interest vs. diffused interest, many of the people who ran for City Council over those years were local bankers, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. whose livelihood was based on real estate development. Their campaigns were funded by their industries and the developers themselves. They usually won.

    No laws needed to be broken for development to proceed virtually unregulated. Occasionally some were, but that was not really necessary for the trend to continue.

    1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      I agree. This is the free market at work. The free market in this case is fixed to benefit Toll Brothers on the backs of LC tax payers and residents. You ever witness what TB and their like do when the county has the audacity to attempt regulating their industry? They personally sue individual representatives in actions that would make Exxon proud. Welcome to capitalism.

      1. James A. Bacon Avatar
        James A. Bacon

        There is no such thing as a “free market” in real estate development, and there hasn’t been one for decades. Between the zoning codes, transportation subsidies, environmental restrictions, local tax policies, etc. real estate development arises from a mix of market forces and government regulation.

        1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
          Eric the half a troll

          I do not believe the “free market” requires zero laws or regulations to operate as a “free market”. Regulations, once established, simply are folded into the cost of doing business.

        2. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          In a truly free market there would be no zoning laws. Whoever owned the land could build what they wanted to build. The net result would be a lot more high density housing in areas like Loudoun County.

      2. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Just drive around Dallas. Zero lot line $1M homes as far as the eye can see. While there, I looked at a house where the builder had to stagger the air conditioner compressors because the space between two $400K (1995 dollars) was about 6 feet.

    2. Eric the half a troll Avatar
      Eric the half a troll

      I agree. This is the free market at work. The free market in this case is fixed to benefit Toll Brothers on the backs of LC tax payers and residents. You ever witness what TB and their like do when the county has the audacity to attempt regulating their industry? They personally sue individual representatives in actions that would make Exxon proud. Welcome to capitalism.

    3. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Pass an ordinance that 50% of new housing must have a 4+ story elevator. That way you get a mix of London and Chicago. Oh, and development must have green space and wildlife transits, a well planned golf course will work.

      1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        The problem is that the demographic pattern is such that R run counties deregulate the developers in the name of “property rights” and then they move out and leave the damage to the D’s that move in to clean up. Sterile streams, manicured lawns, paved fields, traffic jams, increased taxes, mega-schools, etc. Then the R’s that remain scream “Communists!!” when the D’s try to build a little greens space, or riparian buffers, or green space/wildlife corridors into the codes – or even try to teach their children to be just these days. Move to the next county out … rinse and repeat…. Toll Brothers laughs all the way to the bank…

      2. James C. Sherlock Avatar
        James C. Sherlock

        There are very thick volumes of federal, state and local building and land use regulations to which contractors must conform in order to get permits and pass inspections.

        I don’t know the rules in Loudoun, but in Virginia Beach there are also very large fees charged developers as part of the permitting process to offset the costs of extension of city/county services, including utilities and schools.

        The issues – corruption really – are typically found in the variances that are granted. An ordinance that prohibited City and County councils from granting variances would be pretty close to a silver bullet.

        In Virginia Beach, one can in plain sight buy variances even from the Virginia Beach Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Board. I am not familiar with a case in which variance requests that have reached the Board have been denied. There may be some, but I have not see them. Utterly unsupportable requests are likely weeded out ahead of a Board meeting.

        Most meetings go like this one: https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/planning/boards-commissions-committees/Documents/CBPA/2021%20Minutes/20210405-PCD-PA-CBPA%20Findings%20and%20Conditions.pdf

        You will see that they specify remediation measures, but vote yes.

        1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
          Eric the half a troll

          They can only require proffers for capital costs and only for the unit count above the by-right number of units they would build. Operating costs (for schools in particular) are what really hits the taxpayer year after year. Also, you can not even require capital cost proffers for by-right development and you can’t downzone to control the by-right development or reduce utility service areas without facing developer lawsuits.
          Which explains why they vote “yes” for variances because, again, they fear the threatened personal lawsuit by the developer and their attorneys if they vote to deny.

        2. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          I’ve only been to one — count it, one — zoning board meeting. My homes have always been in developed areas that have been built out for miles. The only variance issues I can recall as of late was a neighbor putting in an outbuilding too close to the line.

          The one meeting I attended was to rezone single dwelling to multi-family and no one had a chance to speak. The board had done their homework right down to the cars and stoplights within 1/2 mile and refused it. Ended right there with some 50 dwellings built in the year.

          1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
            James C. Sherlock

            We approve tons of variances to developers every year. You can drive around and see the obvious variances from the street. The biggest developers get the biggest variances.

            Bruce Thompson is our biggest hotel, condo and time share developer. He has built the biggest projects on the oceanfront and has proven very successful at it.

            His renovation of the Cavalier Hotel and the additions of a hundred residences around it and two additional hotels at the oceanfront on the Cavalier property is the biggest by far and is ongoing, but nearly finished.

            The Council gave and continues to give him everything he wants. The freestanding homes are so close together that occupants of one can hand things to the occupants of another by opening upstairs windows. Hope they never have a fire.

            But the Council loves Bruce for his previous successes like the Hilton, and really wanted the Cavalier renovated and wanted all of the city revenue it will generate, so there we are.

            His work certainly has built a major new source of taxes, but, again, there are underlying reasons for the regulations for which all of the variances were granted.

            I hope we don’t wake up one morning and learn what those regulations are designed to prevent.

            The Council now faces strengthened federal oversight on building in flood hazard zones, with which Hampton Roads is thick. Changes to FEMA-subsidized flood insurance will present additional challenges.

            Variances will be granted.

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Plano, or Richardson Tx. The lost an entire block of house because houses were so close. Well, that and cedar shake roofs.

            Bruce runs VB. He might as well just take ownership.

      3. Eric the half a troll Avatar
        Eric the half a troll

        The problem is that the demographic pattern is such that R run counties deregulate the developers in the name of “property rights” and then they move out and leave the damage to the D’s that move in to clean up. Sterile streams, manicured lawns, paved fields, traffic jams, increased taxes, mega-schools, etc. Then the R’s that remain scream “Communists!!” when the D’s try to build a little greens space, or riparian buffers, or green space/wildlife corridors into the codes – or even try to teach their children to be just these days. Move to the next county out … rinse and repeat…. Toll Brothers laughs all the way to the bank…

  8. James Kiser Avatar
    James Kiser

    Since many seem to want to talk about the price of homes. Let us talk about how the local city and county tax assessors cook the books to reap additional tax revenue out of Homeowners. These people artificially inflate the value of homes to increase tax revenue. I actually during the Obama recession challenged my families tax assessment of our home as the county of Loudoun claimed it had increased over 100k in value during the housing bust (which is going to happen again BTW) . I appealed and the county assessor denied the appeal , which then meant an appeal to the courts assessor board. the board consists of three people appointed by judges. This group heard my appeal and granted the relief I requested. The only true value of home or any property is what someone will pay for it. Local and state govts automatically inflate the value of your property so they can keep tax revenue up. It is another booger in the capitalist theory which interferes with the market actually functioning as it should. When you look at maint costs, taxes insurance and other costs of owning a home. It is really a loser.

  9. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    “Don’t Fairfax Loudoun” – an often seen bumper sticker from the 1980s.

    Now, Loudoun’s BoS is Democrat controlled (I believe) and Toll Brothers still reigns supreme.

    Where will all the people living in these new homes work and how will they get to and from work? If the answer is Rt 7 then Virginia better start thinking about spending those Biden Bucks on implementing a Rt 28 like overpass strategy along Rt 7.

Leave a Reply

Read More