1. How do you plan to address Loudoun’s housing affordability crisis?

Affordable housing is a function of the market. As our older communities age, they become the de facto affordable housing stock of the county. Right now the Sterling and Sugarland Run communities serve as two of the main sources of affordable housing for Loudoun County. We need to enact policies that protect our older communities and help revitalize them instead of looking to replace them with higher density uses.

We also need to make sure we keep the tax burden on homeowners as low as possible by implementing sound fiscal policy and continuing to grow our commercial tax base. When I was previously on the Board of Supervisors I always worked to keep spending under control and make the most efficient use of our tax dollars as possible.

2. Currently, roughly half of Loudoun County’s Capital Investment Plan is dedicated to transportation improvements. Do you support this level of priority for transportation investment? Please explain why, or why not.

During my term on the Board from 2004-2008, our Board was the first in Loudoun County’s history to add local road improvement projects into our CIP. We took this step because our transportation network was riddled with gaps, and we were unable to count on state or federal support to make our needs a priority for funding.

Since then Loudoun County has become a prime example of what can be accomplished with local dedication of funding to our priority transportation projects. Working with the business community, the development community, and NVTA funding sources, Loudoun County has been able to fill in many of the gaps in our transportation network, but we still have work to do.

The CIP is a rolling 6 year project plan with projects moving around based on need. While half the CIP this year is dedicated to transportation, it may shift radically next year based on need. It is important that transportation projects with plans in process be moved to completion as plans can become stale and unusable, but whether we continue with this level of local transportation funding should be driven by need.

3. Should Loudoun continue to encourage the future growth of our data center industry or do you feel certain restrictions are necessary?

Data centers are an extremely positive land use for Loudoun County. They provide high tax revenue for the county which takes some of the burden off of homeowners. They produce no demand on our schools. They have little to no impact on our roads as the number of daily trips for data centers is well below any retail or office use. They also have low impact on public safety services since they have excellent fire suppression systems and better on site security than a sheriff’s substation.

Like every other use in Loudoun County there is a place for everything. We need to make sure that data centers are built in areas that are designed for their use, and that they have the proper design guidelines that will allow them to better blend into their surroundings. I don’t want to discourage future data centers from locating here, but I think we should work with the industry to come up with a mutually beneficial solution.

4.On June 20th the Board of Supervisors adopted the 2019 Comprehensive Plan. What are your thoughts on the adopted plan and how will you seek to improve upon it?

The newly passed Comprehensive Plan focuses too much on the redevelopment of Eastern Loudoun into higher density uses. This urbanization will completely change the character of Loudoun County, eliminate our best source of workforce housing, and continue the long slow march of the suburban ring of the metro DC area farther west into the TPA and the rural areas. We need to learn from the mistakes of our neighbors to the east and plan new development in a way that does not destroy the current quality of life that we enjoy.

 
I believe that our plan for Loudoun County needs to focus on goals that make it easier for our residents to work closer to where they live. We need to work on bringing more office space to Loudoun so we can bring more high paying jobs to our residents instead of them having to go to their jobs. We need also need to promote more remote work opportunities and telework options, which gets people off the roads and vastly improves their quality of life. This initiative needs to be coupled with a strategic push to expanding broad band services to our underserved areas.

5. How will you seek to address the scarcity of available Class A office space in Loudoun County?

It is common knowledge that development occurs in stages. First come the houses, then retail follows the houses, and finally you will see office space following retail. Tens of thousands of square feet of Class A office space has been included in a number of development plans and rezoning applications over the years. Once those plans have been approved, however, it has become a common practice for the property owner to come back before the Board and attempt to convert some of that proffered Class A office space into more residential units.

The Board needs to stand firm when these applications come back before the board to convert office space to residential. We need to protect the zoned and proffered office space we have and not allow it to be converted to residential. We need our Economic Development team to reach out to the business community and encourage them to locate here in Loudoun. Finally, we need to keep out tax rate low so we can remain an attractive place to locate a business.

6. Please tell us why you are the best candidate for this office.

I served on the Board of Supervisors during the height of the Loudoun Growth wars, and came up with a compromise solution for the Western Loudoun zoning that protected property rights, encouraged clustering and open space, and preserved the rural character of the west.

I was the first Chairman of the combined Transportation and Land Use Committee and worked to tie transportation improvements to Land Use applications. While in this role I helped facilitate projects that matched the character of Loudoun and blocked those that didn’t.

I helped Loudoun County receive its first ever AAA bond rating which saves the county millions of dollars in interest payments. I initiated an effort to review and improve the County’s performance standards that drive departmental budget requests so that Loudoun County uses its tax dollars more efficientely.

The coming of Metro presents opportunities and challenges for our county, and I have the experience and the institutional knowledge to help guide Loudoun County through one of the most difficult and challenging times it will ever face.

Source: BizVotes Candidates Questionnaire