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

Our county lacks affordable and workforce housing to meet the demand of our residents and those who would want to live here. I am definitely seeing this in the Algonkian District. While knocking doors and on calls I have heard from many that it is difficult to start and maintain a small business here because employees required to staff these businesses cannot afford to live in the county. Neither can our teachers, first responders and many others. The development community and the county government should continue to work together to address this issue. We must work to meet the need for smaller units, diversity in housing types and offer more programs to support these goals and remove obstacles to developing the affordable housing we need. This will improve our economy and quality of life for those who work here. We should ensure that so that everyone can live in our county, whether they earn 30% of AMI or 100%. We also must be more creative with programs that lead to home ownership, which we know is key to generational wealth and prosperity in our county.

I believe we need to make further serious investments in the Housing Trust Fund, which means creating a dedicated tax revenue line item in the budget for our housing trust fund. If we were to increase just one cent, it would bring $8 million into the trust fund each year and create a true revolving resource to resolve our housing needs. We must also enact zoning that removes obstacles to developing the affordable housing we need in the county.

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.

Transportation is one of the most important investments we can make and is vital to economic development. We need to invest more in multi-modal options which will improve quality of life, create congestion relief and encourage alternative and healthier ways to travel from our homes, work, school and other destinations.

We need to allocate dedicated funding in Algonkian District for transportation projects. Few actual monies have been allocated in the CIP for projects like the widening of Seneca Ridge Road, even though the project is supposed to be complete by 2021. Also, many projects that are part of the Country Transportation Plan have barely seen the light of day but could improve the lives of Algonkian residents. These include multimodal access and connections along Route 7 from Drainesville to Potomac View Road, from Eastern Loudoun to Western Fairfax along Algonkian Parkway, and to Dulles Town Center along Algonkian Parkway where it turns into Atlantic Blvd. and beyond.

It would seem these small projects would not be too hard to fund in the grand scheme of such a large CIP. We need to have bike paths, trails and cross walks to improve our quality of life. Transportation has been a consistent issue in the county and should be addressed with local and state dollars.

However, I do not want to see other CIP priorities suffer because of these issues. My priorities for CIP also include making sure we address other issues that have a direct correlation to economic development and address the quality of life of our residents. This would include increasing our number of parks, improving our current county facilities, and for our new county buildings ensuring they are more energy efficient. If the correct investments are made in my district, the CIP could present an opportunity to strategically capitalize on redevelopment opportunities in my district.

This needs to be done in conjunction by working with developers, businesses, and other organizations to ensure they seek exceptions and approvals from the board to expedite applications that are providing jobs, enhance multimodal transportation and support Metro.

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

Data centers have been an effective tool for growing our commercial tax base, but I do believe they belong in certain areas and the county should be cognizant about reliance on these centers to the detriment of creating a diversified tax base. We are seeing progress on design guidelines from the data centers and would welcome conversations on clean energy opportunities as well.

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?

It was an important exercise for the county to develop a comprehensive plan for the first time in nearly two decades. The process was not perfect, but the outcome was good. My district is mostly in the Suburban Policy Area. I believe more attention could have been paid to the SPA to support economic development opportunities and housing needs. For example, more of our failing shopping centers could have been designated with an overlay district to be redeveloped into the mixed used areas with vibrant small business that the district has long waited for.

The county discussed the Transition Policy Area in depth, but I believe there could have been at least one additional parcel allocated to residential that could assist with meeting our unmet housing needs. The 2019 plan was just our first step and I am looking forward to addressing zoning concerns that go with the underlying land use vision. More flexible zoning will help us diversify our economy and help us meet our housing demands at the same time.

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

The county should look for specific corridors where office space can flourish. Our current zoning districts have created competition between data centers and the clear need for Class A office space when it comes to what is allowed “by right” in the underlying zoning. The obvious answer is located class A office space near Metro.

However, I will partner with organizations like NVBIA, the Chamber and NAIOP to find areas, such as along Route 7 corridor, where we can place these offices. As we overhaul our zoning ordinances, we have to strategically designate zoning categories for Class A office space. If we want business and their employees to locate in our county, we should intentionally create places for them.

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

I have lived and worked in the county for nearly 20 years, all while volunteering in our schools, scouting programs, youth athletics and leading and co-founding a local running club. Our club specifically patronizes local businesses and maintains Potomac View Road. I have watched exponential growth in the county, but we have not seen relative investment in Algonkian District. Thus, our once vibrant shopping centers are suffering, remain stagnant at best, and are losing occupancy rapidly. We must invest in this district by improving our roads, making sure we are paying our employees and first responders a living wage, stand up for equal pay for equal work and implement policies that emulate the private sector, such as paid family leave.

My experience in the county mirrors that of Algonkian residents today who are working hard and raising their families. Many are squeezed financially and socially as they try to keep up with the hectic pace of this area, while fighting traffic and to pay the bills every month. I believe I am best to represent the constituents from Algonkian on our County Board because I share the values of Algonkian’s residents and the incumbent does not.
 

Source: BizVotes Candidates Questionnaire