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

A combination of policies and actions will be needed. Now that the Comprehensive Plan is completed, there will be opportunities to address housing both during the creation of a new zoning ordinance, and during the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan process which the Board also initiated. In the Comprehensive Plan, the Board moved toward smaller lot designations on areas with new densities such as those in the TPA. I personally would like to see small, single family units (under 2000 sq feet) be developed, which is a product that largely does not exist outside of Sterling. However, the Board will need to explore policy options like proffer relief for certain types of housing like that in order to make smaller, more affordable units viable.

We also are updating the guidelines for our Affordable Multi-Family Loan Program to create more flexibility. We have had recent success with our program by utilizing the Housing Trust Fund to help get several affordable rental projects off the ground, creating hundreds of new units. We also must continue to both receive set aside units as part of land use applications and receive funding to replenish the program as part of developer contributions.

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.

As Finance Chairman, I have led efforts to develop a CIP that prioritizes our greatest needs. That has shifted from school projects as a majority of the CIP to transportation. This shift has been driven by a reduction in the pace of new student enrollment, which has freed up capital funding.

There is still no greater issue facing Loudoun than traffic congestion, particularly in southern Loudoun. I have proposed a Route 50 northern collector road that our traffic models show is essential for breaking out of the cycle of gridlock and would connect the South Riding area to the Air Space Parkway interchange on Route 28. That project will have many challenges since it largely would take place on Airports Authority land, but it is an example of the type of investments that we must be making. Other priorities include Braddock Road widening, the construction of Northstar and Arcola Blvd, Route 15 widening and roads around Metro. The CIP also takes advantage of regional and state funds. While they have been reduced in recent years, I led negotiations of two major proffer agreements that will help accelerate critical roads and make up some of the difference.

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

No type of growth can be and should be unconstrained and that includes data centers. Data centers are an incredibly valuable part of Loudoun’s economy and will generate nearly $300 million in revenue next year while using only a tiny fraction of that in services. Where to put them and what they should look like was a major topic of debate during the Comprehensive Plan.

I support continued growth of the industry, but I recognize that for it to occur, we do need to be mindful of design standards in certain areas, and we also need to ensure that other industries such as more traditional flex/industrial uses also has space to grow in Loudoun. I think that balance is possible, and while I know there are concerns about some of these issues from the industry, we can be reasonable in the way we interpret guidelines and work with the industry to grow in a way that’s compatible with our other goals. Completely ignoring concerns from residents about the way data centers look and where they are located would ultimately create a backlash that would lead to even further obstacles to future growth.

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 Comprehensive Plan represents the Board’s vision for land use and transportation. Upon the plan’s adoption, I made a joke that there were parts of the plan that made all of the various stakeholders unhappy, which was probably a sign that we struck a good balance. There is some truth to that. The Board heard from a lot of folks with very different interests—some wanted us to limit development, others wanted us to expand all types of housing, especially affordable. While I didn’t agree with every individual decision, I think we did add more opportunity for development in places where it made sense to do so and didn’t in places that don’t have the infrastructure to support it. That is particularly true south of Braddock Road, where we are limited by Fairfax County’s decisions on the road network. Moving forward, the Board’s work on writing the zoning ordinance

will dictate the details of many of the concepts in the plan—so to the extent it can be improved, that will be the process. I’m personally most interested in executing our vision for smaller lot homes in the Transition Policy Area and encouraging development in the Urban Policy Area.

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

As outlined in EDAC’s report to the Finance Committee on July 9, there’s a significant gap in the prices that the market will support for office space in Loudoun and what it actually takes to build the type of office that we are looking for. Mixed use projects with residential components help generate revenue and increase attractiveness for financing in order to make office components of projects more feasible. That’s the vision that the Comprehensive Plan advances. In areas around Metro, where we are seeking more vertical construction, the Board is going to have to begin thinking outside the box and become a more active partner in development. There are some financial instruments available to us such as Tax Increment Financing which have been utilized in other jurisdictions and would make financing easier. The County could also partner on infrastructure to bring costs down. As Chairman, I directed staff to build on EDAC’s report to bring back a scope for the Committee to consider. I anticipate utilizing a multi-disciplinary group of staff including Economic Development, Finance, the County Attorney’s Office, Planning and Zoning, and County Administration to work with the private sector to formulate specific plans on specific projects.

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

Over the last 8 years, I have built a track record of success for my district, the County and the region. I am responsible for over $736 million in infrastructure improvements directly serving the Dulles District, with more to come. I have been deeply involved in some of the County’s more important decisions, such as voting to opt into Metro, and personally negotiating the deal to bring DC United to Loudoun and build a stadium for Loudoun United, our first major pro team. I have elevated Loudoun’s influence in the region and played a major role in the effort to secure dedicated capital funding for Metro. I was the first Loudoun Supervisor to chair the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Board of Directors since 1983, and this year I became the first ever Loudoun Supervisor both to chair the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and to join the Metro Board of Directors. My colleagues on the Board and in the region have selected me for leadership roles because they respect my fairness and effectiveness. I have a lot that I still wish to accomplish on the Board and I’m looking forward to continuing this important work.
 

Source: BizVotes Candidates Questionnaire