Brambleton Vision 2012-2020 Updated – May 2015
Brambleton has been working on several important improvements and exciting additions to our community over the past 18 months. We’ve held a series of over 15 community meetings and briefings, attended by many of you, over the last year and a half. We have pending with Loudoun County five (5) innovative and beneficial rezoning applications. These projects will ultimately be determined by the County’s Board of Supervisors. Two of these applications, ‘Land Bays 1, 3 & 5’ and ‘Town Center’, will soon be reviewed and considered by the County’s Planning Commission, which will make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. Our first application (Land Bays 1, 3 & 5) will be the subject of a Planning Commission public hearing on September 16th in Leesburg, followed by the Town Center application, which will likely have its public hearing in October. We wanted to provide the entire community with the latest information update and plans for your review. The Land Bays 1, 3 & 5 and Town Center applications are together proposing significant enhancements to the Brambleton community, currently estimated to exceed $32 Million. These improvements will include significant acceleration of a third elementary school for the Brambleton community (which is currently planned for opening in the fall of 2016), a new middle school within Brambleton proper (which is planned for opening in the fall of 2017), as well as a critically-needed, very desirable and new high school located within Brambleton as well (which could be opened as early as the fall of 2020). In addition to these three school sites, Brambleton Group is proposing very significant road and infrastructure improvements, the dramatic acceleration of one of the region’s most important north-south road improvements (the “missing link” of Loudoun County Parkway, located at the eastern edge of Brambleton), a new, innovative and incredibly exciting Loudoun County Public Library right within the heart of our Brambleton Town Center, along with other meaningful improvements. Brambleton is requesting consent from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to fund these improvements in the community in place of contributing approximately $19 Million to the County for its use.
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As we move towards public hearings for the initial two applications, we would be grateful for support from our community. Your views can be registered in the form of emails, letters or an appearance at the public hearings. For details on how to support the application or if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Kim Adams at (703) 722-2864; kim.adams@brambleton.com. Land Bays 1, 3 & 5 (Loudoun County reference ZMAP 2012-0013 & ZCPA 2012-0009) Our first, major project includes portions of what we call Land Bay 1, Land Bay 3 and Land Bay 5, all as shown below. This important case is scheduled to be presented to the County’s Planning Commission at a public hearing on the evening of Tuesday, September 16th.
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If approved by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, this exciting project will include and provide the following: •
Improved and accelerated land for Brambleton’s third elementary school. As you know, Brambleton has provided both the Legacy and Creighton Corner elementary school sites. Brambleton had previously committed to donating the land for a third elementary school site to Loudoun County, always anticipated in the western portion of our community. After extensive deliberations with Loudoun County School Board and Staff, we are proposing to relocate the third elementary school site so that it is much closer to the center of our community, much more easily accessible to the residents so that it will serve, and to dramatically accelerate the dedication of this land. With your help and support and, ultimately, approval by the County Board of Supervisors and School Board, it is currently anticipated that this third elementary school site (proposed along Creighton Road Extended, as shown on the attached maps) will be opened in the fall of 2016!
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Much-needed middle and high schools. Brambleton has committed to donating 91 acres of our property for a new (our first!) middle school. Again, with your help and support and the County’s ongoing cooperation, Brambleton could have a middle school open by the fall of 2017. This would be a major benefit to our families, our children and the long-term value of our Brambleton homes. Almost as importantly, the 91 acres is more than adequate to accommodate both this exciting, new middle school as well as a new Brambleton high school (location and layout of both shown on the graphic below). We believe that it would be a huge benefit to all of you and our entire community (as well as the communities surrounding Brambleton) to locate a new high school as reflected contiguous to Evergreen Mills Road. It is possible that this high school could be opened as early as the fall of 2020. Brambleton and our entire team (engineers, architects, planners and transportation consultants) are working with every agency of Loudoun County to help support these exciting plans.
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Major road and infrastructure improvements. Brambleton is aggressively designing and pursuing (and with the approval of these cases, prepared to fund) the construction of major, additional road improvements within and around the Brambleton Community. These road improvements will, crucially, allow the opening of the new elementary school in the fall of 2016, the new middle school in the fall 2017 and, potentially, the new high school in the fall of 2020. The significant improvements include: -
Creighton Road – the accelerated construction of a section of Creighton Road between Evergreen Mills Road and Northstar Boulevard, which will provide access to the new elementary school and middle and high schools noted above. This east-west connection will also help relieve traffic on Ryan Road.
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Evergreen Mills Road – construction of turn lanes from Evergreen Mills Road onto the new section of Creighton Road.
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Traffic Signals – installation of new traffic signals at the intersections of Evergreen Mills Road and Creighton Road and Northstar Boulevard and Creighton Road.
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Additional Brambleton community pool. As the community grows, we understand it is essential to increase facilities that serve it. This project includes a new community pool on the north side of Ryan Road. This will increase the number of pools serving the community to 5.
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Innovative, centrally-located public library within the Brambleton Town Center. In addition to the important school sites, road and infrastructure improvements, Brambleton Group has been extremely excited to work with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Library Board and many of the County Agencies to propose an innovative public library right within the heart of our Town Center. It’s hard to imagine a better location for the County, the region or for Brambleton. Importantly, the Land Bays 1, 3 & 5 and Town Center applications will be the funding mechanism to help construct this new library, which is programmed for the first two floors of a new commercial building within our Town Center, right across from the Papa Tony’s and Blue Ridge Grill. This concept is similar to the attractive Gum Springs Library, located in Stone Ridge. More information on this innovative proposal is included below.
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Brambleton Civic Center. Brambleton has always envisioned the community being served by a civic and cultural center. We’re delighted to be proposing a Brambleton Civic Center in the long-existing, traditional dairy barn located at the intersection of Shreveport Drive and Belmont Ridge Road. Our new Civic Center could host a wide variety of functions, including community meetings, religious services, weddings, indoor and outdoor performances, farmers’ markets, exhibitions and art shows. The Civic Center will be privately owned and managed.
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Greater pedestrian connectivity. To ensure safe and convenient pedestrian connectivity from the community’s homes to the new school sites, we’re proposing three new pedestrian underpasses. These important connections will prevent our children having to cross Northstar Boulevard and Creighton Road to get to school.
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New homes. The Land Bays 1, 3 & 5 application proposes to add new homes to our community, including 135 single family homes and 323 town homes. The Brambleton community has, to date, been built at much-less density than some of the other planned communities in eastern Loudoun County and also at less density than the County’s Comprehensive Plan would allow. All these applications propose a very modest increase in the total amount of residential development within Brambleton (or approximately 9% increase across the entire community), and concurrently include the major noted improvements – the accelerated elementary school, new middle school, new high school, significantly accelerated road improvements, new community center, new community pool, enhanced open spaces and other important amenities and benefits for our entire community.
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Community open space. As we’ve been discussing with the community for almost two years, the Master Plan for Brambleton initially included a western golf course. There are far too many under-utilized golf courses already in Loudoun County and in our region. Ultimately, if a golf course were constructed, the significant cost associated with operation and maintenance of that golf course would be borne by the community association and each of our residents. We believe a much better use of those areas is the enhanced, linked and improved open and landscaped areas throughout Land Bays 1, 3 & 5, similar to the tremendous asset we have in Legacy Park. The attention to detail, attractiveness of the open spaces, pedestrian linkages, enhanced landscaping and improvements to all these areas will inure to the long-term benefit of values in Brambleton.
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Town Center (ZCPA 2012-0006, ZMOD 2012-0005, SPEX 2012-0026, SPEX 2013-0026 & SPEX 2013-0027) We’re extremely proud of how the Town Center has grown so far, but we know that some important additions are needed to help ensure the retention and attraction of high-quality tenants and allow its completion into our own ‘downtown’.
This project is scheduled for a Planning Commission public hearing in October (date to be determined; we will advise you once the date has been confirmed) and includes the following:
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Brand-New Public Library. A brand-new, 40,000 square foot public library can be provided on the first two floors of a new commercial building on Brambleton Plaza. This would be a relocation of the previously-anticipated public library expected all the way in the southeastern edge of Brambleton, along future Loudoun County Parkway. We, the County and the County’s Library Board all believe that this innovative, attractive library within the Town Center will be a tremendous asset for Loudoun, Brambleton and the surrounds. Under our current Land Bay 1, 3 & 5 and Town Center applications, this public library (currently anticipated for opening in 2020) and could be accelerated and open to our residents. We think this library would be a tremendous asset to each of you.
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Urban Townhomes. Forty eight townhomes will help complete the Brambleton Town Center, bringing added vibrancy and vitality. Importantly, the addition of these units will not be at the expense of commercial floor space.
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Gas Station. Approval of this project by Loudoun County will allow the community to finally be served by its own gas station! We have identified a site for a gas station on the western edge of the Town Center (next to Sport and Health), which will be accessed from Northstar Boulevard.
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Privatization of Olympia Drive. Brambleton’s Master Plan has always envisioned a strong connection between the Town Center and Legacy Park. This is currently restricted by the lack of safe and convenient pedestrian connectivity across Olympia Drive. To address this, we’re proposing that a portion of Olympia Drive will be a private street. In addition to allowing pedestrian connectivity consistent with the rest of Brambleton, this privatization would also allow the street to be closed for community events, similar to Reston Town Center and downtown Herndon. As the Town Center grows, we intend to construct a stage at the eastern end of Legacy Park, ensuring the Town Center can continue to host the Brambleton Concert Series and other community events.
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New Traffic Signal. The Town Center project includes the installation of an important traffic signal at the intersection of Ryan Road and Olympia Drive, helping vehicles and pedestrians more safely access the Town Center.
The three other projects we’re processing with Loudoun County are summarized below. We’ll certainly be back in touch with all of you later in the year with an update on the status of each of these cases: Active Adult – the re-planning of an active adult community currently approved for the eastern edge of Brambleton. This application does not propose an increase in homes. Also, the marketrate units that were initially proposed have now been removed. Shreveport South – the creation of an office campus on the southern edge of Brambleton and the addition of new homes on the south side of Shreveport Drive in place of the unattractive and neighborly industrial uses currently permitted.
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Business Campus – the rezoning of land on the southeastern edge of Brambleton from an industrial use to permit a higher education, medical or office campus.
We would be very happy to answer any questions or concerns and provide you with additional information so that you can get in touch with the critical decision-makers in Loudoun County and register your support. If you would like to meet or forward any questions, again, please contact Kim Adams at (703) 722-2864; kim.adams@brambleton.com. We are truly excited with the prospect of proceeding with these major improvements to Brambleton. We believe the acceleration of the elementary school (with the potential fall, 2016 opening), the new middle school (potential fall, 2017 opening), another Brambleton high school (potential fall, 2020 opening), an amazing public library right within the heart of the Brambleton Town Center, a new community pool to the north, our new Brambleton Civic Center to the south (the converted and enhanced dairy barn and facilities) and major additional road improvements (Creighton Road construction, Shreveport Road construction, Evergreen Mills Road improvements and the critically important acceleration of Loudoun County Parkway at the eastern edge of Brambleton) all inure to the benefit of Loudoun County, the region and each and every one of you. We hope that you will support these entire series of cases. We’ll be delighted to answer any questions.
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