On July 26, the Board of Supervisors will hold its first of two public hearing on potential revisions to the Planning Commission’s Draft Zoning Ordinance.
Loudoun County
PEC stands with citizens to build excellent communities, relieve taxes and traffic, and protect open space in Loudoun. We work to maintain a balance between the towns, the suburbs and the country so residents can enjoy each of them.
Sportsplex Proposal at Mickie Gordon Park in Flux
Dear Supporter,
Last Thursday evening, Middleburg area residents came together in a remarkable demonstration of their collective love for Mickie Gordon Memorial Park and its history, sharing concerns about a County-driven special exception application (SPEX-2022-0020) to convert the multiuse community park to a more urban style sportsplex.
The proposal includes two new paved parking lots, accompanying as many as 1,681 vehicle trips projected on Saturdays, and several hundred more trips on weekdays. New lighting would dwarf the tree line of the quiet, rural park; specifically, 18 100-ft poles would be lit as late as 11 p.m. most nights. And counter to years of traffic calming efforts along the gateway corridor, new turn lanes would be added, widening Route 50.

The proposal had advanced without outreach to the community, the Town of Middleburg, or the County Board of Supervisors’ office, and was not in keeping with county policies for locating public facilities as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan.
Fortunately, thanks to extensive collaboration between nonprofits and the Middleburg community, including an effective sign and petition campaign, the proposal became a major topic of local conversation. Even more pivotal, as many as two hundred residents came out to the community meeting held by the County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, which had been requested by Middleburg’s mayor and Town Council.
Many perspectives and heartfelt sentiments were expressed, providing critical context to decisionmakers and staff. Overall, residents seemed to share three main requests for the County:
- Withdraw the special exception application;
- Immediately proceed to find an alternate location for the much-needed championship tournament field in suburban Loudoun; and
- Come back and initiate a community input process to determine a more appropriate outcome for Mickie Gordon Park that honors the special place the park, its baseball fields, and environs, hold for local residents.
These asks emphasize a need for the County to improve how it plans for recreational resources. In this case, the lack of public process resulted in unnecessary distress in the community, and time and money wasted by the County. Mickie Gordon Park exemplifies the importance of establishing specific criteria to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts when providing desired county park facilities.
County’s response and what’s next
As noted in local news reports, Blue Ridge Leader and Loudoun Now, the head of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services said the department heard the public loud and clear and will be making changes. What these changes are, and when they are anticipated, is still unknown – no public announcement has been made yet.
Tonight, the Middleburg Town Council will discuss sending a letter to County officials regarding the special exception. We expect that it will reinforce the three main requests raised by the public.
You might consider sending a note to towncouncil@middleburgva.gov to bolster efforts and thank the mayor and councilmembers for taking action. If you do, be sure to copy the Board of Supervisors and County staff to encourage withdrawal of the application and follow through on all of the requested next steps in a transparent and robust way.
In the meantime, PEC will continue to follow up on the County’s response to Mickie Gordon Park and provide suggestions to improve future park planning.
Sincerely,
Gem Bingol
Senior Land Use Field Representative – Loudoun County
gbingol@pecva.org
(540) 347-2334 x7041

Presentation: Data Center Energy Demand in Northern Virginia
PEC’s Director of Land Use Julie Bolthouse presents on the impacts of data center growth on Virginia’s clean energy future.

PEC Presentation on Data Centers & Virginia’s Clean Energy Future
On June 10, 2023, The Piedmont Environmental Council hosted our annual meeting in Loudoun County and featured a workshop on data centers and Virginia’s clean energy future. The presentation, given by PEC’s Senior Energy and Climate Policy Analyst Ashish Kapoor and Director of Land Use Julie Bolthouse, is available to view and download below.

On the Ground Updates – June 2023
A series of short updates from around the PEC region.

Growing healthy food and engaging volunteers at Roundabout Meadows
During the past nine years, PEC has been managing our lands at Roundabout Meadows near Gilberts Corner to restore its soils and streams, connect residents to agriculture and promote the Piedmont’s rural economy. Our efforts continued to blossom in 2022 at the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows.

New local food guides printed and mailed region-wide
From veggies and fruit, to meat and dairy, to beer, wine and more, you’ll find your favorite local food in our recently released 2023-2024 guides for the Northern Piedmont, Loudoun County and Charlottesville Area.

Loudoun Buy Fresh Buy Local guide arriving in mailboxes soon
With the spring growing season upon the Virginia Piedmont, The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce the release of its 2023-2024 Buy Fresh Buy Local Loudoun County guide, offering a one-stop source connecting consumers to fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and more, by way of local farmers and farmers markets.

Questions Swirl Around Data Centers – How Many, Where and at What Cost?
Although DEQ’s proposed variance for data center diesel generator has been pulled, the underlying issue remains: Is this continued boom in data center development sustainable?

Video: Gilberts Corner Regional Park: A Conservation Success Story
Over 300 acres of land is conserved around Gilberts Corner, where Rt. 15 and Rt. 50 meet. The Piedmont Environmental Council has been working with NOVA Parks for over a decade to permanently protect the land there through conservation easements, while also opening significant parts of it up for the public to use. The results of this work are evident to anyone driving by and will be for generations to come.