Route 15 Improvement Projects: The Lucketts Bypass
With the county’s stated goal of improving safety and decreasing congestion, a number of road improvement projects are in process along the corridor of Route 15 North. One of these improvements, the Lucketts bypass, is expected to directly impact JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary. Loudoun Wildlife is staying closely involved with this process to do everything possible to prevent the construction of a roadway from impacting the globally rare habitat at JK Black Oak. Read here to learn why the currently proposed alignment options don’t work, and what you can do to help.
Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance Amendments
The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) process concluded with the adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance in December 2023. Upon completion, there were several outstanding issues which were to be addressed in separate Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance Amendments (CPAM/ZOAM). Many of these outstanding issues followed by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy throughout the ZOR are being addressed in two CPAM/ ZOAM processes: Western Loudoun Rural Uses & Standards and Data Center Standards & Locations. More information about the amendments…
Franklin Park Master Plan
Franklin Park is expanding after Loudoun County acquired an additional 103 acres adjacent to the park grounds. The Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure has submitted a development application for the project that will be reviewed by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The park will be undergoing substantial changes, many of which have the potential to significantly impact wildlife and habitat. Among the most significant changes is the construction of new park facilities and the installation of mountain biking and equestrian trails in what is currently a forested area of Sleeter Lake Park. More information about the master plan…
Equestrian Use at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve
Loudoun County has completed evaluations and approved the opening of trails at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve to equestrian use. The Parks and Recreation and Open Space Board (PROS) as well as the Transportation and Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors recommended that all possible trails be open to equestrian use. The Board is also asking for a second study to construct new trails. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy continues to have concerns about the ecological implications and public engagement in the construction of new trails at Banshee Reeks. More information about equestrian use…
Westpark Property
In August 2022 Loudoun County acquired 134 acres of what was previously the Westpark Golf Course in Leesburg. The land was placed under conservation easement, and the property is now slated to be a park for passive recreation uses. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will be staying involved throughout the process to ensure that this new park stays conservation-focused and implements wildlife-friendly practices that enhance nature as it is cultivated for recreational use. More information about Westpark…
Spring Valley Technology Park
The Spring Valley Technology Park is a proposed 362-acre data center campus to be located off of Evergreen Mills Road. This project would destroy swaths of mature forests and create excessive impervious surfaces close to Goose Creek. If approved, it could add up to 3.5 million more square feet of data center servers that would further stress our power grid and exacerbate Loudoun’s energy crisis by an order of magnitude. Read more about the data center campus.
Dominion Energy Infrastructure Development Projects
To meet heightened energy demand coming from the increase of data centers in the county, Dominion Energy has started the process of building new major transmission lines, substations, and infrastructure linkages. This mult-year, multi-project expansion currently includes a new high voltage transmission line along Broad Run between Northstar Blvd. and Loudoun County Parkway; a series of substations adjacent to Goose Creek and Belmont Ridge Road; and new transmission lines along Route 7 and Loudoun County Parkway. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has grave concerns about these applications. The proposed locations of these infrastructure improvements would further fragment habitat within the Goose Creek and Broad Run riparian buffer and floodplain creating more challenges to wildlife and the ecosystem as a whole. Learn more about these projects and our recommendations:
- Twin Creeks to Apollo and Aspen to Golden projects (Updated August 23, 2024)
- Wishing Star to Mars project
- Mars to Golden Project
Leesburg W&OD Trail Lighting
A proposal is being discussed with the Leesburg Town Council to add lighting to a portion of the W&OD trail south of Leesburg. Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy has been working with our partners Northern Virginia Bird Alliance and Dark Sky NOVA to advocate for minimizing the impacts of the proposed lights on dark skies and wildlife as part of the collaborative Bird-Safe NOVA campaign. While specific designs are still being developed, we are pleased to see that the Town of Leesburg is demonstrating notable efforts to implement sustainable and minimally disruptive lighting for this project.
Western Loudoun Power Line
Data center expansion continues to fuel the need for more infrastructure. The Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (previously known as the Western Loudoun Line) is one example. Originally, this route was planned to construct new right-of-ways for 500 kV transmission lines across rural Western Loudoun. PJM announced at the beginning of August that this line is instead to be constructed along a northern corridor through West Virginia and Maryland before cutting south to reach Ashburn data centers. Read more about the power line…
See also policy recommendations regarding data centers and energy from the Sierra Club.
Our Work
Advocacy News
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Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance Amendments The Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) process concluded with the adoption...
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Route 15 Improvement Projects: The Lucketts Bypass With the county’s stated goal of improving safety and decreasing...
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Dominion Energy Project: Mars to Golden The third and final component of Dominion Energy’s Loudoun County...
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