…at least, the development around the ballfield did. The ballfield was already approved. Obviously this is a huge project, so I’ve had a few people ask me what I thought of it. Here’s the recap of the project, as best I can determine:

Kincora is a $2 billion, 336 acre multi-use development, located in Sterling across from the Dulles Town Center Mall, where Route 7 and Route 28 intersect. The plan for a 5,500 seat, 75,000 square foot baseball stadium was approved by the Loudoun Board of Supervisors last year, and also included just over 900,000 square feet of office space in 8 buildings, and 74,000 square feet of other uses, to include restaurants, banks, and other services. The mixed use portion that the Board of Supervisors approved this month totaled 2.7 million square feet of office space (not sure if that is in addition to what was already approved?), nearly 400,000 square feet of commercial, 575,000 square feet of hotel space, 277,000 square feet of ‘civic uses’ (including a fire/rescue station and a performing arts center), and 1,400 multi-family residential units.  The residential component allows for 228 Affordable Dwelling Units and workplace housing units.  The development is owned by a partnership of Tritec and Norton Scott called NA Dulles Real Estate Investor LLC (according to an article in the Washington Post.)

The plans also include road improvements: extending Gloucester Parkway over Broad Run, and providing shuttle service from the community to the Metro station planned at Route 606/ Old Ox Road.  The baseball stadium will be used by a new franchise of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Kincora’s website also details plans for a 150 acre park and nature preserve including a wetlands trail and linking to the W&OD trail.

All of the information I’m listing here is from past Washington Post and Leesburg Today articles, and from the Kincora website. After reading the comments left on the prior articles, it appears that locals are divided on this; some are ardent supporters of either baseball or the growth coming to Loudoun, while others complain that a Board of Supervisors elected as ‘slow growth’ proponents are not fulfilling their promises.  Either way, with a timeline of completion of over 15 to 20 years, it may be a moot point.

As I was researching this post, the Loudoun Times Mirror wrote an article that echos my own thoughts…many of the mixed-use developments approved in Loudoun have not come anywhere close to breaking ground yet.  While it looks like the plans for the baseball stadium will be completed (the VIP Baseball group is planning to announce a timeline and a team name soon) there is no guarantee that the entire project will be finished as proposed.  The first phase is to include the completion of Pacific Boulevard and the construction of the fire station, followed by construction of an affordable housing development. The Times Mirror article quotes the developer as saying the retail, commercial, and office units will be built as soon as they have lease commitments in place.

Personally, I’d much rather see a well thought out approach to development, with a smart combination of mixed use. I like the way that the Village at Leesburg and the Lansdowne Town Center have added to our community; that kind of combined use is appealing in the use of space, the proximity of housing to restaurants/retail/office.  Loudoun needs more ‘walkable’ communities…or at least multi-use where you can accomplish multiple activities at the same place.  If Kincora allows live/work/play to happen in the same place (eventually, anyway) I think that’s smart growth.  Whether it gets accomplished without causing huge traffic issues remains to be seen. I’m optimistic for the positive impact  a minor league baseball team will have on Loudoun and the youth here;  I will certainly take my kiddos out to watch a game.

What do you think? Please comment and share your thoughts, I’d love to hear them!

Cheers,

Heather

(photo courtesy of B Tal)

So, a few years back (prior to getting my real estate license) I used to bowl in leagues a little bit. I had heard that King Pinz had opened in the Villages of Leesburg (near Wegmans) on June 8th, but hadn’t been by to see it. I was in the neighborhood at Potomac River Running, so I dropped in to see what the fuss was about…The picture above, snapped with my cell phone, certainly doesn’t do the place justice at all! There are three huge big screen tvs over the lanes, plus a bar area with pool table and booths, and an arcade.  A four lane VIP area can be reserved for parties, too.  Take a peek at the website to see what types of specials they have; Wednesday night is home to a young professionals social networking event.  They also take reservations in advance, so you don’t have to wait for a lane to open up. When we stopped by we were told there were not currently any leagues set up, but that may change in the near future if there are enough folks interested.

Cheers,

Heather

If you look in the right sidebar, we now have some dynamic charts showing current inventory levels and median home price for all of Loudoun County (just added those this morning, as a matter of fact). They will update weekly as new statistics become available. If you want more detailed information, you can click through from those charts to LoCo Market Stats and browse current statistics and data on the market to your heart’s content. =)

The What’s My Home Worth button on the far right now links you to an easy one page form, so if you want to get a dynamic, clickable market report tailored to your home type and neighborhood, just fill that out and I’ll email it over to you. And no worries, I won’t spam you with anything additional. I hate spam as much as you do.

If you like Facebook, I’m sure you noticed the widget over there on the right that scrolls through my postings from Facebook.  I have a business page set up there that has links to all of the blog posts I’ve written, plus occasional links to news in Loudoun County (both from our local media and also from local businesses.) It also has a peek into my working life too, if you are interested.  Feel free to “like” my page and follow along, I love to get comments and feedback there!

I’ve also revised the About Heather page, which is reachable from the menu at the very top of the site. That page has links to all of the social media sites I’m on, and goes into a little more detail about my background and business history. I’m hoping to have a video there soon that would give me a way to visually introduce myself…Look for that to be there by the end of next week. (I’m putting myself on deadline!)

I hope that you enjoy and take advantage of the new features. If there’s something missing that you’d like to see here, reach out and let me know!

Cheers,

Heather

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only way that Dominion Power will be disrupting traffic in our area in the next few months. More concerning is their announcement that as they string the power lines along the new route, they will be “intermittently” stopping traffic on Route 7, causing major delays. As there are no other major roads coming in from the western part of the county, this is probably going to create a bit of a mess, unless they are careful how they time the closings.

Here’s the schedule of closings, as posted on Loudoun County’s website:

Traffic stops on Route 7 are expected to begin May 17. The tentative schedule is:

• May 17- June 4: Expect periodic traffic stops on Route 7 near the interchange at Hamilton Station Road in Hamilton
• June: Expect periodic stops on Route 7 near the interchange of Route 9
• July: Expect periodic stops on the Route 7 Bypass between Dry Mill Road and Route 15
• August-September: Motorists will experience the most delays in this time frame as workers string lines along Route 7 and the Bypass between Route 15 and River Creek Parkway.

According to a VDOT news release, the closings will be timed on Mondays between noon and 3:30 pm, Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and Fridays from 9 am to noon.

Cheers,

Heather

Well, we’ve been watching Dominion Virginia Power do their site work across Western Loudoun since before the blizzards (which slowed progress for sure). The time has finally come for the towers to go up, to carry the transmission lines from the new substation south of Leesburg to another new substation near Purcellville. The expectation is that the lines will be carrying power by this fall.  The path for the lines crisscrosses Route 7 in a couple places, is buried where it runs along the W&OD Trail, then comes above ground where it ends in Purcellville. You can read a full article about the project at the Leesburg Today.

The picture above was taken on Clubhouse Drive in Leesburg, just past where the bypass intersects with Route 15.

Cheers,

Heather