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COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH
For Immediate Release: August 22, 2006
For more information, contact:
Stewart Schwartz 202-244-4408 ext 3#
703-599-6437 cell

LOUDOUN TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY STANDS ON THE FACTS,
PROVIDES INFORMATION THE PUBLIC NEEDS

Proposed Development is Four Times Size of City of Fredericksburg and Merits Full Analysis

“Developers seeking to add a record 28,000 houses on top of 37,000 already scheduled to be built in Loudoun County would rather the public NOT have the information necessary to evaluate the impact and alternatives to their massive project. That’s why they’ve sought to challenge VDOT’s recent traffic analysis. VDOT’s analysis of the 28,000 houses proposed west of Dulles Airport shows complete traffic gridlock, even with the completion of every planned road in the 20-year transportation plan.

This is information a local government needs to evaluate, before acting within its authority to approve or disapprove a rezoning. A rezoning can be denied if it would negatively impact the health and welfare of the community.

When a proposed development could easily add 84,000 new residents -- the size of more than two cities of Charlottesville, or two cities of Manassas, or FOUR cities of Fredericksburg – state and local governments owe it to their citizens to fully analyze all impacts and alternatives to the proposal.

Governor Kaine and Democratic and Republican members of the General Assembly, including Speaker Howell, Senator Houck, and Delegate Marshall, deserve credit for pushing through the law requiring these traffic impact analyses and for seeking better coordination between state and local governments on transportation and land use planning.”

Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director
Coalition for Smarter Growth