The rejection of a proposal that would have paved the way for more than 30,000 new homes in Loudoun County could mean Fairfax County’s already overtaxed road system won’t see a glut of new traffic from the west.
In a high-profile decision on the biggest growth fight to face the county in recent history, Loudoun supervisors on Wednesday voted 6 to 3 to deny changing its land-use policy to allow the scores of new homes under a project called Dulles South.
While the debate itself was confined to Loudoun County, it was watched by officials in neighboring Fairfax County, whose roads would have borne a large part of the new traffic. Officials have pointed to Route 50 and Braddock Road as two arteries that could be swamped by new cars.
Fairfax County Supervisor Michael Frey, who represents the Sully District, said the development would have overburdened planned expansions to those roads.
“The fact is, Route 50 is a mess today, and we need to widen it,” said Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey. “Certainly that much additional development would have overwhelmed even the road network that’s planned, but not yet built.”
He and other county officials stopped short of commenting on Wednesday’s decision in Loudoun County, which follows months of contention among Loudoun supervisors, residents and developers.
“The collective voice of thousands of Loudoun residents who have been demanding fair and responsible planning has been heard,” said Andrea McGimsey, director of the Campaign for Loudoun’s Future, in a news release. The group opposed Dulles South.
