Athletic Complex Approved

Company Promises 12 Fields in Ashburn

By Sandhya Somashekhar (Contact)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors signed off Tuesday on a proposal to build a large sports complex in Ashburn, saying that the need to create playing fields for young athletes outweighs arguments against the development.

Supervisors voted 8 to 1 in favor of a special exception permit requested by Play to Win, the developer of a private, $40 million complex planned for Belmont Ridge Road near Route 7. Once completed, the complex is expected to include a dozen athletic fields, a restaurant and a leadership training center, among other amenities.

Sports league representatives cheered the decision, saying it will be a boon to a county that has a dire shortage of high-quality fields for sports such as football and soccer. Proponents of the project said that an online petition in favor of it had collected more than 2,000 names.

"It's great news," said Matt Curry, founder of Dulles South Youth Sports, which includes about 1,000 children. Not only is there a shortage of playing fields, he said, but most of the county's fields "are dirt and rocks. They're horrible. I had at least four injuries last year that were directly attributable to the field."

Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) cast the lone no vote, saying she recognized the need for the fields but felt the proposal did not go through the proper channels.

In June, the county planning commission recommended that the board reject the proposal because of worries that the traffic would be overwhelming and that noise and light from the fields would bother neighbors. Some officials also worried that the development could pose a pollution threat to nearby Goose Creek.

The developer has since altered the plan, in part to make it more palatable to county officials. But Burk argued that the changes required the board to send the proposal back to the commission for further review.

Several supervisors acknowledged that the process they followed was not ideal, but they said they were willing to overlook that. They said their decision was partly due to the fact that Play to Win could build most of the project without the special exception. They argued that it was in the county's best interest for the board to vote yes and have a role in mitigating the project's environmental impact.

Supporters of the sports complex said the most significant change was that two of the fields that were going to be grass will be covered in artificial turf — a concession by the developer that they said will make the project more environmentally friendly.

Supervisor Lori L. Waters (R-Broad Run), one of the prime champions of the proposal, said a key benefit is that it will be privately financed and will not require taxpayer money. She also said it had been vetted enough.

"I don't think there have been substantive, massive changes that would justify it going back to the planning commission," Waters said.

Also Tuesday, the board voted to participate in a study to develop a plan for a George Mason University campus in Loudoun.

GMU officials have long hoped to build a full-service campus in Loudoun, which they have said is an under-served area. They were on the verge of finalizing a location two years ago, but the plan was nixed after the Board of Supervisors rejected a large development integral to the university's plans.

County officials, who said a George Mason campus would be an economic boon and a prestigious addition, decided Tuesday to allocate as much as $34,167 toward a feasibility study. Their hope is that the Town of Leesburg and the school district will contribute money to offset part of that cost.

George Mason and Northern Virginia Community College would pick up the rest of the roughly $100,000 price tag. Part of the study's scope is to consider whether the community college should add a campus in Loudoun or possibly share facilities with GMU.

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