Ridgewater Park Scrapped After Disagreement With Loudoun County

According to the Loudoun Times-Mirror, Leonard S. "Hobie" Mitchel withdrew his application for the Ridgewater Park development south of Leesburg.  The move by Hobie Mitchell comes after a December 11 vote by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to try once more to work out their differences over the proposal to build the large suburban-style development.

The development would have added approximately 1,000 homes and 500,000 square feet of office space on 338 acres near Leesburg Executive Airport. The controversial development, which changed in size, location and scope during its lengthy approval, drew opposition from slow-growth advocates, environmentalists and others.

County staff analysts objected to the proposal in part because of its dense, suburban layout which conflicts with a county plan to preserve that area as a semi-rural buffer between Loudoun’s suburban east and rural west.

Ridgewater Park is one of four controversial developments that were on the board’s agenda between the November 6 election and the end of its term December 31. Supervisors have now rejected two of those projects (including Ridgewater Park) and approved another.