Metro Rail - Public Outreac 5/24

Please also know that he was paid $15,000 by Comstock (the developer) to create the Pro-Rail report. He just had to get that off his chest, so the cat is out of the bag:

After being pressed for weeks by Loudoun Opt Out, Fuller decided it was time fess up to the public. I spoke with Fuller as he left the Loudoun Chamber members' and politicians' only event where Fuller presented 14 pages of Dulles Rail predictions. He said he was first approached to produce the summary by Maggie Parker who works for Comstock Development, one of the rail station developers. Fuller was also forthcoming with the amount of the check, $15,000., and that it was written by the Claude Moore Foundation, another rail station landowner. Thank you, Dr. Fuller. I hope you can sleep better now.

 

BRAVO, Cobymom!

@Southern Walk HOA, I'd like to OPT-OUT of your support for the rail and causing my money to be spent in ways I do not want. This HOA should be working on PREVENTING us from more servitude, not issuing letters in support of it!

 

I do believe you are missing the potential. Business will be much more likely to locate themselves close to public transportation....this is true and will continue to hold true. Our community will now be able to more easily access Tysons, Reston, etc....and they will be able to more easily access our community.

Finally, if things like George Mason in Broadlands is to become true....the metro will make a huge difference in making it a reality.

We need a commercial tax base and need to find ways to creat one. We must win big business relocations and have an environment that is inviting to smaller organizations and thier employees....

I struggle to see how you would think that Metro doesnt enable all of that....and with out metro how you wouldnt see that it is far less attractive.

If we want to continue to have great schools and public services with out having taxes become an ever increasing burden (like in CT or Northern NJ) then supporting rail has to help.

There aren't that many unknowns......the metro spans the DC Metro area and other communities have and continue to support it.....what is so scary

 

Your taxes will be AT LEAST an additional .21/$100, so for most homes in B'lands, the average is $900, larger homes will pay over $1500 metro tax each and every year and is expected to increase. Don't be fooled by the low estimates.

 

How will YOU pay for it? MWAA has complete control and can increase the fees whenever they want. What's wrong with using the station at RT. 28?

 

Your first comment RE: "Potential" is exactly right. Without any guarantees thats all you have- "Potential" and potential doesnt pay.

I was on the fence for Metro - It wont help me get to work, and Im not convinced that it will solve our traffic problems - (See 66, 395, etc) - but I absoloutley refuse to be screwed by a tax that I have to pay so that any economic benefit in the county can be spread to help others. That is BS. Tax the hell out of the "Potential" businesses but leave my property tax alone.

 

***WMATA control=very scary, MWAA=very very scary, unbridled, unrestrained out of control spending, full control over rates and fees, including tolls. You'll be sucked into a contract that never shrinks it only grows. FFX is saddled with MILLIONS each year to pay for metro upkeep, monies that would be better spent elsewhere.
***I see the stations at FFx Co. Pkway and Vienna, and feel SORRY for the people that live there. Are you AWARE that metro fares don't even cover HALF of the operating expense at current Metro stations? That doesn't include construction expense either or loan repayment (interest), so we are totally hosed. Right there on the BoS Rail page these documents are posted. I suggest you read them fully, and Dr. FULLER is simply a paid spokesman.

***I want to see what you see. I want to be able to see some glimmer of value. But saying "businesses want to be near the rail" how do you know that? How many owners have told you that? Have they signed any contracts, are you a RE agent because then this would make sense. There are data centers all over there, you gonna tear those down to make space for new business?

***If the rail stops at IAD, we will actually make money on the deal! So that's my vote. Stop it at IAD, commuters from here can ride a bus (via a bus lane just as they do now) to the Rt. 28 station and be on their merry way. We aren't in tax hell and the commuters from West Va. aren't driving thru our neighborhood. Oh, and How will you tax the West Virginians? Exhausting, isn't it?

 

Oh, and we don't have a reverse commute problem. So students at GMU will have no issues getting here. See, these businesses are "hoping" that people will come into the county, when the metro is really designed to alleviate traffic for ppl going out of the county. They spend money where they land, but not necessarily here, except the parking, that goes to the highest bidder!

Haha, and the Visit Loudoun guy thinks ppl will take the metro to get to the wineries....um, are they walking, skipping, hitching a ride? That's one heck of a taxi ride too. But I'm sure Home Depot would love to see its lot full of taxi cabs...maybe HD could charge a toll! That might have been the silliest thing I heard last night, other than, "we love the choo-choo"

 

Can you please elaborate on this point? How would we make money on this option?

 

Scanning the document now. I'll load the pictorial graph, hope you'll be able to see it.

 

Four page doc, from the LoCo study itself. Please pay close attention to pages 3 and 4. Page one is devastating news.

 

I also have the entire presentation, based on the reports listed in the footnotes. It's too large to upload here.

If you want the full report, PM me your email address. I cannot stress how important it is to understand the costs involved, just as you would to purchase anything!

On the BOS' Dulles Rail Page, you'll also find a parking study, convincing the county that they should take on the parking garages. The cost of one space is projected at $34,000. Yes, you read that right. This is the cost, they know you'll pay whatever rate they charge to park on a daily basis calling the parking demand 'inelastic' and not affected by rate increases, especially at the end-line stations, because they attract RURAL riders (WVA)

I've attached the Parking Cost study. There is plenty of info available, I hope people actually read it.

 

I also have changed my mind on metro and no one has polled me. The more I find out about what it will cost my family, the more I am against it. I think it needs to stop at IAD. Contacting BOS for what it's worth. It amazes me how many people are for metro rail yet don't understand where the money is coming from. Totally respect your vote for metro if you are ok with the cost, don't get me wrong. Just most don't.

 

ATTN ALL:

June 26, @ 6pm

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Q & A
Shawn Williams, from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will be holding a question and answer session regarding the Dulles Rail Project at our next Board of Director's meeting on 6/26 at 6:00pm at the Lakes Recreation Center on Cheltenham Circle. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Dulles Rail Project, please plan to attend.

Everybody in the special tax district needs to tell Shawn that you oppose, unless you don't??? He believes you all want to pay for the privilege of living near a metro stop.

 

I would suggest that folks really need to read the Leesburg Today story, it explains the funding options, such as the 1-2 Mile Special Tax district.


I have attached the County's report, please pay particular attention to pages 11-14, which details the proposed Tax District. North Broadlands only has about 30% of the homes, while Southernwalk has 100% of the homes in the 1 or 2 mile district.

On an average $500,000 home (in Southernwalk) you are now looking at a potential property tax increase of $787 per year, if the Sups approve the additional $.09 per $100 tax.

http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/article_8629e502-a512-11e1-b1df-001a4bcf887a.html#.

 

Looks like North Broadlands has close to 100% in 2 mile tax district.

 

So please consider what an additional .21/100 would do to your budget. This is on top of the unrealized gains of 'higher value' and higher prop tax. Big $$ out of our pockets. For what?

 

This is not devastating news. It's a Loudoun Opt-Out document. In other words, it completely and utterly partisan. Just because they claim to base this on Loudoun County data, does not at all mean the assumptions are reasonable. This is the same group that argues how Dr. Stephen Fuller's study is worthless because he's "bought and paid for". I'm sorry, but if they want to claim his study is far too rosy, I would argue that anything that comes from Loudoun Opt-Out is equally grim and bogus. The truth is likely somewhere in between.

Anybody can put together data to support their argument. The Opt-Out group has, shocker, decided to manipulate the data is such a way to portray rail to Loudoun as the equivalent of the apocalypse. Propaganda as far as I'm concerned.

 

The 2 Mile Special Tax Zone is a $0.21 per $100 rate on all property in the zone. $500k house pays $1050/yr and can increase. The $0.09 rate is for a countywide industrial/commercial rate and not for the 2 mile zone. The 2 Mile Zone is essentially to Belmont Ridge on the west, Ashburn Farm to the north and Ryan to the South. This is practically criminal. I can appreciate that the rail might be beneficial to all of Loudoun and therefore all of Loudoun should pay. Understand, Broadlands will not be the same. This will become a busy commercial, retail & multi-tenant residential center. Comstock and other developers are the ones who are pushing the 2 Mile Zone. I think it is an outrage that the BOS wants Broadlands to bear the burden of the development and the cost. There is a petition to tell the BOS what the Broadlands thinks about it. Sign and let them know!!!
http://www.change.org/petitions/lou...-creation-of-a-special-metrorail-tax-district

 

Well then, if you're an expert data interpreter, I'll expect the TPS report on my desk tomorrow, yah, that would be great.

So let's say it IS in the middle somewhere, are you signing up to lose Millions of dollars? What business are you in?

I disagree anyway, this information is listed on the BOS website. And Dr. Fuller IS partisan and did accept a $15,000 payoff. At least opt out is using their own money.