Broadlands Hospital

Well Buffett, I can see that you are quite emotional about this topic. Perhaps we will just have to agree to disagree on this issue.

Did I really deserve such a nasty personal attack like that?

 

you absolutely did NOT. all the more reason to ignore the post- glad you took the mature, high road.

 

I see not every one ignored it however.

 

i am immature and low road... :naanaa:

 

Someone said... here? in a hearing?... if I would not mind living 15 seconds from a hospital, to please buy their house.

Sadly, I can't afford a single-family home in Broadlands (even with the slump in house prices), but if I could, I would buy it. I would not mind living 15 seconds away from a hospital.

I've heard the arguments of the people who don't want the hospital built across the street from their houses, and to a degree, I sympathize. But I don't empathize. I'm sorry if that upsets them, but if I stand against BRMC just because they want me to, then I'm making myself a liar and a hypocrite. That's fair to nobody.

 

Shameless posturing. Many homes across from the site have sold in the past 6 years including an entire cul-de-sac of new homes sold by Van Metre. There are plenty of people who would like to live across from a hospital.

 

Since 2002 there has always been a possibility of a hospital being built on the land in question. Since that is the case, everyone who bought a home since then has been aware of this possibility.

My question is what did the homeowners who bought homes prior to 2002 think was going to be built on the land? From my understanding it was never zoned residential and it was always zoned for retail and businesses. What are people hoping will go here; another strip mall or an ugly office park like the one that just was built on the corner of Waxpool and Ashburn Village Blvd?

Obviously the land is not going to stay trees and open space unless it is protected space. I just wonder what people would like to see built there.

 

From what I heard at the hearing, the people that bought before HCA bought the property, were told it would be a townhouse type office development.
I for the life of me can't understand why we are all fighting about a hospital. Especially one that is trying so hard to make everyone happy with the plans. They take into consideration the concerns and change the plans, but aren't going to scrape the project. They are a business. and from what i have read in the paper, we need new businesses that are going to bring in money from taxes or we are all going to pay. Sorry, but I want a hospital for my family's healthcare and for our financial future.

 

The property has never been zoned for retail, nor "townhouse" style offices.
It is zoned for over 1,000,000 square feet of office use, or any one of more than two dozen other uses allowed under the county's PDOP zoning.

 

I understand that, but from what was said at one of the hearing, they were told by the developer that it would be townhouse type offices. just trying to answer a question from cmbm about what the people across the street thought was going to be built there.

 

i think that a townhouse style office complex would require a special excpetion, right?

 

Actually I understand that the original developer had an artist rendering of townhome style offices but I want to know what people want now. An artist rendering doesn’t mean that is what is going to actually go there. I have seen communities where they showed the homeowners pool and community center to look one way in the brochure and it was completely different in reality. This was when it was already built and the developer left the artist renderings alone.

I don’t think with today’s economy, a developer will buy the land and make something look nice out of the goodness of their heart. I just don’t want to see more office parks that look like prisons and that is what seems to be built around here now. I don’t think I am alone on that.

I also would not want to see a few more buildings similar to the Board of Education building built on that parcel of land. From what I can tell from the zoning, that could happen.

 

I could be wrong, but I don't think there was ever any such rendering. I've been here since early 1997 and on the HOA Board since 1999.
I remember the first meeting when Terrabrook first discussed that property and it wasn't townhomes. It was a significantly sized office park.

 

The Planning Commission voted tonight 5-4 to forward a favorable recommendation for BRMC to the Board of Supervisors.

 

Did the dissenting commissioners share their reasons? It would be interesting to know what their concerns were and if they're addressable.

Looking at the votes and the District map, I suppose I'm not surprised at how these votes went... for the obvious reasons.

Voting for were:
Christine Tolle - PC for Scott York (at large)
Sandra Chaloux - PC for Stevens Miller (Dulles)
Michael Keeney - PC for Susan Buckley (Sugarland Run)
Erin Austin - PC for Sally Kurtz (Catoctin)
Peggy Maio - PC for Jim Burton (Blue Ridge)
Voting against were:
Bob Klancher - PC for Lori Waters (Broad Run)
Chris Brodrick - PC for Andrea McGimsey (Potomac)
Helena Syska - PC for Eugene Delgaudio (Sterling)
Gigi Robinson - PC for Kelly Burk (Leesburg)

http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1035

 

I get the Leesburg district vote, Inova has put the fear mongering into overdrive (eg Cornwall Campus).

Lori Waters (Broad Run) has higher political ambitions beyond the BoS, it would be a poor political move for her NOT to vote in favor of the hospital.

Based on the County's current and projected budget shortfall, lets turn away yet another business that will generate a large tax revenue base.

 

Pea, I agree with you. Lori Waters is the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee for the County. I think she is going to seize this opportunity and approve the hospital. How else can one define economic development than with this project. They don't come around like this very often.

Now that it has passed the planning commission and the land use review, it now turns to an economic issue.

Waters is to smart to be on the wrong side of this vote. She won't let HCA turn into her VW HQ loss. Big feather in her cap to claim a major corporation entering the County for the first time, 4 million in annual tax revenue, 600 new jobs, and 15 million in proffered infrastructure improvements. Additionally, she's been a big advocate for Belmont Ridge Rd since she has been elected. The HCA proffer to enhance Belmont Ridge Rd is to much of a cherry for her not to seize this opportunity. She wants to campaign for whatever her next goal is saying she helped Belmont Ridge Rd. all she could, and she wants to do that with asphalt under her feet. With the current economic state, this is probably the only improvement we'll see to Belmont Ridge Rd. for a long, long time.

I see no way that she can turn this down.

 

Sorry AFGM. Inova owns Lori. A beer at Clyde's says she votes no.

 

If they want to build a hospital here in this economic downturn, be my guest -- we need all the jobs we can get! =) I still think it's a stupid location, but oh well, maybe my wife can get a jobber there

 

If that's true Cliff, then Waters is going to have to explain why self-interest or pandering influenced a vote that had County/Region wide implications.

Can you imagine the headline, "Supervisor Waters votes against largest economic development project in Loudoun County since AOL" She's not going to let that happen.

I still think she is going to look past the INOVA rhetoric and vote for the hospital.