Board forwards proposed 100%‑attainable PUD at Dulles Plaza to Dec. 2 to preserve county loan funding

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 12 voted to forward the Lehi/ZMAP application for the Residences at Dulles Plaza to the Dec. 2 business meeting, a step the board said was necessary to keep the project in the county Attainable Housing Loan Program funding window.

Planning staff described a planned unit development for roughly 3.5 acres in the Sterling District with two scenarios: Scenario 1 is proposed as 100% attainable housing (average 60% area median income); Scenario 2 would be market-rate units. Staff identified outstanding transportation issues tied primarily to Scenario 2, including cash‑in‑lieu for a section of Shore/Shaw Row, signal/intersection analysis and a developer credit the county could not support without demonstration that off‑site work benefitted the broader network.

Chair read comments from Supervisor Sainz emphasizing the project’s “rare opportunity to bring 100% affordable housing to a prime location” and urged moving final action to Dec. 2 so the project remains eligible for county loan funding. The applicant team — represented by Ben Wales of Curata and Trey Kirby of Fairfield Residential — described commitments to affordable housing and proffered site and streetscape improvements, including a bus shelter and internal courtyards. Kirby said Fairfield is “clearly focused on scenario 100% attainable housing” and noted the developer’s capital contribution to reduce county loan needs.

Board members pressed staff and the applicant on the cash‑in‑lieu valuation for Shore Road improvements, how regional road credits would be applied, proximity to Metro and transit access, and whether the AHLP is strictly a county loan program. Housing director Eric Keeler confirmed the AHLP is a county loan program and that county loan approval is separate from state Low Income Housing Tax Credit applications but is often prerequisite to pursuing tax credits.

The board’s motion to forward the application to the Dec. 2 business meeting (a motion attributed to Supervisor Sainz and read by the chair) was moved, seconded and approved in the public tally (recorded 8‑0‑1 with Supervisor Saines absent). A representative of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce spoke remotely in support of the 290‑unit attainable project and its benefits to the local workforce.