Friends’ opposition to proposed Eastwind Resort Development

Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains is taking a number of steps to stop the proposed development of a “boutique hotel” and spa in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Paris Virginia.

Eastwind, a New York-based hotel company, is proposing to build a rural resort that would include 40 rooms, an 88-seat full-service restaurant and a spa on 147 acres near the intersection of Route 50 and Blue Ridge Mountain Road. This site is within the area designated as the Mountain Overlay District (MOD) in the Loudoun County Zoning ordinance. The Appalachian Trail crosses Route 50 within about 200 yards of the site.

The project is called Eastwind Blue Ridge and includes land in Fauquier and Clarke counties as well as Loudoun, although, as currently proposed, all of the construction would be within Loudoun County.

A number of conservation / environmental organizations have joined Friends in forming a coalition to oppose the project. To date (10/30/25) members of the coalition include Goose Creek Association, Virginia Piedmont Heritage Association, Save Rural Loudoun, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Blue Ridge Mountain Civic Association, Piedmont Environmental Council, Citizens for Fauquier, Piedmont Foxhounds Conservation Fund.

Over the coming months, as the proposal is developed and plans are formally submitted to the Loudoun County planning commission, the coalition will become increasingly active in its opposition.

As of this writing (10-31-2025) the Eastwind proposal has not been formally submitted to Loudoun County.

Our opposition to the proposed development is based upon a number of factors including:

• The increased traffic on the already dangerous and overburdened intersection of Route 50 and Blue Ridge Mountain Road.
• Fragmenting and degrading the forest habitat, a wildlife corridor that is essential for species diversity and ecosystem health.
• Risks to the water supply. The recently released Loudoun County Groundwater Studyunderscores the growing severity of our water crisis. Wells have run dry, streams have vanished, and some communities have been forced to impose strict water rationing. Equally concerning is the question of wastewater—where will the sewage from such a large facility go, and how will it be treated?

The Eastwind proposal exposes a deep problem with the Loudoun County Zoning ordinance. The current zoning ordinance does not provide adequate protections for the mountain environment. The current ordinance does not prohibit Eastwind.

As the developer’s plans mature, Friends, and the coalition will be taking a number of steps to prevent its construction at such an environmentally site. At the same time, we are working with the Loudoun County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisor’s Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) to amend the zoning ordinance to prohibit this type of development anywhere in the Mountain Overlay District.