Why Does Loudoun Lag Behind In Protecting Blue Ridge

Loudouners Don’t Want Development In Their Mountains

Peter Weeks, president
Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains
May 4, 2026

On May 4, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors debated the instructions to staff regarding changes
in the zoning ordinance affecting the Mountain Overlay District. Comments by Peter Weeks appear below.

Clarke and Fauquier Counties do not permit by right non-residential development on the shared mountainside of Blue Ridge and Paris mountains.

Why does Loudoun County lag behind in protecting our mountains?  This is why developers target Loudoun to build incompatible enterprises and will continue to be encouraged to do so if we weaken the MOD ordinances.  Isn’t there a lesson to be drawn from the proliferation of data centers?  Loudouners don’t want more data centers, and they don’t want more development in their mountains.

My Bullet Points:

• We’ve gone from a 500’ setback from streams and springs to 300 (our current ordinance) and now they are asking for a 100’ setback in the MOD. This is a matter of public safety to protect our drinking water by keeping the current ordinance.
• Allow fences associated with residential and agricultural production uses on the MOD without the need for a grading permit.
• We support proactive zoning enforcement for nonresidential covered activities within the rural policy area, including an analysis of current facilities as a matter of public safety.
• We support Supervisor TeKrony’s motion to require a minor special exception for all nonresidential covered activities in the somewhat sensitive and sensitive areas of the MOD, except for bona fide agricultural uses.
• Require non-residential covered activities to show that a minimum of 50% of the existing forested areas are retained onsite.

Thank you to our supporters here in numbers to protect the mountains!