The Purcellville Town Council has plans to vacate a part of a floodplain to create an eastbound ramp for the planned Purcellville interchange. However, questions remain even after the council’s vote on January 23 due to resistance from the Catoctin Meadows Homeowners Association.
Planned Purcellville Interchange
The Purcellville Town Council decided on January 23 to clear a small portion of land to build an eastbound ramp. This will be part of the planned Purcellville interchange at routes 7 and 690 at the edge of town. During the meeting on January 23, council member Mary Jane Williams and Mayor Stanley Milan said there was new information on the subject.
This new information concerned the negotiations between Loudoun County and the Catoctin Meadows Homeowners Association, which owns the portion of land in question. The HOA opposes the eastbound ramp. Milan stated he is disappointed that the County and HOA are not working together in good faith. They have discovered that the HOA will not work things out but instead, use deny and delay tactics.
The Times-Mirror filed a request according to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. In this request, they asked for the emails between the Town Council and the HOA’s board members. The emails included correspondence between an HOA member and the board president, Tip Stinnette. This email seems to have been sent accidentally to the Town Council. The email outlines the board’s plan to delay the Purcellville interchange approval process at every turn.
Emails Reveal the HOA’s Strategy
According to the exchange, the board’s strategy for dealing with the council included negotiating to sell the land of less than half an acre to the county or to force them to take the land by eminent domain. A letter to the members of Catoctin Meadows included in the email indicates a “strategy within a strategy.” This strategy is to use delaying tactics to halt the project.
In early 2023, Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet said that indefinite delays caused by the HOA or the town could lead to the recommendation to remove the project from the county’s capital improvement program. As a result, they would return the state’s Smart Scale funds and the project would not be reconsidered for 5-10 years. The board is using this to their advantage according to the emails. They want to ensure the Purcellville interchange does not encroach at all on HOA property.
The strategy also includes a sub-strategy to delay the Town’s decision to vacate the easement agreement with the HOA. These put the County’s goal of obtaining funding from the state and federal government at risk. The county will need to proceed without an eastbound ramp if the Town does not vacate the easement agreement. However, if the Town does vacate the easement agreement, the HOA will appeal because the Commonwealth doesn’t explicitly permit localities to permit floodplain easements. Vacating the agreement will cause irreparable damage to the wetlands and South Fork Catoctin Creek.
According to the email, the appeal must be filed within 30 days of the decision. The HOA is looking for legal representation for the case, and this will further delay the project. In summary, the board aims to delay the approval process at every turn to ensure there will be no encroachment.
Mayor’s Disappointment
Milan originally wanted to support the HOA but has changed his mind since reading the emails. This is especially true because the HOA president is a former Town Council member. Ron Rise Sr., who is part of the town’s Planning Commission, is also leading the HOA’s efforts along with Stinnette.
Milan said the email was alarming because he said he wouldn’t abandon the community when speaking from the dais. This was based on all parties being upfront and coming up with a solution that was agreeable to everyone. He said it was shocking and disturbing that they were collaborating against the county and town to lose federal funding. Moreover, he said it was unconscionable.
Another Planning Commission member, Jason Dengler, was also vocally opposed to the county’s easement request. However, he resigned from his seat on January 25 according to Milan.
The HOA’s Response
Stinnette defended the conduct of the HOA board. He maintained that the board was fully transparent about their strategy to delay the construction of the eastbound ramp of the Purcellville interchange. According to him, they socialized this strategy with the residents on every occasion. They have also freely articulated it with Council members who have asked for their input. Moreover, he mentioned delaying the ramp will “cast sunlight” on other issues with the constriction.
Among these issues included the impact the easement would have on the wetlands, green space, and Catoctin Creek. There is also a dissonance between the estimated low traffic reflected in the 2018 traffic study, aggravated by the Council’s denial of the Fields Farm and Park and Ride applications, and the impact on the vicinity and the downstream floodplain.
Stinnette also added that moving slowly is wise given the project’s complexity. The county is interested in securing grant money from the state and federal governments as soon as possible. Moreover, they are interested in removing the town’s interest in the land. These would allow the county to process the grant applications and satisfy its conditions. However, slowing this process down would shed light on important concerns before constructing the eastbound ramp of the Purcellville interchange.
County spokesman Glen Barbour said they will proceed with negotiations to acquire the half-acre of land now that the issue of the floodplain has been settled. However, he is unable to offer specific details regarding the timeline.
