Toll Brothers Inc. has pivoted. The developer changed the plans it had for Cedar Terrace, a new development in South Riding adjacent to the South Riding Market Square, from primarily residential to primarily commercial as a result of new airport-related noise ordinances in Loudoun County.
Toll Brothers has been working on plans to build this mixed-use project since 2021, when it broke away from the Avonlea development, a larger project run by the Peterson Cos.
The prospective land is located within the Airport Impact Overlay District, the area surrounding Dulles International Airport where county officials have implemented a special zoning designation in order to protect prospective residents from excess airplane noise.
On January 17, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to amend the AIOD map to align with findings from 2019 updates to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s noise exposure map. The vote updated the boundaries of the AIOD and prohibits new residential buildings in the zone with the highest noise level, categorized as Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) 65 or more.
The original plan for Cedar Terrace presented by Toll Brothers contained 1,098 dwelling units, nearly all of which were within the DNL 65+ zone, and 81,300 square feet of commercial space.
Dulles District Supervisor Matt Letourneau said in a Facebook post that he opposed the plan in its original iteration.
“In meetings with Toll Brothers, I told them I would not support that much density, and that new residential in the 65+ DNL would not be permitted. I asked them to reimagine with the project with a larger retail component and less housing,” Letourneau said.
As a result of the new ordinances, the company submitted a new proposal just days after the AIOD’s amendments passed. That proposal decreased the number of residential units to 393 (none within the DNL 65+ zone) and increased the commercial space to 222,000 square feet.
According to a statement from Toll Brothers, the new Cedar Terrace plan “will continue to provide diverse housing options, more dining, and entertainment options, as well as open space and public park areas that promote pedestrian activity and interconnectivity within the community and adjacent retail center.”
Letourneau said that he is, “encouraged by the changes in this proposal, which have moved it in the right direction.” The proposal will now go through a staff review process before the developers can present the plan to the planning commission.
“We are hopeful that the county will work expeditiously with us to implement the new plans for this vibrant area and look forward to the ultimate success of this development,” Toll Brothers said.
Feature rendering courtesy Loudoun County
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