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Board endorses St. Louis Village small-area plan nomination, moves toward implementation
Summary
After nearly four years of work, the board endorsed the St. Louis Village Small Area Plan, nominated the village for the National Register of Historic Places and authorized zoning and implementation steps to follow the CPAM and upcoming ZOAM review.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 10 endorsed the St. Louis Village Small Area Plan (CPAM) and directed staff to move into the zoning ordinance amendment phase and implementation steps, including nomination of the village to the National Register of Historic Places.
Supervisor Tacrone, who moved approval, said the plan marks “the first small area plan to be completed” in the county’s current village program and thanked task force members and staff for years of work. The motion passed by voice vote recorded as 8-0-1 with one supervisor off the dais.
Why it matters: The St. Louis Village Plan is the county’s initial model for its village small-area planning effort. The board’s approval moves the item from planning studies to implementation, including a ZOAM (zoning ordinance amendment) phase that will evaluate a village overlay and specific zoning regulations requested by residents.
What staff and the board said: Supervisor Tacrone thanked staff members Heidi Siebentritt and Jennifer Moore and the citizen task force including Madeline Skinner, Robin Eve Jasper and Dale Polan Myers. Tacrone noted the plan’s implementation chart includes water-quality work, stormwater drainage management, a speed-management study that VDOT is reviewing, and a possible pole-mounted speed display. She said the motion also nominates St. Louis Village for the National Register of Historic Places because the village is eligible for listing based on historic significance; she noted there is currently only one listed historic African American community in the county.
Public comment and task-force concerns: Madeline Skinner, a former task-force member, told the board she supported the plan but criticized the process transition from the task force to a design cabinet and said task-force members were not invited to a recent community meeting. Jennifer Imhoff, a St. Louis Village resident, said she felt heard during recent community meetings and urged protections including preserving the village as a predominantly residential historic village with passive park space where county land is taken over. Residents commented that they do not want commercial uses or housing developments in the village core.
Next steps and zoning: Supervisor Tacrone said the ZOAM phase will examine the zoning regulations that could implement the community’s wishes, including whether to allow any commercial uses. The implementation chart will guide work on water-quality fixes, stormwater, cell coverage and a speed-management study; Tacrone committed to ongoing community meetings during implementation.
Board reaction and history: Supervisor Kirschner and others praised the quality of staff work and resident engagement. Chair Randall, not present, provided a written statement read into the record highlighting commissioners Polan Myers and Jasper’s role in pausing the process earlier to ensure resident voices were heard. The board noted the plan was endorsed initially in January 2022 and took about four years to complete the planning and public-engagement phases.
Outcome: Motion to approve the comprehensive plan amendment and move to implementation, including nomination to the National Register, passed 8-0-1. The item does not go to the business meeting and the board directed staff to begin implementation tasks and the ZOAM phase and to keep the community informed.
