Planning commission recommends final St. Louis Village Plan with edits, asks staff to add drain-field review

The Loudoun County Planning Commission on June 12 voted to adopt a resolution recommending approval of the draft St. Louis Village Plan, with edits captured in Attachment 3 and additional language directing staff to draft text about assessing the operating capacity of individual septic/drain fields as well as community sewer options.

The vote, made by Commissioner Cliff Jasper and seconded by Chair Keirce, carried 7-0-2 with Commissioners Banks and Combs absent. The commission also accepted a set of staff-led revisions meant to clarify implementation steps and to include an implementation table reflecting policy actions and leads.

Why it matters: The plan is the small-area plan for the unincorporated village of St. Louis and will guide zoning, infrastructure, and conservation decisions for the rural historic village and surrounding buffers. Commissioners and residents said they want clearer timelines and more detail in the implementation section so future boards, staff and residents can track progress on water, roads, historic preservation and other action items.

Staff summary and community outreach

Jennifer Moore, community planning manager in the Department of Planning and Zoning, reviewed the plan and the CPAM (Comprehensive Plan Amendment) history. She told the commission that a task force had produced the draft and that the county and the Loudoun County Design Cabinet had hosted design charrettes and multiple community meetings. The draft includes chapters on water and natural resources, heritage resources, infrastructure and community facilities, and land use; it ends with an implementation table that organizes proposed actions by policy and lead department.

Public comment and community perspective

Madeline Skinner, speaking for the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance and a former task force member, praised volunteer contributions by the Loudoun County Design Cabinet and urged the county to craft a strong educational communications strategy. “Our villages mean so much to those who live in and around them,” Skinner said, urging small-area plans for other rural historic villages such as Lucketts, Willisville and Paeonian Springs.

Key issues raised by commissioners

- Implementation detail and timelines: Commissioners Cliff Jasper and Mark Keirce repeatedly said the implementation table is an important addition but asked staff to make sure actions in the table are supported by text in the plan and, where feasible, include estimated timelines or an explanation of why a timeline cannot be set.

- Short-term measures vs. long-term studies: Commissioner Baez Myers pressed staff to capture short-term, lower-cost fixes the community raised repeatedly—examples include rumble strips, solar-powered flashing speed signs and other interim traffic-calming measures—so residents know those items have been heard even as the county pursues a longer speed-management study. Myers said: “...people were talking about immediately wanting things like the possibility of looking at rumble strips out there so that that's something that's not expensive that could be done.”

- Water and septic systems: Commissioners and residents asked for clearer treatment of well water and on-site septic/drain-field issues. Stuart Vermack of Extension Services, who discussed the county’s voluntary well-testing program, said the testing program is educational and individualized and not designed to produce a statistically representative community-wide sampling. “I can share the aggregate data, but I really don't think it has representative bearing on what would inform future actions for this commission,” he said. Still, commissioners pressed staff to include in the plan an action to evaluate existing individual drain fields and alternatives—beyond assuming any failing systems must connect to public sewer—and to document funding options and potential phasing.

- Zoning and boundaries: Commissioners asked staff to clarify how the Village Conservation Overlay District (VCOD), the rural historic village boundary in the general plan, and the draft small-area plan boundary will be reconciled (staff said that will be addressed through a future zoning ordinance amendment (ZOAM) and CPAM where required).

- Community facilities and Banneker Elementary: Commissioners reiterated interest in policies that address reuse of school buildings as community facilities if schools close, and asked staff to strengthen plan language so communities understand the possible reuse pathways.

Commission action and instructions to staff

The commission voted to forward the CPAM package—Attachment 3 edits and the recommended resolution—to the Board of Supervisors. The motion included a direction that staff draft language to explicitly address assessing the operating capacity of individual septic/drain fields in addition to reviewing public sewer capacity, and to incorporate agreed wording from Attachment 3 into the plan text so the implementation table and report body align.

What happens next

The draft plan and the commission's resolution will go to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for final action. Staff told commissioners they will continue to refine proffer-style implementation language, consider adding clearer timelines where feasible, and work with other county departments (including DTCI and Loudoun Water) to flesh out water, sewer and road implementation steps.

Speakers

- Madeline Skinner, former member, St. Louis Task Force; Loudoun Historic Village Alliance (public comment, 06/12/2025) - Jennifer Moore, Community Planning, Department of Planning and Zoning (staff presentation, 06/12/2025) - Teresa Stein, Division Manager, Community Planning (staff) - Stuart Vermack, Extension Services (well-testing program, 06/12/2025) - Lehi Barber, Public Affairs (outreach) - Commissioner Cliff Jasper (commissioner lead on motion) - Commissioner Baez Myers (commissioner) - Commissioner Mark Keirce (Chair) - Vice Chair Miller

Authorities

No statutes or county code provisions were cited verbatim in the commission discussion. The plan and subsequent actions reference: CPAM 2020-21 St. Louis Village Plan; the County’s Village Conservation Overlay District (VCOD); and the Code of Virginia and county permitting processes generally for future ZOAMs and implementation steps.

Actions

- Kind: resolution_recommendation motion: "I move that the planning commission approve and adopt the resolution and attachment for recommending approval of CPAM 2020-21 St. Louis Village Plan with edits as provided in Attachment 3 and including language about the operating capacity of individual drain fields in addition to the community sewer to be drafted." (verbatim motion text discussed on record) mover: "Commissioner Cliff Jasper" second: "Chair Mark Keirce" vote_record: [{"member":"Cliff Jasper","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Mark Keirce","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Vice Chair Miller","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Commissioner Frank","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Commissioner Moderetti","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Commissioner [others]","vote":"yes"}] tally: {"yes":7,"no":0,"abstain":0} outcome: "approved" notes: "Motion included direction to staff to draft additional language on assessing individual drain-field capacity; Attachment 3 edits to be incorporated into final draft."

Discussion_vs_Decision

- discussion_points: ["Need for clearer timelines and implementation tracking","Community requests for short-term traffic calming measures","Concerns about well water results and the limits of voluntary well testing","Desire for clarity on VCOD and small-area plan boundaries","Interest in reuse path for Banneker Elementary and other community facilities"] - directions: ["Staff to draft language evaluating operating capacity of individual septic/drain fields in addition to Loudoun Water capacity review","Staff to incorporate Attachment 3 edits into plan text so implementation table aligns with report body","Staff to coordinate with DTCI and Loudoun Water on water/sewer study inputs and timelines"] - decisions: ["Commission forwards CPAM to Board of Supervisors with recommended edits and added language on drain-field capacity"]

Clarifying details

- {"category":"well_testing_count","detail":"number_tested","value":44,"units":"samples","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Stuart Vermack"} - {"category":"public_meetings","detail":"number_of_community_meetings_2022-2025","value":"6 meetings; multiple task force meetings and charrettes","approximate":false}

Proper_names: [{"name":"St. Louis Village","type":"location"},{"name":"Loudoun Historic Village Alliance","type":"organization"},{"name":"Loudoun County Design Cabinet","type":"organization"},{"name":"Department of Planning and Zoning","type":"agency"},{"name":"Loudoun Water","type":"agency"},{"name":"Banneker Elementary School","type":"school"}]

Community_relevance

- geographies: ["St. Louis (Loudoun County)"] - funding_sources: ["not specified; county, state, and potential grants referenced in discussion"] - impact_groups: ["residents of St. Louis village","property owners in rural historic villages","commuters on St. Louis Road/Snake Hill Road"]

Searchable_tags: ["St. Louis Village Plan","CPAM","rural historic village","Loudoun County","drain fields","well testing","speed management"]

Provenance: {"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"s=718.755-e=736.71","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"start of public comment and staff presentation on CPAM St. Louis Village Plan","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s=6593.94-e=6602.68","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Commission vote: 'That motion carries 7 0 2 with commissioners Banks and Combs absent for the vote.'","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

salience:{"overall":0.78,"overall_justification":"Large public interest, lengthy commission debate, formal recommendation sent to Board of Supervisors, multiple implementation actions affecting infrastructure and water."}