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Planning commission approves Loudoun County Public Schools’ Sterling Welcome Center and forwards permit to supervisors
Summary
The commission approved the commission permit for an LCPS Student Welcome Center in Sterling Park and will forward the permit to the Board of Supervisors for ratification; the center will be an adaptive reuse of a county‑owned 5,612‑square‑foot building.
The Loudoun County Planning Commission on Jan. 28 voted to approve the LCPS Student Welcome Center commission permit (LRDG 2024‑033) and forward the permit to the Board of Supervisors for ratification.
Rachel Evenchuck (Department of Planning and Zoning) summarized the application: the request seeks a standalone commission permit to adaptively reuse a county‑owned 5,612‑square‑foot former bank/urgent care building on a 1.35‑acre parcel in Sterling Park as an LCPS Student Welcome Center. The county purchased the site about a year earlier and plans to lease it to Loudoun County Public Schools for up to 12 years.
Jefferson Miller, planner for LCPS, and Charice Rosario, LCPS director of English Learner programs, described the Welcome Center’s services: bilingual and multilingual intake and registration for families whose first language is not English, eligibility screening for English Learner (EL) services, international transcript evaluations (primarily for secondary students), language‑dominance screening to inform special‑education referrals, referral and family‑engagement services, and centralized processing so families with students at multiple grade levels can be served in a single location. The district said the center will serve eastern Loudoun and complement an existing Leesburg Welcome Center; staff cited historical intake data showing substantial demand and explained that registrations are steady year‑round with peaks in summer and January.
There were no public speakers. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about scope (staff confirmed the center’s services cover K‑12 registrations and that international transcript evaluations concentrate on secondary grades), staffing and how the county acquisition and the LCPS lease were coordinated. The applicant said the center operates by appointment and provides assessment, registration and referral services; instructional services for EL students will continue to be delivered at their home schools.
Chair Kehr moved that the commission approve the commission permit based on findings provided in the staff report and the commission permit plat dated Dec. 16, 2024, and forward the permit to the Board of Supervisors for ratification. Vice Chair Miller seconded. The motion carried (7 in favor, 1 opposed; Commissioner Myers opposed; Commissioner Frank absent).
