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1. Why did I receive a notification letter?

Notification of a public hearing is sent to property owners who abut or are immediately or diagonally across the street from a property that is the subject of a legislative application (i.e., rezoning or a special exception). Notification letters are sent to inform property owners that a change is being requested for a specific property giving them the opportunity to comment.

Two notification letters are sent prior to the Planning Commission public hearing and the Board of Supervisors’ public hearing. The first notice is mailed at least 21 and no more than 30 calendar days before the hearing with the second notice being mailed at least 5 calendar days before the hearing. If a public hearing is continued, then the second notice will be remailed.

2. How do I find out more about an application?

With the exception of Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPAMs), public files are maintained for all applications in the Department of Building and Development at the Land Development counter on the second floor of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., in Leesburg. Applications are also maintained electronically in the county’s Land Management Information System (LMIS). CPAM files are maintained in the Department of Planning on the third floor of the county government center. As a part of the new LOLA system, all application materials (i.e. submittal documents, county comments, staff reports, etc.) are available online.

If an application is going to a worksession, business meeting, or public hearing, whether before the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors, the staff report and attachments relating to the application are posted to the appropriate site on the Internet approximately one week prior to the scheduled meeting. The documents are posted by meeting date. Links to the documents are provided on the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors’ webpages.

3. What is the difference between a legislative and administrative application?

Legislative applications require a ratification or action by the Board of Supervisors. They are processed by the Planning Department and require public hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors which involve land use and/or density changes for properties. These application types are as follows:

• ZMOD-Zoning Modification
• ZMAP-Zoning Map Amendment
• ZCPA-Zoning Concept Plan Amendment
• ZRTD-ZMAP Conversion to Current Zoning Ordinance in the Route 28 Tax District
• SPEX-Special Exception
• SPMI-Minor Special Exception
• CMPT-Commission Permit
• CAPP-Certificate of Appropriateness*
• CAAM-CAPP Amendment*
• CPAM-Comprehensive Plan Amendment

Administrative applications (i.e. site plans, subdivision plans, etc.) are processed internally by the Department of Building and Development for uses that are permitted within a specific zoning district.

*These are legislative applications; however, they are reviewed by the Historic District Review Committee (HDRC).

4. What happens to the comments I submit online?

All comments submitted online for a specific application become part of the public record and are included in the public file and digitally archived within the county’s land development system LandMARC. All comments can be viewed through the online map as well as at the Department of Building and Development's Land Development Counter in the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E. in Leesburg, during normal business hours. In addition, all comments submitted prior to a public hearing are available for review by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Any comments received after a public hearing has been held will be provided to the appropriate decision-making body, dependent on where the application is in the process.

Citizens can also provide verbal and/or written comments at the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors public hearing. Public comment and correspondence, whether e-mailed, written, or spoken, are made part of the public record and are subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

5. What is the Loudoun County Real Estate Tax, Assessment, and Parcel Database?

Loudoun County is providing public record information as a public service in accordance with Virginia Code Title 58.1-3122.2 (1998). The Loudoun County Assessor provides annual valuations and maintenance of fair market values for equitable assessments on all types of real property. Parcels are also linked to the Loudoun County Geographic Information System (GIS), with map overlays displaying boundary and environmental information such as topography, soils, floodplain, and major roads. The property information made available on the website includes ownership and deed information, legal description, sales information, assessment values and house characteristics and can be searched by Parcel ID Number (PIN), Address, or Tax Map Number. The site is updated weekly.

• Assessment / Parcel Database
• Commissioner of the Revenue
• Treasurer's Office

6. What is Loudoun County’s Geographic Information System and WebLOGIS?

The Loudoun County Office of Mapping and Geographic Information is responsible for maintaining the county's Geographic Information System (GIS), the computerized mapping system.

The office in the Loudoun County Government Center produces and distributes maps and mapped data sets, assigns addresses, and approves all street names.

Maps and data about property, floodplains, soils, topography, zoning, streets, addresses and other topics are available. The office maintains a public information counter in the government center at 1 Harrison Street S.E., in Leesburg, where anyone can use the GIS and the county's Land Management Information System (LMIS) to find current land information maintained by various county offices.

WebLOGIS is Loudoun County’s Geographic Information System (GIS)-based mapping tool for the Internet. It was developed in 2001 to provide user-friendly access to the county’s GIS-mapped information resources. It interfaces with the assessment database, and is updated nightly with the most current parcel and address information.