Clear cutting, water use, traffic sited by citizen groups
The proposed 146-acre Eastwind Blue Ridge project would involve land in Clarke, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties — with the majority of the development proposed for Loudoun County. This comes at a time when Loudoun County is considering modifications to its Mountain Overlay District that could prohibit commercial development on the mountain.
Eastwind operates hotels in New York’s Adirondack and Catskill mountains that offer “glamping” sites for about $250 a night as well as deluxe
hotel accommodations.
The proposed project is less than a mile from the Sky Meadows State Park; the Appalachian Trail crosses Route 50 about 200 yards from the site. While some might view a country retreat as an appropriate project for a rural landscape, the location of the project, say opponents, runs contrary to the planning efforts of all
three counties.
The pre-application concept for the development includes:
- Hotel with two buildings and a spa;
- A restaurant open to the public with a capacity seating of 88;
- Parking areas;
- Well(s) for a minimum of 9,000 gallons of water per day, with a septic/drainfield system to accommodate hotel and restaurant; and,
- Access and egress using the one lane Mt Weather Road from westbound Route 50 at Ashby Gap and onto 601 at the hairpin turn just south of Appalachian Trail parking lot.
The concept plan also envisions a venue for weddings and other events.
The Blue Ridge Mountain Civic Association, comprised of residents who live or own property accessible from Route 601 — Blue Ridge Mountain Road — are concerned the so-called “boutique getaway” would “destroy forest cover, degrade wildlife habitat, scar scenic and historic viewsheds, increase traffic, and threaten already diminishing supplies of safe groundwater while permanently altering the character of
the community.”
Blue Ridge Mountain Road traverses the mountain from U.S. 50 North to the intersection with Virginia Route 7. The project would increase traffic along the mountain on a road designed and engineered primarily to
serve residents.
The nonprofit Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains (FBRM) has voiced opposition also. Executive Director Larry Malone wrote recently in Loudoun Now, “The environmental cost extends beyond water. The thin soils, steep slopes, and fragile tree cover of the Blue Ridge cannot support this type of development. Clearing the land will destroy the trees that sustain the health of our air and soil.”
Malone added that each mature tree produces about 26 pounds of oxygen, sequesters 48 pounds of carbon dioxide, and filters roughly 500 gallons of rainwater every year. “With an average of 50 mature trees per acre, it’s easy to grasp the annual environmental loss from the clear-cutting,” said Malone.
According to the FBRM, a number of organizations are forming a coalition to oppose the project. These groups include Land Trust of Virginia, Friends of Sky Meadows, Piedmont Chapter Virginia Native Plant Society, Goose Creek Association, Virginia Piedmont Heritage Association, Save Rural Loudoun, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Blue Ridge Mountain Civic Association, Piedmont Environmental Council, Citizens for Fauquier County, DarkSky Virginia, Sierra Club Great Falls Group, and Piedmont Foxhounds Conservation Fund. The Downstream Project is provided web and communications support.
“Today, local residents, our communities, and fourteen dedicated organizations stand united to oppose this resort development,” said FBRM board member Bill Waite. “We must remember that the natural resources of Paris Mountain are finite — and once we allow them to be damaged or destroyed, they are lost to all of us forever. This mountain is not replaceable. Our duty is to protect it.”
The Loudoun County planning staff’s response to the concept plan identified elements that would require special exceptions. This means the project is not a “by-right” development in Loudoun County. Staff further noted that this part of the Mountain Overlay District includes “sensitive areas” and “moderate to very steep slopes.”
Loudoun County Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River), whose district includes the property, told guests at the FBRM at an October gathering that the setbacks and requested floor-area-ratio of the application might require a minor
special exception.
