Leesburg Town Council raises concerns over downtown parking plan | LoudounTimes.

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Leesburg Town Council raises concerns over downtown parking plan

Tuesday, Mar. 22 by Laura Peters | 8 comments | Email this story

Leesburg residents voiced mixed concerns as they petitioned the Town Council about the
downtown improvement plan during thhe council’s meeting March 22.

During the council’s March 21 work session, members were presented with two alternatives to
the already approved downtown improvement plan.

The approved plan would create:

- five street trees
- four of the 12 spaces remain (two at each end of King Street) for loading, parking or both
- widened sidewalks
- mid-block crosswalks
- nine street lights
- widened pedestrian sidewalks

“We have an opportunity to vitalize our town. It’s not about parking. It’s about concerts and
dinners,” said Michael Connor, who owns several buildings in downtown Leesburg. “This is
what the Downtown Improvement Committee has strived for. This gives the town the
opportunity to become vibrant.”

Both alternatives presented would create more parking downtown, which has been the general
consensus of what residents and business owners want.
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“I’m honored to run Leesburg Restaurant. I have a real fear, if we lose parking on King Street, Morven Park―Loudoun’s hidden
what will happen to our restaurant,” Robin Peacemaker, whose family owns and operates treasure
Leesburg Restaurant, said. “I’m not misinformed or angry. I’m mystified that I have to justify
why I’m standing before you all and ask you to change this. I find it’s necessary because
parking on King Street is vital to downtown Leesburg.”

Mayor Kristen Umstattd wishes to keep a majority of the parking spaces by amending the Stay
current proposal. Connected

“Merchants were coming before Christmas asking us to protect the parking spaces on King
Street,” Mayor Umstattd said. “Ample street parking is vital to the success of the downtown
businesses.”
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“This is the compromise to allow the businesses on King Street to survive. Even if we take on Twitter

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away most of the parking, they will fail because of the customers that come to downtown News | Sports
Leesburg,” the mayor continued. “Save the parking, and in my opinion save the downtown.”

“Everybody in this room wants downtown Leesburg to be economically vibrant and a place to
visit. How do we get there and how do we make it work?” Peter Burnett, a Leesburg lawyer,
asked the council. “To me it’s critical that we come together as a community. It’s not going to Like Us
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work well if we start with a disagreement.” News | Sports

Burnett is spearheading a petition entitled “Working Together” so citizens can debate the
downtown improvement program for two months so the businesses can work together to get
to an agreement.
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Council member Katie Hammler pointed out that the two alternative plans were only presented via RSS
less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. Normally, it takes two weeks of discussion if the News | Sports
decision is one that involves a large amount of citizen concern and input.

“We owe it to ourselves to take time with this,” Hammler said.

“Let’s get everybody behind everybody. I will make a decision in two or three months, when Join Our
you come back to us - however it comes out,” Council member Marty Martinez said. “I came to Email List
Leesburg and stayed in Leesburg for a reason. I’m not doing this to hurt anyone, I’m looking Sign up for
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to do the best thing for Leesburg.”

“I’d just like to stop this nonsense and let us move forward. We’ve got plenty of time for you to
come back and discuss this,” Martinez continued.

“I don’t see anything we need to do to South King Street, except for street lights and the nice
crosswalks,” Council member Ken Reid said.

The Town Council voted 6-1 to postpone the issue until June 12. All options except the
previous approved plan will be considered. The Loudoun Times-Mirror

Comments is an interactive, digital replica

of the printed newspaper.
Open the e-edition now.
Wed, Mar 23 at 01:00 PM by insanity says what:

View our other print publications available online.

Fight? She’s advocating the status quo, no change. How is that fighting? It’s
fighting for nothing, for doing nothing. That’s the type of Mayor you want,
identifying a deficiency then voting to keep it right the way it is.

Wed, Mar 23 at 10:15 AM by leesburgmom:

Weekly Hello Loudoun Bridal Guide
Homes Guide County 2010-11 2011

Dear Mayor: Thank God you are the mayor of this town. Keep up the good
fight.

Wed, Mar 23 at 09:27 AM by what a waste of time this has been:

2011 Future Health and Summer
Leaders Beauty 2011 Camps 2011
Keeping the status quo means, keeping the status quo. The whole idea of an
“improvements project” was spawned because everybody had the feeling that
the downtown wasn’t functioning well enough, and some changes needed to be
made.

Eliminating the on-street parking (of a Business Route 15, a multi-state State 2010 2010 Taste Coming
Home & Garden of Loudoun Soon
highway, mind you) and making it more pedestrian friendly while also
providing the option for outside dining for these (or future) restaurants, was
the prime first element.

Now all these thinkers want to chop it back to nothing…which is where it is

today, and where the whole discussion began.

Wed, Mar 23 at 09:22 AM by LoveLeesburg:

I generally have great respect for the Mayor, but these melodramatic comments
are truly beneath her. When she says, “Save the parking, and in my opinion

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Leesburg Town Council raises concerns over downtown parking plan | LoudounTimes.com 3/23/11 2:37 PM

save the downtown,” does she mean save 4 street spots, 8 street spots, 12 street
spots? Does she believe the future of Leesburg depends on these few parking
spots? If so, and if this approach carries the day, Town will continue to decline
and lingerie shops, tattoo parlors, bail bondsmen and the like will be our
future. But, hey, at least there will be a few street spots from which people can
run in and out of such places quickly!

Come on, Mayor. Come on, Council. You were elected for leadership and
vision and to make the tough decisions. So, make ‘em.

Wed, Mar 23 at 08:47 AM by Marilyn:

Amazing to me that the business owners as well as residents don’t realize that
is why Leesburg will never be revitalized. My husband and I have lived in
Lucketts for going on 29 years and have watched the downtown area basically
die. Tell me what is wrong with people parking in the parking structure and
actually enjoying a healthy walk to visit the stores and restaurants. That is why
the Harris Teeter area as well as Wegman’s has been so successful. You park
and walk!!

Wed, Mar 23 at 08:08 AM by russ:

I’ve found that the existing traffic lights in downtown L-burg sufficiently
regulate traffic so that crossing streets never takes more than a 30-second wait,
whereas finding a parking space takes far longer.

Wed, Mar 23 at 08:07 AM by LoveLeesburg:

Actually, I think I am like most residents when I say, half the time I can’t find a
place to park on the street anyway so I use the convenient garage.

Wed, Mar 23 at 07:38 AM by Walt:

I think that I am like most residents when I say “if I can’t park then I’ll go
somewhere else”. I can always find somewhere else to shop and eat.

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