Last night’s Kincora hearing brought out an interesting mix of community members, according to an article on the meeting in the Loudoun Independent.

A mostly supportive crowd showed up in Leesburg Monday night to praise a zoning request to build a massive community of shops, offices, hotels and homes that would surround a performing arts center and a baseball stadium at the top of Route 28 in Ashburn.

“I want my eventual kids to go there,” said enthusiastic Loudoun resident and local freelance sportswriter Jason Rufner. “Now is the right time, and this is the right project…I want it next door to me. Give it to me!” – Loudoun Independent

Quoted in the article are a few people who live in the area (and support baseball), a business executive who may want a headquarters there, and Supervisor Jim Burton.

Regarding supervisors, several expressed discomfort with the developer’s plan to levy a special assessment on future tenants as a means to help pay for future road improvements. Concerns arose over whether Kincora would ever have enough tenants to pay for its promised infrastructure fixes.

“I think it is extremely optimistic to think that the entire 2.5 million square feet of office space will build out,” said Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge). “And I think 1,400 homes is excessive.” – Loudoun Independent

It appears that the fundamental question presented by Kincora, and development like Kincora which requests a change in the County’s master plan, is to what degree a given piece of land should be developed. It is pretty clear that something is going to be built at the southwest corner of Rt. 7 and Rt. 28. It’s also clear that people want the baseball park that’s been proposed for that site. It seems also that some local businesses would like to expand into that area.

However, Supervisor Burton’s questions are well asked. How much should be built there? And how should it be paid for?Just because people want baseball in Loudoun, that doesn’t mean that citizens want another high-density mixed-use development.

If given final approval by supervisors, the Kincora project would allow the development of up to 2,722,200 square feet of office space, 398,825 square feet of commercial, 575,000 square feet of hotel space, equal to 720 rooms, 1,400 multi-family units and 277,000 square feet of civic uses. Included in the civic uses are a fire-rescue station and a performing arts center. Of the residential units, 300 are associated with a proposed minor league baseball stadium and 228 will be Affordable Dwelling Units and workforce housing. As part of a separate application, the Board of Supervisors already has granted approval to allow the construction of a 5,500-seat, 75,000-square-foot baseball stadium, 901,211 square feet of office in eight buildings and 74,000 square feet of auxiliary uses including restaurants, banks and other services for employees and visitors. – Leesburg Today

In fact, the election of 2007 appeared to indicate that people want less development in Loudoun, and keeping with the master plan is probably the most prudent course. The degree of additional density proposed for Kincora may be more than the public realizes.

This is the very point that Supervisor McGimsey has made when asking about this proposal. Sure, let’s have baseball and some high-class office space, but do we also need houses, condos and tons of business space that will be added as well? Or are we better off sticking to the master plan and allowing the massive inventories of houses and office space already. It is even possible that building a mixed-use development at this location will weaken the marketability of the office space there.

[Loudoun County Planning] Commission member Peggy Maio (Blue Ridge), who along with Gigi Robinson (Leesburg) voted against the recommendation, said the mix of residential housing among business for the development is too high.

“This will send a mixed message to the office market that Kincora is not the landmark office employment park that they are promoting,” Maio said.

In addition, she said the percentages of office, residential and retail space proposed for Kincora Village are too high for the mixed-use zoning business district it’s planned for. – Loudoun Times-Mirror

Adding to these concerns is the developer’s means for funding Kincora. The funding means proposed for this work, a future assessment on “eventual tenants,” is unreliable. Just like Mr. Rufner’s “eventual children” in attendance at the proposed baseball field, it is unwise to base concrete planning on highly subjective eventualities. Especially when the developer’s proposed funding mechanism, the assessment on tenants, has the effect of reducing the attractiveness of the office space to those tenants. Remember that we already have a plethora of unoccupied office space in the region.

To be clear, I do not think that Kincora is necessarily a bad idea for that location. I just think that there remain a number of questions that are worth answering. I believe that our Supervisors do well to examine these kinds of applications – applications which require a modification of the county’s master plan – in detail and with a careful eye.

We need those answers more than we need baseball.

If we get good answers, then I say, play ball!