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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
VML Lauds Leesburg Development Process Improvements
Posted by:
Loudoun County News
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Date: September 08, 2011 12:37PM
VML Lauds Leesburg Development Process Improvements
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_9f97155c-d99b-11e0-b345-001cc4c03286.html
The Town of Leesburg has received state recognition for the impressive turn-around of its land development process improvements.
The town was recently notified that it won a 2011 Achievement Award from the Virginia Municipal League for its initiative to overhaul its once cumbersome land development application and permit process.
That initiative was jumpstarted in late 2007, following Wolf Furniture's announcement that it would abandon plans to open a furniture showroom on Fort Evans Road and put its land up for sale. President J. Douglas Wolf pointed to the town's lengthy land development review process with "indefinite timetables." Town Manager John Wells and the Town Council would lead the charge to changing the town's negative reputation and put in motion several overhauls, including the launch of the Plan Review Department, the assignment of a project manager to each application and the focus on a "customer service approach" to the review process.
"No organization wants to be faced with a system failure," Town Manager John Wells stated. "But when that did happen to Leesburg, I'm proud of how we responded. We owned up to our shortcomings. We didn't just tweak the system. We completely reorganized our land development processes, including the creation of a new department that now has ownership of the site plan approval process."
In addition to the award, the progress appears to have paid off, as Wolf Furniture announced earlier this year it would re-start its Leesburg project and now plans a Labor Day 2012 opening.
Leesburg's entry was judged to be the best entry in the category for local governments with populations between 35,001 and 90,000. There were eight categories submitted in this category. The entries in the five population categories were evaluated on criteria that emphasized innovation, efficiency and entrepreneurship.
Leesburg officials will be presented with the award during the VML annual conference Oct. 4 in Henrico County. A copy of the town's winning nomination can be found online at www.leesburgva.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8024.
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_9f97155c-d99b-11e0-b345-001cc4c03286.html
The Town of Leesburg has received state recognition for the impressive turn-around of its land development process improvements.
The town was recently notified that it won a 2011 Achievement Award from the Virginia Municipal League for its initiative to overhaul its once cumbersome land development application and permit process.
That initiative was jumpstarted in late 2007, following Wolf Furniture's announcement that it would abandon plans to open a furniture showroom on Fort Evans Road and put its land up for sale. President J. Douglas Wolf pointed to the town's lengthy land development review process with "indefinite timetables." Town Manager John Wells and the Town Council would lead the charge to changing the town's negative reputation and put in motion several overhauls, including the launch of the Plan Review Department, the assignment of a project manager to each application and the focus on a "customer service approach" to the review process.
"No organization wants to be faced with a system failure," Town Manager John Wells stated. "But when that did happen to Leesburg, I'm proud of how we responded. We owned up to our shortcomings. We didn't just tweak the system. We completely reorganized our land development processes, including the creation of a new department that now has ownership of the site plan approval process."
In addition to the award, the progress appears to have paid off, as Wolf Furniture announced earlier this year it would re-start its Leesburg project and now plans a Labor Day 2012 opening.
Leesburg's entry was judged to be the best entry in the category for local governments with populations between 35,001 and 90,000. There were eight categories submitted in this category. The entries in the five population categories were evaluated on criteria that emphasized innovation, efficiency and entrepreneurship.
Leesburg officials will be presented with the award during the VML annual conference Oct. 4 in Henrico County. A copy of the town's winning nomination can be found online at www.leesburgva.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=8024.