At the May 9 regular meeting of the Middleburg Town Council, Genie Ford of the Middleburg Business & Professional Association reported on the group's most recent "Landlord Meeting," one of two already scheduled for May.

High on the list of concerns expressed by the dozen or so commercial space landlords in attendance were attracting new tenants, the town's water rates, the impact of the opening of the new Salamander Inn and Spa, and the need to preserve the "unique character" of Middleburg in the midst of what promised to be extraordinary changes in the near future.

According to Ford, many of the landlords were currently "at a loss" about how to fill some of the empty storefronts around town. Some, reportedly, simply "did not know what to do to rent their empty spaces."

All seemed to favor development of a promotional "portfolio" on Middleburg, filled with the latest economic data, visitor counts and shopper demographics, for distribution to those commercial real estate brokers who appeared to stop their search efforts for rentable commercial space "at Route 15."

The landlords' primary goal: to attract unique, interesting new businesses, with "realistic expectations" to Middleburg, and keep them here. The group was clearly not interested in attracting chain stores.

The group plans a second meeting on May 29.

Town Administrator Martha Semmes noted that she had already begun gathering "information that would present Middleburg in a good light to prospective tenants."

Semmes reported that she has also approached Kennedy Smith, former Director of the National Main Street Center, about consulting services. Smith, said Semmes, "understood small towns" and "was willing to help Middleburg" take advantage of all the new opportunities promised by the fall opening of Salamander.

Funding Change on Pendleton Street

On May 9 Town Council considered and passed a change to Salamander Inn & Spa's proffer of funds to adapt Pendleton Street to serve as the main access route to the front entrance of their new facilities. Town Planner and Zoning Administrator David Beniamino described the amendment as "a change to the proffers originally submitted by Salamander as a part of their rezoning in 2007." At that time, according to Beniamino, "Salamander was asked to change the features of Pendleton Street at the intersections of Marshall and Washington Streets."

Since then other developments, including a VDOT sidewalk project done last year and a new crosswalk now being planned, led Town staff to believe Salamander's original 2007 proffer was no longer "the best use of Salamander's money at this time".

The amendment allows the town to accept the funds proffered by Salamander immediately, and allows Town Council to be more flexible in the use of the money.

Beniamino noted that the Town Planning Commission had asked the Town Attorney to review the amendment to make sure the money would be spent on the Pendleton, Washington and Marshall intersections.

Prem Devadas, of Salamander Hospitality, affirmed that the proffer amendment was initiated by the Town, not by Salamander, and that his organization considered it a "win-win solution."

Councilmember Kevin Hazard informed Council that "the Planning Commission felt strongly" that the money should be left clearly earmarked for its original purposes, given that "the Town did not know what was going to happen in the future." He understood, he said, that Town Staff "was looking for flexibility" but thought "it would be an error to take the money and not use it on Pendleton Street."

Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk agreed that Pendleton Street was a top priority, but suggested the Planning Commission "would have to trust the Council to do what needed to be done with the money."

Town Planner Beniamino reminded Council that, ultimately, it was "in control of how he and the Town Administrator spent money." The goal of the amendment, he reiterated, "was to give Salamander assurance that its proffer would not be used for another street, but not to tie the Council's hands if the best use of the money was not on Washington Street."

Town Attorney Plowman noted pointedly "that if the proffer language tied the Council's hands too tightly, they could risk losing the funds."

Town Administrator Semmes reassured Council that the Town staff was not "dreaming up" plans for the use of the Salamander proffer. She also reminded Council "that the reason the proffer amendment was introduced was because Salamander was going to tear up and rebuild the Washington Street intersection in a way that may not be in the end product after the VDOT crosswalk project was done. On those grounds the staff thought it was better to have them give the Town the cash." VDOT, she added, was also appreciative "as this would stretch their project money."

No one had spoken at the required public hearing on the amendment held just prior to Council's discussion. After lengthy further debate by Council the amendment was passed, with only Councilmember Kevin Hazard voting to oppose it.

Pendleton Parking

Council also discussed at length changes in parking that would be required on Pendleton Street in preparation for the opening of Salamander, including the elimination of some parking spaces.

Salamander's Prem Devadas noted that his organization had already been in conversation with most, if not all the businesses that would be affected by the loss of parking. They were neighbors, he noted, and Salamander had no desire to hurt their businesses.

The Resort and Spa, he continued, had already devised a plan to lessen the impact of the Resort & Spa on Pendleton Street. Salamander, he noted, "would direct motorists who were exiting the resort to go to Foxcroft Road if they were traveling east and to go to Pickering Street if they were headed west." In his view, there should thus be little or no increase in traffic headed south down Pendleton Street. Most of the increase, his staff now assumed, would be in traffic headed north on Pendleton, on their way into the Resort.

Mayor Betsy Davis asked that the matter be put on the May work session agenda for further consideration.

Zoning Changes and McMansions

After two public hearings at which no one spoke, Council unanimously passed two zoning amendments restricting construction in Middleburg's R-2 district.

Both were designed, according to Zoning Administrator Beniamino, to "help keep new building lots and tear downs/rebuilds/additions in line with the remainder of the houses in that district."

The first amendment reduced the height allowed for new construction from 35 feet to 30 feet.

The second reduced the maximum allowable lot coverage from 35% to 30%.

The change in allowable height, Beniamino noted, "would allow for two story houses with pitched roofs" but "would not allow for three story homes." In combination, he observed, the changes should "keep new construction in line with the existing two-story homes in the Ridgeview Subdivision."

Middleburg Elementary

Mayor Davis reported on May 9 that she planned to speak personally to members of the Loudoun County School Board and "would let them know that she would do anything she could" to save the long-threatened Middleburg Elementary School.

Middleburg Elementary, designed roughly a century ago to serve around 140 students, now serves well less than half that number.

For cost reasons alone Loudoun County School Superintendent Ed Hatrick, the Chairman of the County School Board, and a majority of its members now appear more determined than ever to close it.

In an effort to save it, Janelle Stewart, President of the school's Parent-Teacher Organization, has been working with parents, teachers and friends to convert it to a Charter School.

On May 13, around 40 people met with Stewart, Blue Ridge District School Board member Jill Turgeon and School Board member at-large Thomas Reed to discuss progress and next steps.

With luck, according to Stewart, the school may be legally permitted to open as a charter school in the fall of 2014.

Former Town Council Member, teacher, and the mother and grandmother of two generations of Middleburg Elementary students Eura Lewis appeared to oppose the proposed conversion to charter.

Once it achieves "charter" status, children normally "assigned" to Middleburg Elementary would be formally assigned to other schools, most likely Banneker, Aldie and Lincoln. To attend their former "home" school they would then have to formally apply.

Mayor Davis reiterated that, from her perspective, the proposed closing of the school is "a huge concern for everyone" and in her view the Town was morally if not legally obligated to "pull out everything it could" to help save it.

Davis told Council that one of her biggest concerns was that "when the School Board discussed the cost to educate a child, all they looked at were the operating expenses divided by the number of students."

Noting that Middleburg Elementary School "shared a principal, combined some of its grades and used part-time employees" she thinks those numbers were "skewed." She also noted that Middleburg Elementary "did not incur water and sewer costs (they are provided free of charge by the town) nor did it have debt service."

She repeated that she was "working behind the scenes" to save the school and insisted that "anything the Council could do to help was important."

The Mayor and Town Council were invited to a tree-planting ceremony to honor Karen Roche, Principal of Middleburg Elementary, scheduled for Friday, May 24th at 1:00 p.m. at the school.

Police News

Senior Police Officer Mike Prince, standing in for Chief Panebiano, reported that the Middleburg Department had played a large role in making an arrest, in town, that closed a breaking and entering case that occurred outside of the town limits.

He was also pleased to report that the long awaited new heating system was at last up and running, just in time for the unseasonably cold weather this spring.

Thanks and Kudos

The Alumni Association of The Hill School has funded a complete restoration of Middleburg's unique hand made Christmas decorations. According to Mayor Davis only one of the Christmas Signs had to be completely replaced.

The Hill School will also allow the Town to store the signs in the Hill School barn, protected by a new set of custom cut cloth protective sleeves, and freeing up badly needed space in the Town Garage.

Mayor Davis and the Council congratulated Fern Bratten, of Salamander Touch, awarded the Front Line Employee of the Year Award at this year's Visit Loudoun's Award Luncheon. Judy Washburn, the Mayor noted, was nominated for the Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Red Fox Inn, Home Farm, Hunter's Head and Goodstone Inn were recognized as destination restaurants.

Town Council appointed Punkin' Lee and Marci Nadler to the Middleburg Arts Council Committee for two-year terms. They will serve through June 14, 2015.