Like Mother Nature, "Development" seems to hate a vacuum. . . especially the "wide open spaces" that make western Loudoun the gem of the County.

Despite widespread and vocal public protest the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors seems to be moving inexorably toward June approval of a new "guide for land use and transportation policy" generally known as the Loudoun Comprehensive Plan.

They must reconsider.

As currently configured the plan allows for, and thus empowers those who will profit from, the continued westward crawl of massive, high-density development, with all its negative consequences

In March the Board gave the nod to such development along Metro's Silver Line: more than 3,700 homes, including more than 380 townhouses and more than 3,300 apartments, and more than a million square feet of commercial development

Now we seem doomed to watch penetration of the so-called "transition zone" separating the high-density east from the rural west by similar "planning," harmful not only to last remaining barriers to environmentally critical open space, but inevitably and totally destructive to the county's own, often-voiced uniquely appealing cultural and natural asset: the historic, beautiful, and environmentally critical west.

Kudos to COLT (the Coalition of Loudoun Towns), to each and every one of the citizens and friends of Loudoun County, and to all the non-profit and private sector advocates who have called, written, and showed up at hearings and meetings to protest.

They need our support. Stand with them and be counted.