MWAA: Loudoun Must Stick To July 4 Deadline

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s CEO says the agency will not grant a request by three members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to extend a deadline for a critical decision affecting Phase 2 of the Silver Line rail project to Dulles Airport.

In an exclusive interview with WAMU 88.5, CEO Jack Potter said MWAA will not extend Loudoun County’s deadline to December to decide whether to opt out of the $2.7 billion rail link. The current deadline is July 4; the board of supervisors is expected to vote the day prior.

On Monday, the three board members issued a list of 21 "considerations" upon which their support may ride (pdf) and requested a six-month deadline extension. If the nine-member board votes to opt out, the start of Phase 2 would be delayed at least 18 months.

"We are looking forward to a decision on July 3," said Potter, who said Loudoun officials were already granted a 30-day extension that pushed the final decision into next month.

Although only four of nine county supervisors currently support Phase 2, Potter said he was optimistic Loudoun will opt in.

"They are starting to address some of the more challenging issues with Phase 2. One of the biggest issues they have is how to finance Phase 2. The fact that they are actively engaged in discussions about tax districts and finding other means of dealing with the funding, I find that encouraging.” Potter said.

A proposal to create a special tax district around the planned Metro stops west of the airport was one of three ideas the Loudoun board agreed to consider to pay for the county’s $270 million Phase 2 commitment. The board has scheduled a work session on June 29 to decide on a financing framework before the final vote. The tax district would levy taxes on commercial properties that stand to benefit from the presence of a Metro stop nearby.

Supervisor Ken Reid (R-Leesburg) said he would support Metrorail to Loudoun if the board approves the proposal for the special tax district. Reid has been on the fence.

"Looking at the numbers, it looks to me that it will help pay for the cost of Dulles rail without burdening the rest of the county," said Reid, who maintains that the Silver Line would not solve the county’s transportation problems. "I still think that some of our conditions… are things the Airports Authority and WMATA should be discussing with us," said Reid, who said he never intended to make the "opt in consideration" an ultimatum.

"I think that many of the issues there are beyond anyone’s control," said Potter. "It's great for someone to have a wish list for what they would like to have in a perfect world, but much of what they wrote down is unattainable."