The Observer Newspapers |

April 17, 2008

Hotel, TPI Development Good for Town

To the editor:

In the April 17 edition, former Town Councilwoman Ann Null made claims implying current incumbents had been opposed to the building of the Extended Stay America Hotel on Elden Street. Furthermore, she implied that the current Town Council would have put a police station at that location.

Initially, the land was purchased to locate the new Fortnightly Library. However, Fairfax County declined to use the property after the town had purchased it. For more than 10 years, the land sat idle on tax rolls.

Perhaps Ms. Null is unaware that three of the current incumbents, Harlan Reece, Connie Hutchinson, and Dennis Husch, were on Herndon's Town Council at the time of this sale (which I brokered, and they supported). In fact, it was the council that took the police station off the table, long before the hotel was considered.

The building of the hotel, designed to be complementary to the area's older historic homes, was largely supported within the neighborhood, since it involved down-zoning the land from C-0 (Retail) to C-2 (Hotel), as it would have less impact than retail zoning. In addition, the rezoning stipulated that due to the hotel's proximity to the middle school, there was to be no restaurant or pool.

Through that sale, the town was provided with a strong and constant source of revenue from occupancy taxes, revenue it would not have collected if the town had not rezoned it from retail to hotel.

Likewise, I helped broker the development of the landmark TPI building which stands where an abandoned and useless gas station once stood. It also provides important new revenue to the town, regardless of how occupied it is today. New revenue is critical in the face of a slumping economy if we are to keep residential property taxes low.

Ms. Null's letter illustrates exactly why I am running for Town Council: We need leaders who can run on a history of successful projects and good planning, not on a history that is made up as she sees fit.

I am proud of my role in bringing revenue and these businesses to Herndon. I look forward to addressing similarly abandoned and neglected properties as a member of the Herndon Town Council.

Arthur Nachman

Herndon

Editor's note: Mr. Nachman is a candidate for Town Council.