Loudoun's plan for the Cascades library and senior center site shows about 270 homes on a separate parcel. The farmers market would likely pause during construction.

Loudoun County’s early plan for the Cascades Library and Senior Center site shows about 270 homes on part of the land. The homes would sit on their own parcel, next to a new library and senior center that would replace the current buildings.

The county set out the concept at a community meeting Monday in Cascades, about five miles east of Ashburn. It has now posted the meeting presentation (PDF) and an online comment form. Comments close Monday, Nov. 16.

What the concept shows

The library sits on a 7-acre parcel and the senior center on a 4.3-acre parcel, according to the presentation. The county says the combined 11.3 acres is more than its new buildings need.

Staff developed five options. The one chosen puts the library and senior center together on one parcel and the housing on a second. The concept yields about 270 homes:

Type Units
Apartments (multifamily) 156
Senior apartments 90
Townhomes 24
Total about 270

The presentation says the final design and site layout will change those numbers. It calls the sketch a “draft high-level concept.”

The county will not build or run the housing itself. The presentation says it has “no authority to develop, own, or operate” it, so a private developer or another non-county group would. The county prefers to lease the land long term, though it could also sell it.

The housing is part of the Board of Supervisors’ push for attainable housing under its Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan. That plan calls for using public land for homes.

The farmers market and other changes

The presentation lists several other effects on the site:

  • The farmers market would likely stop during construction. The county says the market “will be factored into the design so it can return” once the project is finished.
  • The library and senior center would stay open while the new ones are built. The site would be built in phases.
  • A dog park and small park with pickleball courts are being considered, paid for with developer money tied to the nearby Cascades Marketplace rezoning.

The Cascades Farmers Market meets in the Senior Center parking lot on Sundays from May through October. More on it is on our farmers markets page.

Money and timing

  • $1 million went to a conceptual design in January 2025.
  • $8 million is in the county’s fiscal 2027 budget for design work.
  • Construction money has not been set aside. The county will consider it in its fiscal 2029 capital budget.

The site is zoned for a library and senior center only. Homes would need a rezoning. The county says it will rezone its own parcel and is still weighing whether to rezone both parcels together.

On Sept. 15, the Board of Supervisors endorsed splitting the land into two parcels. It asked staff to look at site plans with structured parking. Those options go to the board’s Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2027.

What it means for you

  • Comment by Monday, Nov. 16. Use the comment form on the county’s project page, or call 703-737-8624. Comments go to the project team, three county departments and the Board of Supervisors.
  • Use the Cascades market or library? Nothing changes yet. Construction has no funding or date yet, and the rezoning is still to come.
  • Watch Jan. 12. That committee meeting is the next point where the site layout could change. We cover the county’s other meetings in eastern Loudoun in our Cascades Parkway trail and Old Ox Road story.