Capital Planning

Capital Facility Standards (CFS)

The Capital Facility Standards (PDF) are adopted by the Board of Supervisors to guide the development of new capital facilities. Each Capital Facility Standard involves four main components:

  • The types of capital facilities the county would like to develop, according to department service plans, in quantities that are driven by demographic or geographic considerations.
  • The typical square footage to be developed for each type of facility.
  • The acreage required to site the facility. Each standard provides an approximate acreage to develop that type of facility on a stand-alone site, and provides estimates for the building footprint, parking areas, storm water management ponds, required zoning setbacks, and well and drain field areas in the event a site is not located on public water and sewer systems. With the exception of parks, the acreage is provided on an "up to" basis, meaning the facility can be developed on a site of up to the proposed acreage.
  • The demographic or geographic factors by which a new facility is "triggered" to begin development.

The CFS becomes the basis for the development of the county's Capital Facility Planning (Capital Needs Assessment) and Budgeting (Capital Improvement Program) documents.

Capital Intensity Factor (CIF)

The Capital Intensity Factor (PDF) establishes an estimate of the average capital facilities costs associated with a new residential unit in Loudoun and is used in the evaluation and negotiation of proffers associated with residential rezonings. Proffers are voluntary contributions provided to the county to help offset the costs of future capital facility development due to the rezoning of land.

Capital Needs Assessment (CNA)

The Capital Needs Assessment (PDF) uses the county's population forecasts and adopted capital facility standards to identify the type and number of capital facilities that will be needed to serve the public over a ten-year planning period beyond the end of the current Capital Improvements Program (CIP) timeframe, while maintaining the county's desired levels of services to its residents.