The Loudoun Design Cabinet, a group of professionals (planners, architects, designers, etc.) who have volunteered their time through the Main Street Loudoun program to assist the towns and communities in Loudoun County with planning and visioning efforts, held a design charrette in Round Hill on May 20, 2004.

After initial discussions on broad concept plans, the Design Cabinet split into two groups. The following is a summary of the ideas discussed during the session on the Eckles property (a 12-acre commercial lot at the intersection of Rt. 7 and Evening Star Drive) and Hill High Orchard. Additional notes from the workshop are available as a Word document.

• This group looked at the larger commercial picture in town, starting with the Eckles property to the east, moving through Main Street, to the Hill High property to the west.
• The group envisioned a progression from day-to-day commerce for residents in the east to a focus more on tourism with a visitors center/trading post in the west.
• The eastern commercial area should tie in with the themes of ecotourism and arts through "accessorizing."
• The Hill High Orchard site should serve as a gateway for a regional draw, marking a transition from the suburbs of D.C. to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• Joining these two areas in the old commercial core of Round Hill (Main Street). The challenge is to draw business that stops at Hill High into the Main Street area for further shopping, dining, etc., not back onto the bypass and on to Purcellville or Leesburg.
• Would it be possible to turn the old W&OD rail bed into a street to connect Hill High with Main Street? To make a real, physical connection between the two. This could be a "gateway trail" that may include a park area and arts & crafts displays.
• The Cabinet discovered an inverse relationship between the square footage of the commercial area and the size of the region from which it is likely to draw. Hill High will have broad regional draw with a footprint of no more than 40,000 sq. ft.; the Eckles property is zoned for up to 150,000 sq. ft. of retail space but will primarily serve residents of the town and immediately surrounding area.
• The western property (Hill High) should say "this is a great place to visit" while the eastern property (Eckles) should say "this is a great place to live."

Notes from general charrette
Notes from central district