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.

The meeting, held at the Round Hill Arts Center, focused on developing a concept plan for the town's three commercial districts: Main Street, the 12-acre Eckles property at the intersection of Rt. 7 and Evening Star Drive, and the Hill High Orchard property.

As Mayor Frank Etro explained to the attendees at the meeting's beginning, "Round Hill is committed to the planning process. The town needs a plan, it needs to follow the plan, and the plan needs to be right."  The Design Cabinet's resulting concept plan will be used to help the town develop policies to incorporate into its Comprehensive Plan.

Early in the session, Mayor Etro introduced Jay Donegan, the retail leasing and development agent for the Eckles property. Donegan called development planning a "collaborative process" and stressed that while a plan must make good business sense, it must also "embrace what the community wants."

Discussion of a town theme -- something that sets Round Hill apart from any other quaint old town -- focused on two possibilities:

• Outdoor recreation: "The Gateway to the Blue Ridge" featuring a focus on the town's proximity to the Appalachian Trail, the Shenandoah River, and future bike access to the W&OD bike trail
• Arts: As a center for visual and performing arts

The consensus among town representatives present was that the goal is to turn Round Hill into a gateway destination for day trips, but not necessarily for overnight or weekend stays.

While the town themes would aim to draw commercial traffic from out-of-town, the town is also concerned about providing its residents with community-based services, especially as the roads into Purcellville become more congested.

It was mentioned that as the Round Hill area grows, the three commercial sites are well suited to attract community-based business. Main Street (Rt. 719) is the primary access to Rt. 7 from the north and south; Evening Star Drive is a major collecting point for traffic entering or exiting the Rt. 7 bypass; and Hill High Orchard is the first/last commercial property as drivers enter/exit Loudoun County and consequently serves as a gateway to the county.

Before breaking into smaller groups, the attendees again discussed the character of Round Hill. The town was described as "not perfect" but a "combination of imperfections," making the town unique and above-all "not cookie-cutter."

The town representatives and Design Cabinet members then divided into two groups, one concentrating on the central commercial district (Main Street) and the other looking at the Eckles property on the east side of town and Hill High Orchard on the west.

Before leaving, the two groups reconvened to share their plans (see links below) and to discuss the possibility of continuing the process with future meetings. The Design Cabinet seemed amenable to further meetings on specific projects with either the town or the Eckles property developers. However, it was stressed that the ideas coming from the Design Cabinet members were purely conceptual and that to go into much greater detail the town should hire a planner to develop working documents.

Notes from central district (Main Street)
Notes from Eckles and Hill High properties