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Methodist Church Seeks to Expand Building, Parking |
The proposed expansion would be located behind the existing historic
building on West Loudoun Street. |
By KAREN YURISH
News aRound the Hill
Round Hill United Methodist Church, Round Hill’s second oldest church,
is seeking to expand its building. The church has submitted a special
exception application for expansion of the church and parking lot.
Built in 1889, the Methodist Church is a symbol of the shift of the
center of commercial activity from Woodgrove to Round Hill after the
arrival of the railroad. According to Maral Kalbian, who put together
Round Hill’s historic district application, “After most of the
commercial activity shifted from Woodgrove to Round Hill with the
opening of the railroad in 1875, the Methodist congregation at Woodgrove
agreed that it would be more convenient to move to Round Hill.”
“Local papers reported that the first services were conducted in the new
sanctuary on May 12, 1889,” she added.
Additions to the church began in 1959, when a building permit was
approved for the cinder block classroom addition to the original church.
Following this, a temporary mobile classroom was added in 1996, and in
2006 the Town approved a special exception application allowing the
church to use the old parsonage for worship uses.
It is the cinder block attachment that the church is looking to replace
with its expansion. According to Jane Ford, Building Committee Chair for
the church, this attachment, which contains the social hall, a small
kitchen, and some classrooms, is “inadequate to support our modern
congregation and a congregation of our size.”
Currently, there are about 400 congregants, and the social hall only
holds 100 people. Furthermore, Ford says, the current space is not
“friendly” to the elderly or disabled.
In March of 2007, the church applied for a special exception for the
expansion of the church and parking lot. Plans for the expansion show an
addition of more than 20,000 square feet that would be used for worship,
Sunday school rooms, church offices and meeting rooms.
This addition, along with more than 80 parking spaces, would be located
on the lots behind the current church that extend from Church Street to
N. Locust Street. There would be entrances to the parking lot from both
streets.
According to Town Planner & Zoning Administrator Rob Kinsley, the church
has to apply for a special exception because the Church is located in
the Town’s Residential – Single Family District (or R-2). Only
single-family detached dwellings and public parks are allowed by right
in that district.
“Places of worship plus several other uses are special exception uses,
which are allowed if a special exception is approved through a public
process that involves public hearings, a recommendation from the Town
Planning Commission and action by the Town Council,” Kinsley said.
Since its submission, this application has gone through several
revisions as the church worked with the Round Hill Planning Commission
to resolve outstanding issues.
In February, 2009, a special work session of the Planning Commission was
held with both the town attorney and the land use attorney of the
church. Several issues were resolved, and now the church is working on
modifying its application.
Several issues still need to be worked out, such as designing a
high-quality landscape plan and discussing a possible extension of a
sidewalk up Church Street in the area of the existing church and
expansion. According to Ford, the church is working on these and other
issues.
Once the Planning Commission is satisfied that all of its remaining
issues with the application have been resolved, it will hold a public
hearing before sending the application to the Town Council. The Council
is also required to hold a public hearing before voting on the
application.
To learn more about Round Hill United Methodist’s proposed expansion
project, see
www.newsaroundthehill.org. |
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For More Information on the Church's Expansion see:
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Round Hill Restaurants: “Good Food and Good People” |
By LISA ZIMMER-CHU
Editor, News aRound the Hill
Options for dining out around the Hill have recently increased
significantly with the opening of Savoir Fare’s Restaurant and Wine Bar.
Owner, head chef, and nine-year Round Hill resident Joan Wolford decided
to expand her operation in order to more fully utilize the space on
Loudoun Street, which seats about 40 people. “I have a real passion for
the restaurant,” Wolford said, “because I love the creativity it allows
me on a daily basis.”
In addition to the Wine Bar menu, which features “American” sized tapas—small
plates that can be “coursed” to make up a full meal, Wolford offers two
or three dinner entree specials each night. Ordering this way provides
the opportunity to pair each dish with a different wine.
“We’re all about featuring our local wines,” said manager Jenna Fauver.
“It’s all about community.” Six different Loudoun County vineyards are
represented on the menu, along with wines from around the globe.
The catering business begun in 1999 will continue, as well as lunches
Tuesday through Saturday. The Wine Bar is open Thursday, Friday and
Saturday until 9 p.m. On Mother’s Day, there will also be two dinner
seatings, at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Just around the corner stands Tammy’s Diner, formerly the Round Hill
Diner, which has run continuously since 1957. Open from 6:30 a.m. to 2
p.m., the Diner serves traditional breakfasts and lunches.
Ron Blake, a lifetime Loudoun resident and Diner patron since the ‘60s,
comes to Tammy's for the “good food and good people.” He sits at the
large community table in the back that is unofficially reserved for the
Diner’s many regulars.
Owner Tammy Hines waitressed and managed the restaurant for four years
before she decided to buy it in 2007. According to Hines, the community
feel generated at the diner is mutual. “My customers are dear people who
want to be part of the place and have supported more than their share,"
she said. "I appreciate that.”
There is a picnic table for outdoor seating, with plans to add more in
the future. Another change will come to the Diner next December when the
law banning smoking in Virginia restaurants comes into effect.
Stoneleigh Tavern, housed in the 1750 stone building central to the
neighborhood off of Route 7 west of Town, is open to the public for
lunch and dinner Thursday through Saturday, and on Sundays from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m..
Across the street from Stoneleigh, Hill High Country Store is regionally
famous for its selection of home-baked pies. Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends, Hill High
offers a selection of breakfast items and sandwiches as well as
hand-scooped ice cream. There is indoor seating as well as picnic tables
at the pond on site.
Originally an orchard, the establishment grew to include retail space
back in 1948 with the addition of a refrigeration plant that serviced a
number of area orchards with a storage capacity of 36,000 bushels of
fruit.
Although no longer an orchard, owner Debbie Heimburger has added a
year-round indoor farmers market on Saturday afternoons, all sourced
from local producers. The market also regularly carries a variety of
seasonal produce and other specialty food items.
For folks preparing meals at home there are two stores in Town. The
Round Hill Mini Mart was built in 1901 and began selling “general
merchandise.” It later became a hardware and dry goods store. It was
first granted a permit in 1932 to sell ice cream and soft drinks on
Sunday evenings.
Mohammed Akhtar, owner for 10 years, views the convenience store as a
service, providing the "basics" without having to drive out of town. For
him, too, it’s all about supporting the community. Most of his customers
are locals and regulars.
“They’re like a family,” Akhtar said. “I love it here.”
The Round Hill Grocery, which started as a pharmacy as early as 1899,
has carried grocery items since 1941. Frances Milligan, who has owned
and operated the grocery along with husband Robert since 1983, describes
how the store came to carry such a huge variety of items, from paint and
garden supplies to staples like bread and milk to beer and wine.
“The store was practically empty when we bought it,” said Milligan.
“People would come in and ask for something, so we started carrying it.”
When asked what she enjoys most about running the business, Milligan
echoed a common theme among Round Hill food purveyors: “Meeting the
people.” |
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