Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-18
EAND SPECTATORS ACTIVE
! Loudoun Braces for Suburban Invasion
BY PAUL HOPE
Star star Writer


loudoun County--a land of
cows, crops, horses and quiet
livIng-is bracing itself for an
invasion Of suburbanites and
commerce.
Already the runways of a jet
age airport have crisScrossed
the rolling country on the east
eriI border. When the jets re-
place the lazing turkey buzzards
in the skies in 1861, the move
msnt on the ground is expected
to begin.
LII the past several months,
farmers in the airport area
have seen more strangers plod-
ding about their acres than
they have ever seen before.
Some of the strangers have
come to take a look at the air
port, but most of them are
looking at the land and en-
visioning industry and housing
Developments and dollar
signs.
-
- Land Prices Soaring
The land spectators have
run prices up from $3.50 to
nearly $1,000 an acre in some
cases. Large tracts are being
sold or optioned to syndicates
which plan industrial and
home development or see big
profits in resale of the land.
Most of the land speculation
is taking place north of the
airport along the Washington
g. Old Dominion Railroad.
Thousands Of acres are in
volyed in three major land
deals.
IN the most recent trans
action an 868-acre farm oper-
ated by Washington area Nor
mons at Ashburn was sold to
an unidentified syndicate. The
sale price for the 1858 acres was
reported at nearly $500, 900, al
most $500 an acre.
Less than a mile to the east
another large tract is being as
sembled by the Northern Vir-
GINA Development Co., headed
by a Washington attorney.
Three officers of Lehman Bros,
q New York financial house,
also are members of the COM
pany. The company announced
1t is buying LOO acres. The
firm repeatedly is negotiating
for additional land. One of the
sales already recorded was a
575-acre farm which sold for
$465, 900, about 1910 an acre.
A syndicate headed by Ar
lingtor Realtor Andrew M. Barr
announced a few weeks ago it
had put together 713 acres east
of Sterling. Mr.. Barr now says
his group has options on about
1000 acres extending from
Herndon in Fairfax County to
just east Of Sterling.
All Of these tracts lie along
the Washington & Old Do
minion Railroad in a stretch of
about 8 miles.
In addition, the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railroad, which owns
the. Washington and Old Do
minion, holds title to about
$500 acres extending from the
railroad across Route 7 nearly
to the Potomac River.
The Gao bought the land in
1856 when it appeared that a
$62 million generating plant
would be built on the Virginia
side Of the Potomac by the
Potomac Electric and Power Co.
PEPCO still owns a 500-acre
tract which abuts the C&O
property. Many county officials
and landholders still expect
PEPCO to build a plant there
eventually although the one
originally proposed went to the
Maryland side.
All Near the Airport
Just west of the PEPCO site
Is a 1,000-acre tract bought in
1855 by a group Of Alexandria
and Arlington businessmen and
lawyers.
All of these tracts lie within
6 miles of the north end of
the airport.
Harry H. Blee, a retired colo
nel.who heads Loudoun Coun-
ty'Ssrecently created Sanitation
Authority, said the county ex-
poets a big industrial huildup
around the airport and a popu-
lation increase of about 10000
by 1880. He predicted the
major portion of the increase
will come in the next few years.