Special Exception Application

Springdale Montessori School, if allowed to start, will let the attending children interact with their local natural, historical and rural environment. Our school will set a new standard for a green environmentally friendly school that is in tune with our history and rural location. 

Springdale's Community 

In addition to our natural location, Springdale Montessori School will offer a unique combination of programs and inspiration that is not available from any existing Loudoun County school. Listed below are some of the possibilities and long lasting positive impacts Springdale Montessori school could bring to the Lincoln Community, Historic Goose Greek District, and to Loudoun County:

• We are aiming for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and would be one of the first, if not THE first school in Loudoun County to be LEED certified.  This would help us have a healthier environment inside the school building and more importantly, it would help us educate the children, first-hand,  about our immediate surroundings in a thoughtful way. We hope this to be an inspiration for both current and future schools as well as businesses.

• We are adding 20% new green canopy to our landscape.  We will be planting native trees and plants and we will have a composting area.  We intend to have a children's garden area that would be comprised of small gardens including: a touch garden, a smell garden, native garden, etc.

• With the help of local environmental organizations, Springdale Montessori School will create environmental programs, such as helping to repair, restore and monitor the two riparian waterways (creeks) on Springdale.  These programs will be incorporated into our curriculum and will actively engage the children in their environment and have a positive impact on our local watershed, Goose Greek.

• Our school will promote organic, energy efficient and natural products including building materials in our rehabilitation /renovation phase, the furnishings in the school, and the snacks the children eat.  We will promote 'Buy Local', and when possible and in-season, our snacks will be from local farms, farmer's markets and gardens.

• Springdale is already a contributing structure in the Goose Greek Historic District.  In addition, we aspire to be individually nominated to be included in the National Register of Historic Buildings. This will secure that the property will be preserved as a pristine historic property for future generations.

• We will support carpooling/ride-sharing by tuition discounts.  There will also be incentives for school staff to carpool.

• There will be scholarships to attend Springdale made available for our local community and to Loudoun County.  We would start with two scholarships the first year we open and hope to increase our scholarship fund each year after.

Springdale's Plans

The Springdale Team has carefully considered the historical location of Springdale, in the Goose Creek Historic District,  as well as the cultural resources available on the site. We acknowledge their importance to us and our community.  Based on these considerations we have decided upon a school program that includes up to 117 students.  That number was arrived at after a carefully conducted assessment of what is required in order to be able to offer a diverse and rich curriculum, quality teachers and a scale that is in harmony with the building, grounds, infrastructure and community while meeting or exceeding all county and state codes and regulations. 

Our request for 117 students is supported by the Loudoun County Planning Staff.  They recommended approval of our special exception application for 117 students to the Loudoun County Planning Commission and still recommends approval of 117 students to the Board of Supervisors.

Click here  for the latest LC Planning staff report prepared for Board of Supervisor Hearing on January 12th.

Landscape Plan

The Landscape Plan Exhibit- (for illustrative purposes only)

Together with our Landscape Architect, The Kane Group, we have thoughtfully investigated the landscape's cultural heritage and natural resources at Springdale and developed a Master Ground Plan for the Springdale property. Below is a summary of our Landscape plan at it's beginning stages of development:

"As project landscape architects, The Kane Group, designed the landscape plan for the Springdale campus, a setting that contains two meandering streams and a rich woodland canopy that covers over half of its nearly 6 acres. In the vicinity of the playground, new shade trees, ornamental trees, and shrubs are to provide a buffer along the northern side of the playground. These trees will provide additional buffering from sight and noise and also provide areas to absorb stormwater adjacent to the stream. The proposed native plants intend to attract birds and butterflies and other wildlife. In addition to several existing deciduous trees that occur in the playground area, additional deciduous trees will be planted on the south side of the playground to provide a canopy of shade in the play yard as well. A continuous fence and evergreen hedge will bound the enclosed portion of the playground.A “type two” landscape buffer (as per the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance) on the north boundary of the existing parking area provides an average 20’ foot deep planting area that is to include deciduous and evergreen trees and deciduous and evergreen shrubs. This will buffer the parking area from the adjacent property. This area is nearly invisible from the adjacent property from the spring to fall due to the extensive existing vegetation along the northern property boundary at the stream. Little or any of this area is visible from Lincoln Road, due to the density of the extensive existing vegetation along Lincoln Road."

- Brian Kane, ASLA  The Kane Group Landscape Architects (click here to learn more about The Kane Group Landscape Architects)

Some of The Kane Group's past & current historic projects include: Charles Carroll House in Annapolis (c. 1769), the Aldie Mill (1809) in Loudoun County and most recently the estate Melwood Park (c. 1750) in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Springdale Buildings

Lower Level- Furniture Plan (shown for illustrative purposes only)

First Floor- Furniture Plan (shown for illustrative purposes only)

Second Floor- Furniture Plan (shown for illustrative purposes only)   

Third Floor- Schematic Design Plan (shown for illustrative purposes)  

We are the current stewards of Springdale. We understand that our presence and our current actions impact Springdale's future existence.  Our vision for Springdale includes preservation of it's past legacy of 170 years, while carefully creating a new legacy that brings together environmental responsibility and historic preservation. Our architects, Main Street Architecture, have started the challenging task of bringing together the two perspectives of ecology and preservation and finding design solutions that would help realize our vision. Below is a summary of our architectural plans for Springdale:

“ As Project Architects, Main Street Architecture PC is designing the historically sensitive adaptive re-use of the Springdale main house to be a school again. Originally constructed by Samuel Janney as a boarding school for girls in the mid-nineteenth century and renovated as a rehabilitation tax rehabilitation project in the 1980’s, the main house presents a fine platform for the Owner’s program. Using a Chapter 34 International Building Code review we anticipate the use of the historic structure as a Montessori School can be achieved while maintaining the character defining features of the house in a safe and code compliant design. The design focus for all the structures on the property will be to retain and rehabilitate the historic fabric while providing useful, safe, and sustainable spaces for the schools users. Our design processes will include adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standands for Rehabilitation, as well as LEED certification, if feasible."

 -Allen Kitselman, AIA, LEED-AP, NCARB, president of Main Street Architecture (click here to learn more about Main Street Architecture)

Some of Main Street Architecture's past & current historic projects include: Inn at Vaucluse, Fredrick County, VA,  Josephine School Museum, Berryville, VA,  & Taylorstown Store, Loudoun County, VA.

Loudoun County Planning Staff Report & Loudoun County Planning Commission Public Hearing & Work Sessions 

For the past 20 months, we have been working towards our vision of bringing a Montessori school to Springdale.  We have been busy in those months carefully analysing and working to resolve any issues Loudoun County and our community may have with our special exception application. Questions and issues that were raised by Planning, Zoning, Office of Transportation Services & Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Health Department, Building & Development, Fire & Rescue and the Environmental Review Team have all been answered and resolved.  

click here for Loudoun County Office of Transportation Letter

click here for Virginia Department of Transportation Letter

click here for VA Dept. of Health summary of lab report regarding contaminants in Springdale's well.

click here for Culpeper Engineer Letter, page 1,  regarding capacity of Springdale's well.

click here for Culpeper Engineer Letter, page 2,  regarding capacity of Springdale's well.

click here for Culpeper Engineer Letter, page 3,  regarding capacity of Springdale's well

Q: Are you aware there is a petition by Citizens to Preserve Lincoln Community that has over 1000 signatures opposing Springdale Montessori School's special exception application?

The Citizens to Preserve Lincoln Community appears to have been created to oppose our application. They did not exist before our special exception application and were not active in any community concerns, traffic or otherwise before we filed our special exception application.  During the Planning Commission Public Hearing on September 18, 2008, the validity of the signatures was questioned after a member of our community wrote a letter to both the Loudoun County Planning Commissioners and Board of Supervisors regarding the petition.  She was 'disturbed in the way it was presented' to her. In this letter she recalls visiting a business establishment (one she regularly frequented) in Purcellville and being asked to 'sign here' on a document she had never seen before. There was no further explanation or acknowledgment from the receptionist. Upon further examination of the piece of paper, she realized it was a petition opposing a special exception application for a Montessori school. She did not sign the petition because she was not given enough information to form an opinion.