Presentation given by David Mowbray

1. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 1

2. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 2

3. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 3
Belmont Community Background
•1474 acres—anchored by Toll Brothers Audubon Certified golf
course
•2717 homes in 37 “villages”
•Developed between 1999 and 2009—mix of attached and
detached homes
•Governance:
•Elected Board of Directors with appointed volunteers on these committees:
•Grounds, Facilities and Safety
•Finance
•Covenants
•Outreach
•Five person staff from Associa management firm
•$6.2 Million annual operating budget
•$5.5 Million in replacement reserves

4. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 4
Belmont Community Background
Strategic Plan
•Five Year Plan (2015 to 2020)
•Long Term Capital Improvements
•Budget $850,000 to $1,000,000
•Most projects are landscape investments
•Project selected with these criteria
•Replace non-native plants with natives
•Enhanced care of tree save areas
•Reduce storm water flow
•Reduce pollutants carried in storm water
•Enhance property values through well designed
landscape improvements
•Improve strategic use of landscape inputs

5. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 5
Belmont Community Background
Strategic Plan
•Requires bold thinking by all concerned
•Volunteers unsatisfied with status quo
•Get pre-approval from Board to explore projects
•Makes it hard for Board to say “no”
•Must be done by and for the community
•Homeowners will never take meaningful action on their own
•Select big projects with big impacts—no nibbling around the edges
•Grab the imagination of the community
•Appeal to mercenary instincts—better property values
•No rain barrels!
•No excuses for inaction
•Money is available
•Must have the will to levy for it and spend it
•Funding partnerships may be available

6. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 6
Belmont Community Background
Environmental Baseline
•Detailed analysis of property: “Storm Water
Management in Belmont”
•Land Use
•Impervious Urban: 303.15 ac
•Pervious Urban: 854.97
•Forest: 286.37 ac
•Water: 30.12 ac
•Annual load (N,P,S) without treatment: 374,340.7 lbs/year
•Current treatment (reduction) (N,P,S): $177,800.6 lbs/year
•Current load (N,P,S); 196,540.1 lbs/year
•Managing 1.6 billion gallons of rainwater
Current Load considered good outcome—can do better

7. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 7
Belmont Community Actions
Completed
•Hunt Civic Center Native Garden: $25,000
•Three year project
•Rip out all non-natives
•Replant with natives
•Explanatory Sign (photo)
•20109 Boxwood, Ashburn
•Replant Claiborne Berms: $10,000
•Drought Resistant native trees
•Three year project

8. BELMONT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
(Homeowners Association—Ashburn, Virginia)
March 10, 2016
• Fountains in Hunt Storm Water Ponds: $27,000
• Two ponds
• Vastly improves pond health
• Ponds teeming with wildlife
• Esthetic improvement
• Loudoun County welcomes these improvements
BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 8

9. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 9
Belmont Community Actions
Completed
•Hunt Riparian Tree Planting Project: $55,000 less $17,400 county
reimbursement
•Project in conjunction with Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District (grant)
•Planted 500+ 5’ to 8’ foot native trees (nine species)
•Three pollinator friendly entrance gardens
•Covered 2.2 acres
•Will result in major increase in wildlife habitat
•Reduces storm water runoff
•County gets BMP credit
•Permanent land easement
•Explanatory signs on premises

10. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 10
Belmont Community Actions
Completed
•Arborist review of all trees: $8,000 :
•Recommendations
•Get Deer population under control
•Clear invasive plants from tree save areas and replant
•Manage health of street trees
•Pruning
•Feeding
•Root management
•Disease as needed
•Controlling deer: Free
•Reviewed situation with Virginia Game Warden
•Gave permission to hunters to kill deer on property
•Set parameters for safety (bow hunting only)
•Completing second successful season

11. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 11
Belmont Community Background
Action Plan: Completed
•Clearing invasive plants and replanting: $9200 and $15,000
•Hired eco-goats to clear three of 16 tree save areas
•Used goats followed by hand clearing
•Major community buy in—encore requested
•Replanted cleared verge with 115 native trees

12. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 12
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Clearing invasive plants and replanting: $TBD
•Three year rotation to clear and maintain all tree save areas
•Goats and hand clearing
•Replanting as needed
•Fund with replacement reserves
•Replanting Tournament Drive (main spine road): $45,000—3
years
•Remove all Ornamental Plum Trees
•Replant with flowering natiivs:
•Forest Pansy Redbud
•Serviceberry
•Fringetree
•Dogwood
•Silverbell
•Entire road planted with native trees
•Some bushes need replacing

13. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 13
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Street trees project: $TBD
•Trial plan proposed
•HOA take over street tree care
•Pruning
•Feeding
•Disease control
•Better outcome for community
•Need to build into budget

14. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 14
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Install floating ponds in selected storm water ponds:
$TBD
•Studying plans
•Will get estimates later in 2016
•Install rain gardens in HOA drainage areas (swales):
$TBD
•Mapping selected areas for proposals
•Seek to reduce turf grass and sheet rain water flows

15. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 15
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Landscape Belmont Ridge Road (Phase I) $200,000+
•Work with VDOT on plans
•Install mature landscaping
•All natives
•Berms and medians
•2018
•Landscape Belmont Ridge Road (Phase II) $150,000+
•Work with VDOT on plans
•Install mature landscaping
•All natives
•Berms and medians
•2018

16. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 16
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Re-landscape Claiborne and Gloucester: $500,000
•Work with VDOT on plans
•Have retained LPDA to start plans
•Install mature landscaping—must comply with VDOT regulations
•Use rain gardens around existing drains
•All natives
•Replace turf grass
•Berms and medians

17. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 17
Belmont Community Actions
Proposed and Ongoing
•Centralized landscape care
•Turf grass plan
•First Spring application: 17-0-5 liquid + Barricade and Escalade2
•Second Spring application: 17-0-5 liquid + Barricade and Esclade2
•First Fall application: aerate, over seed, 19-0-5 liquid
•Second Fall application: 28-0-5 liquid
•Shrub plan
•Spring application: 14-14-14 slow release granules
•Mulch all beds after fertilizer

18. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 18
Belmont Community
Conclusions
Build a strategic plan
Biggest impact is on landscaping—best return on
investment
Do it carefully and right
Many, many opportunities in each community
It’s a long journey

19. BCA presentation to HOA Symposium:
March 10, 2016 19
Belmont Community
Resources
• “Storm Water Management in Belmont” by David Mowbray
(dcmowbray@comcast.net)
• Dennis Cumbie, hydrogeologist at Loudoun County Department of Building
and Development (dennis.cumbie@loudoun.gov)
• Chris Van Vlack, Loudoun County Soil and Water Conservation District
(chris.vanvlack@lswcd.org)
• Brad Amico, et. al, Toll Landscaping (our contractor)
(bamico@tollbrothersinc.com)
• Brian Knox, Eco-goats (forests@earthlink.net)
• Joe Estrada, Thrive Arborist (joe@thrivinglandscapes.com)
• Zac Lette, LPDA (zac@lpda.net)
• Gem Bingdol, PiedmontEnvironmental Council (gbingdol@pecva.org)
• Nicole Hamilton, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
(nhamilton@loudounwildlife.org)
• Brian DiLuigi, Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries (game warden)
(brian.diluigi@dgif@virginia.gov)
• Allegra Print (signs) (www.allegradulles.com)