LEESBURG, Va. — Loudoun County is moving ahead with plans to transform the former Westpark Golf Course into a 134-acre passive park, a project that has sparked years of debate among nearby residents, environmental advocates, and outdoor recreation supporters.
County officials say the Westpark Improvements project will preserve much of the natural landscape while adding walking and biking trails, pavilions, restrooms, parking areas, stream restoration work, and a disc golf course on the property off Clubhouse Drive near the Leesburg Country Club community.
The county purchased the former golf course in 2022 for $3.8 million after the property sat vacant following the course’s closure. Officials later placed the land into a conservation easement, limiting future development and requiring the area to remain largely preserved as open space.
During an April 21, 2026 meeting, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors endorsed the project’s major design elements after months of public feedback and revisions. County leaders approved additional landscaping buffers, expanded setbacks between disc golf baskets and nearby homes, and noise mitigation measures aimed at addressing concerns from surrounding neighborhoods.
Under the revised plan, disc golf baskets must remain at least 100 feet from adjacent residential properties. Native plantings will also be added around baskets located within 125 feet of homes, and officials say the baskets themselves will include sound-dampening features designed to reduce chain noise.
The project has become a balancing act between recreation and conservation in one of Loudoun’s fastest-changing areas. Supporters see the park as a long-overdue public use for the former golf course land, while critics worry about impacts on wildlife habitat, stream health, parking traffic, and neighborhood character.
Environmental groups, including the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, have praised some recent design changes while continuing to raise concerns about nearby water quality issues and long-term ecological impacts along Tuscarora Creek and Dry Mill Branch.
Construction is expected to begin later this year following contractor procurement, with substantial completion projected for spring 2028.
Residents can review project plans and updates on the county’s Westpark project page: Loudoun County Westpark Improvements Project
