Dear Residents,

We are writing to update you on Willowsford Conservancy’s proposed budget for 2025, which includes an increase in assessments to cover short-term, one-time capital expenditures and reserve funding over the next three years.

As you know, the Conservancy was established in 2011 as a 501c4 nonprofit organization that is separate from the HOA and tasked with managing programs across our 2,300 acres of land, including maintaining 40+ miles of trails and the Willowsford Farm, strategically restoring forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and providing educational programs and events that bring our community together. The Founder created the Conservancy to bring their vision of a unique Agrihood to life with the mission to protect our land and promote conservation and sustainable farming so that our community discovers a deeper connection to nature and each other. There’s no other community like Willowsford.

The Conservancy is currently supported through 1.) assessments you pay with your HOA dues (currently $48 per month per homeowner), 2.) a 0.25% transfer fee paid by the buyer when a home sells, 3.) and revenue from our Farm and other offerings. Since 2021, when the Founder period ended, the Conservancy has been governed by a resident-led Board of Trustees and a Community Covenant and by-laws that establish our mission and how we are funded.

The Board and staff have worked deliberately for the last few years, with your feedback and engagement (including over 1,100 survey responses and several focus groups), to chart the future of the Conservancy as a stand-alone entity. Prior to 2021, the Founder covered the costs of infrastructure, buildings and equipment – and our annual assessment fees remained very low. In 2020, the Conservancy assessment was $40/month vs. the current 2024 rate of $48/month.

However, over the past few years our knowledgeable staff has shared with us that much of the infrastructure we inherited is inadequate and not up to industry standards. The awareness of these operational shortcomings and needs informed our strategic planning process, which started in early 2022. Over the last year, Conservancy staff has dedicated its time working on how to implement “Planting the Future” – our adopted strategic plan. Following the goals of the plan, staff proposed upgrades to our equipment and infrastructure that will bring us up to industry norms, while also expanding our ability to generate revenue and engage and invite more residents into our operations.

After numerous iterations, we have landed on the most cost-efficient approach to secure Willowsford as a special place with robust ecosystems and special amenities that bring value to our lifestyle and homes.

PROPOSED 2025 AND 2026 ASSESSMENT

We’ve applied short-term solutions to address issues for the past three years in an effort to economize. However, the time has come to truly invest in this next chapter of our unique community. As a result, we are proposing a short-term $40/month increase in the Conservancy’s portion of the Willowsford assessment for 2025 and 2026. This will raise the monthly Conservancy assessment from $48 to $88. This decision was not taken lightly and we want to be transparent as to why it was necessary to propose this increase over the next few years. 

We commit to the following:

  • We expect this increased assessment amount to be in place for two years and a lower yet elevated level for the third year to create reserve funding to maintain all of our investments in the decades to come.
  • There will be no additional increases to the assessment amount in 2026.
  • We will continue to seek additional revenue sources (noted later below) and we will lower the assessment for the 2026 budget if a significant new revenue source is secured.
  • After this short-term period of funding capital investments and reserves is completed, we commit to lowering the assessment amount to a comparable 2024 rate adjusting for inflation and considering operating needs.
  • To further show our commitment, we plan to sign a memorandum of understanding with the HOA Board noting all of the above.

CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

Some inefficiencies and equipment needs have been prioritized in the last couple of years. For example, in our approved 2024 budget, we committed to covering approximately $450,000 on the first phase of our strategic plan implementation which centered on improving our tenant housing as well as some small projects and equipment needs. We did this with savings so that we didn’t pass that cost on to you.

Over the next two years, about $2 million will be invested in the following ways:

We encourage you to also watch two presentations from our staff that explain these investments in more detail: Farm and Land Stewardship.

  • Improvements to our land stewardship work – Our team will implement a forestry management plan by investing in new equipment that allows staff to properly and safely maintain and conserve our land (including our 40+ miles of trails). Purchasing the correct equipment would allow us to tackle more destructive invasive plants, which compromise the beauty, value, and environmental benefit of our open spaces.
  • Rebuilding of ponds and dams – We inherited many farm ponds that were not properly constructed or maintained prior to Willowsford being developed and are now showing signs of failure. This could prove to be a severe safety hazard if not addressed and our team will repair and/or rebuild the dams.
  • Construction of a land stewardship barn to store equipment – Our team deals with space inefficiencies every day in its existing maintenance facility and has run out of space to store large machinery and equipment, as well as lumber and materials for things like trail signage.
  • Replacement of our only vehicle that can tow heavy equipment – Our current F250 truck is aging and breaks down a couple times per year and is expensive to maintain.
  • Farm packing shed renovation – Building on recent projects addressing the most critical needs, we will upgrade the building to adhere to industry norms. Doing so will decrease labor inefficiencies, include washable surfaces, remove hazardous infrastructure, and add proper storage space. To improve engagement and diversify revenue, an attached multi-purpose space will host events, accommodate school field trips and enable us to resume Summer Camp in 2026 or 2027.
  • New year-round Farm Stand – The renovation includes an enclosed farm stand to serve the community year-round with a larger assortment of partner products and dairy including milk, which is often requested by the community, and more frequent opening hours. Including this space adjacent to the packing shed will reduce overhead, improve sales, drive engagement, and importantly will not require additional staffing. The existing Farm Stand will be repurposed into a community gathering space and outdoor spot for camp. Finally, our pop-up Farm Stand at the Boathouse will become a permanent amenity to serve residents in the southern Villages.
  • Improving Farm driveway and parking – The current driveway is prone to flooding and is too narrow to safely pass. Driveway and parking improvements will allow regional school field trips, which will diversify our income stream independent of production.
  • New Farm maintenance building – Many pieces of Farm equipment, which represent a considerable investment since the Farm opened, are at risk of not reaching their useful life span. Currently, they are stored in a small shed or outside and as a result are exposed to the elements. The useful life of Farm equipment and supplies will be greatly increased by proper storage and also will allow purchasing supplies in bulk to reduce costs. Currently, we have a very small workshop but no space to carry out routine maintenance, which could also prolong the life of our equipment.

Reserve Contributions

To ensure long-term financial health, the Conservancy must also maintain adequate replacement reserve funds at proportionally similar levels to the HOA. We currently have approximately $450,000 in our reserve fund yet need much more to truly cover future repairs to buildings and replacement of equipment in the next decades.

What This Short-Term Assessment Increase Does Not Fund

We want to be transparent and note the $40/month increase does not fund our annual operating budget nor would it be used to create new positions. This increase is dedicated to the capital expenditures noted above, which will enable our existing staff to operate more efficiently and expand income generating programs.

What Other Funding Sources Are Being Pursued

As staff developed this plan, the Board has also sought additional funding sources, including the following:

  • The Board is actively pursuing a 501c3 status on a portion of our operations, which would allow us to begin accepting tax exempt donations, expand grant funding opportunities, and potentially reduce our tax burden.
  • We applied for a nonprofit real estate property tax exemption with Loudoun County. Currently, all Conservancy land is taxed. However, the Board of Supervisors denied this request, which would have saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years.
  • The Board was successful in negotiating $300,000 for an easement agreement for a new roundabout at the intersection of Fleetwood and Everfield near The Grant. The roundabout will be increasingly needed to ease traffic as new development continues along Fleetwood Drive and would be built along the edge of our forest. This money is anticipated – but not guaranteed – to be released to us in the coming months as the Fleetwood North Project is approved by the county.
  • The Board and staff have received in-kind donations across our operations including over $100,000 this past year for a new well at the farm, new utility hookups and fence at our Land Stewardship facility on Fleetwood Drive, and legal and land use consulting services.
  • The Board is exploring a change to our governing documents that would increase the transfer fee percentage that is paid by a buyer. This change would need to be approved by the community and would take time to pursue.
  • As noted in the strategic plan, the Board and staff are planning to offer sponsorship opportunities for programs and amenities in the coming years.
  • The Board and staff are working with other local non-profits to evaluate the potential for conservation easements and credits that could provide income for protecting and restoring our land.
  • The Board also pursued the sale of one parcel of land in The Greens that was potentially buildable as an estate lot, however our land use attorneys determined that prior open space restrictions prohibited the sale of the parcel or any of our land.

Because we have been charged with protecting our staff, facilities, assets, land, and ecosystem under the care of the Conservancy, our seven-member Board supports the capital investments outlined above. Implementing these investments will enable us to operate more efficiently and safely, protect our equipment, generate more revenue, increase engagement, and improve our ecosystem. We could have chosen the status quo, but that is not a sustainable future for many reasons. The other alternative was to eliminate many of the programs, amenities and aspects that make our Agrihood and land unique, thus diminishing our shared quality of life and potentially impacting our home values. We are not choosing that path. We hope this detailed explanation, the presentations and the draft budget helps explain the context for this short-term assessment increase.

We welcome your feedback and your ideas of revenue sources we have not considered. You can review our draft 2025 budget and draft CapEx budget and you can communicate with us at board@willowsfordconservancy.org.

Signed,
Willowsford Conservancy Board Members