The Federal Transportation Administration's devastating evaluation Thursday of the Dulles Metrorail extension drew angry protests from Loudoun County business leaders who had pinned their economic development hopes to Metro access. "Where the hell did this come from?" exclaimed Tony Howard, president of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce. "There is a real palpable sense of anger in the business community in Loudoun and what it will mean for the future. ... People really feel blindsided to say the least."

At the regularly scheduled meeting of the executive committee on economic development Friday, the county's economic development leaders discussed attempts to salvage the rail line and the fallout if it fails.

"Everybody's just trying to scramble to see what they can accomplish to make sure the plug doesn't get pulled," Loudoun County Chairman Scott York told The Examiner. "It would be a horrendous decision not to have rail out to Loudoun County.

"Obviously if this is the death knell of the project; it will have serious implications for commuters and ... with what can be developed in Loudoun County."

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The county has 12 million square feet of potential development proposed around rail stations that could create an almost downtown commercial feel in eastern Loudoun County.

The county had pledged $240 million to the project in June as an alternative to its already congested road network and was banking on three Metro stations in the eastern portion of the county to serve as a portal to the District of Columbia and to enrich the economic-development potential of Washington Dulles International Airport.

"Development projects were launched with some of these expectations in mind and now everything is topsy-turvy," said Danny Vargas, president of the marketing firm Varcom and chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce.

If the rail extension is defeated, Loudoun County Director of Economic Development Lawrence Rosenstrauch said, "You're jeopardizing our top economic development opportunity."

dgenz@dcexaminer.com