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Renovations Underway on Windy Hill Residences
Renovations Underway on Windy Hill Residences
By Leonard Shapiro
Tom Northrup, a long-time supporter of the Windy Hill Foundation and a member of its board of directors, is fond of saying, “Unlike people, houses don’t get better with age.”
With that in mind, the foundation that’s been providing safe and affordable rental housing in Middleburg and elsewhere since 1981, has embarked on its “Cottages Project.” It began in June with the renovation of the first of four of the original 11 cottages on Windy Hill Road just west of town.
According to its most recent newsletter, “Windy Hill was founded on the belief and determination of (founder and Middleburg resident) Rene Llewellyn that everyone in our community is entitled to a safe, dignified place to live. Everyone recognizes that a safe and comfortable place to live leads to stability, growth, and independence and that everyone benefits when our neighbor’s basic needs are met.”
In June, a 500-foot cottage was refurbished with new kitchen appliances, a renovated bathroom, new floors, newly painted walls, and more. Three more have been completed since then, with the remaining cottages to be finished once final estimates are determined.
“These are the original houses we started with in 1981 when Rene Llewellyn walked down that road and saw the conditions in many of them—dirt floors, outhouses, no running water,” said Eloise Repeczky, the foundation’s tireless executive director the last two years. “She took it upon herself to raise the money and that was the start.”
But hardly the finish.
Five decades later, Windy Hill has 67 homes in Middleburg with 106 residents. That represents 16 percent of the village’s housing stock and 16 percent of its population. Additionally, Windy Hill has a total of 310 housing units and over 800 residents in Middleburg, Marshall, The Plains, Brambleton and Sterling.
The Windy Hill Road renovations will be done on homes ranging from 500 square feet to 1,400 square feet and all 11 have been there since 1981, or longer. The renovations have been made possible by a $100,000 contribution from Monoflo International, Inc.
“I’m in love with everything we did, I am so elated,” said Windy Hill resident Toby Dade. “Out with the old and in the new. The workmanship is incredible. You can tell they really cared about making the home nice for me again.”
Some current occupants are descendants of Windy Hill Road residents going way back. Dade has lived there most of his life and his home was the first to be renovated.
Said Repeczky, “Toby remembers going around and picking up wood so they could heat their water to bathe inside.”
Once the current project is completed, renovations will begin on homes on Virginia Lane, across Route 50. And where do residents stay when work is being done?
Two board members, Carolyn Hylton and Ken Terry, and their respective spouses, Michael Hylton and Anne Terry, have helped furnish a “swing space” in a Virginia Lane home so no one has to search for temporary accommodations.
“We want to be able to take care of the folks who are already here and make it easy for them,” said Drew MacMahon, recently named the foundation’s director of property and asset management.
Repeczky, recently named one of the top 40 under 40 Loudoun business and community leaders, and her board will continue to renovate and refurbish Windy Hill homes.
“Our goal is to keep moving forward,” she said.
