PAGE 6 | OCTOBER 8 – 14, 2020
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E D I TO R I A L
Win-Win, But Not Veto Power
As with so many development projects that seek to modernize and generate fabulous new revenues for a community, there are two sides that line up in opposition to each other. The one is the side standing for the general good of the community, and the other is the side standing up for the narrow self-interest of some near the site who perceive the change will bring a disadvantage to them. One stands for the good of the community, the other is selfish. The latter group is often nicknamed, “NIMBYs,” as in “Not In My Back Yard.” The remarkable success of the City of Falls Church in attracting lucrative and beneficial development in the last 20 years has been largely the result of local leaders and visionaries keeping the “NIMBY” impulse at bay, although it has almost always been there in debates over new projects in one degree or another. Part of the success at this has been the result of persuading the neighbors to a project that there is a significant upside to the project coming in, in the form of revenues to keep their property taxes low, generous contributions to the growth and development of the local school system, landscaping and infrastructure benefits and attractive amenities of the projects themselves that make for a better community for everyone. Because smart citizens have been willing to see these upsides in new and handsome developments, the reputation of the City of Falls Church among the most progressive elements of the regional development community has grown significantly in the past two decades. To developers, it’s not just the positives of a community that matter to them, but the willingness of a community to be open to new and creative development ideas and to see issues facing a project from both the community’s and the developers’ point of view. It’s led to a lot of good for Falls Church. Now, the community-good-versus-“NIMBY” issue is back involving the City Council’s sought approval for a major project at the central downtown intersection of Broad and Washington, where a developer is ready to provide a state-of-the-art Whole Foods megamarket and generous space to house the City’s premiere theatre troupe, Creative Cauldron, and much more. The project is projected to add $2 million annually to the City’s tax roles, compared to the $116,000 annually that comes from that property. In these highly uncertain Covid-19 pandemic times, the prospect of that is downright amazing. What’s most bothersome here is the notion by some on the Council that they will approve the project only if the neighbors say OK. Good government is defined by providing for the best interest of the whole community, not condescending to only one or two tiny segments. While seeking a win-win is always a meritorious goal, the Council should not give any singular entity a veritable veto power over such matters as this.
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F.C. City Must Push Through With The Downtown Project Editor, No matter what decision the Falls Church City Council makes about the Broad and Washington development, there will be people who are unhappy. Some people will never support the project, no matter what accommodations are made. A “Yes” decision on the Broad and Washington development will provide the following to everyone in Falls Church:
* The City will receive approximately $2 million in tax revenues per year. * The City will receive payment for the existing City parking lot and after construction is complete will have 64 free public parking spaces available in the center of the City. * In addition to the 64 free public parking spaces, the center of the City will have an additional 76 public pay to park spaces. The Whole Foods
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grocery, Creative Cauldron, other commercial users, and residents will have their own parking in the garage. * During construction, the developer is providing 65 off-site parking spaces that are 40 to 120 feet from the existing restaurants for their customers to use. The developer is also working on a plan to provide lunchtime parking spaces for the two restaurants during the three to six-month period when there will be no on-site parking. * During construction, the developer is offering to compensate retailers to help offset their rent to minimize any additional impact of the project on their parking and business.
* The City will have approximately 13,820 square feet (10 percent of the site) of green space for public use, including a public plaza and a passive walking park area. * The City will have 21 new affordable housing units in perpetuity. * Instead of building office space that will remain empty due to the changing business models that have become the norm since Covid-19, the developer is providing nine live/work units, with the option to add 18 more, that will address the new work from home model. * The residential units will pro-
Letters Continued on Page 22
