Falls Church News-Press 11-21-2019

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November 21 — 27, 2019

Fa lls   Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee

Fou n d e d 1991 • V ol. XXIX No. 40

Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads

Inside This Week Another Rabid Raccoon Found in F.C.

Last week, a raccoon suffering from rabies was euthanized by police on W. Columbia St., the second such incident in as many months in the City of Falls Church. See page 5

Simon: Key Bills Set To Go in Richmond

Whole Foods Signs Lease for 50,000 Sq. Ft. Store at Broad & Washington

Insight Properties Announces Plans To Relaunch Project by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Having secured majorities in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate in the Nov. 5 election, House Democrats have not wasted any time crafting the first four bills they expect to pass swiftly on women’s, gun control, voting and LGBTQ rights. See News Briefs, page 8

More Charges for Driver in Fatal Hit & Run The driver of a stolen truck who struck and killed a Falls Church woman this past August faces additional charges after he was indicted by a grand jury on Monday. See News Briefs, page 8

Mason Cross Country Competes in States

George Mason High School’s boys and girls cross country teams both competed in the state meet held this past weekend. See sports, page 16

RUNNERS PASS BY the old W&OD trail while running on a temporary path alongside it. The final version of the trail is slated to be finished by the end of 2020 and will feature designated lanes for both bicyclists and pedestrians. (Photo: Christopher Jones)

W&OD Trail Upgrades Include Bike, Pedestrian Lanes & More

by Christopher Jones

Falls Church News-Press

Index

Editorial................6 Letters..................6 News & Notes.10,11 Comment.... 12,13 Business News.14 School News.... 17

Calendar..... 18,19 Classified Ads... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword........ 21 Crime Report.... 22 Critter Corner.... 22

The scenic Washington & Old Dominion Trail that courses through the City of Falls Church is undergoing a serious facelift, with a host of benefits expected to boost the City’s transportation infrastructure and the region’s environment when the project is completed by the Fall of 2020.

Approved last year by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), the “Falls Church Enhanced Regional Bike Routes” Plan for the W&OD Trail will create separate paths for pedestrians and bikers, replacing the existing 10-foot wide shared-use trail with an 11-foot wide bicycle trail and an 8-foot wide pedestrian trail separated by a 2-foot median, and

extending east from Broad Street (Route 7) to east of Little Falls Street. A Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project to build a 20-foot wide, twolane, pedestrian/bicycle bridge over and across the hazardous five lanes of traffic at N. Washington Street (Route 29) and east into Arlington is also

Continued on Page 15

Broad and Washington LLC, a venture of the Arlingtonbased Insight Property Group, announced Monday that it has signed a 20-year lease for a 50,000-square foot Whole Foods Market to anchor its redevelopment of the corner of E. Broad and N. Washington Streets in Falls Church, the central intersection in the City’s downtown. The new special exception request was submitted to the F.C. City Hall yesterday. Maury Stern, a principal with the Insight Group, notified the News-Press of the development early Monday. In a press release, Insight said that the proposed mixed-use project is currently estimated to result in additional net fiscal revenue, including inflation, of more than $40 million in tax revenues to the City over the 20 years and also “will help to create a new and compelling connection between this critical intersection and the City’s adjacent Arts and Entertainment District.” As with its earlier approved zoning modifications, the project will also include 5,000 square feet for the City’s popular non-profit Creative Cauldron theater. The project had been approved with a set of unanimous votes by the Falls Church City Council in April 2018 that included the Creative Cauldron space and 100,000 square feet of Class A office space.

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