November 27 December 3, 2025
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXV N o . 42
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Festive BETTER TOGETHER Holiday Season Kicks Off An Ecumenical First & A ‘Better Together’ Effort
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
The holiday season in the City of Falls Church kicked into high gear in the week leading up to Thanksgiving with special events that underscored an emphasis on gratitude and giving. More is in store. This coming Tuesday will be a highlight of the season in the Little City, a Winter Wonderland fete on the outdoor market square at Founder’s Row at the intersection of W. Broad and N. West Street. This annual event began as a tree lighting ceremony to switch on the festive lights in the trees lining W. Broad Street, something that Mayor Letty Hardi had been advocating for years. Now, in recent years it has relocated and expanded to include entertainment (the team from Creative Caudron and Meridian High School student singers), hot chocolate and treats, with free parking. It’s the family-oriented gathered community highlight kicking off the season. It actually got started last Sunday night with a first-ever for the Little
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A NEW TRADITION WAS LAUNCHED Sunday in the historic Falls Church downtown in the City of Falls Church. It was an ecumenical “Community Thanksgiving Service,” a first of its kind with participation by the choirs and leaders of most of the churches based in the Little City. The Rev. Burl Salmon of the host Falls Church Episcopal said he plans to make the event an annual occurrence. It also kicked off a new “’Better Together” partnership between the churches, the City of F.C. and its schools for donation of food and funds to support the growing number of families in need over the holidays. See photo of all the participating worship leaders, on page 12. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C.’s Litkenhous Launches a New Data Center Project
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Ross Litkenhous, current chair of the City of Falls Church’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) and former member of the Falls Church City Council, told the News-Press this month that, as co-founder of Falls Churchbased Oasis Digital Properties, a deal has been struck to allow for the development of a largescale data center campus in King George County — a project that will bring new jobs, long-term tax revenue, and modern digital
infrastructure to that area near Fredericksburg. The Dahlgren West (also referenced as the Dahlgren Innovation Hub) campus will occupy roughly 485–500 acres on the north side of James Madison Parkway and is planned to include up to ten data center buildings totaling approximately 6.8–7.0 million square feet, with an anticipated IT capacity in the neighborhood of 1.2 gigawatts. The project represents one of the largest single-site data center proposals in the Fredericksburg / Greater Northern Virginia region out-
side the traditional Ashburn corridor. “Oasis was founded to responsibly expand critical digital infrastructure into communities that want the economic opportunity while preserving local priorities,” said Litkenhous. “This campus in King George is a tangible example of a collaborative approach: we’re bringing advanced technology, sustainable design practices, and workforce development commitments to a community that has welcomed thoughtful, long-term investment.” Project leaders say construc-
tion will generate a substantial near-term economic boost: an estimated 1,500 construction jobs during the buildout, and roughly 50–60 full-time operations jobs per building once the campus is fully occupied. Local officials and Oasis estimate annual fiscal benefits to King George County — driven by real estate and personal property taxes — could fall in the range of $100 million to $120 million once the campus reaches maturity. Oasis Digital Properties was
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