May 11 – 17, 2017
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d ed 1991 • Vol. X X V I I No. 12
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Former F.C. Treasurer Cathy Kaye Dies
Former City of Falls Church Treasurer Cathy Kaye died in her sleep last week at her home in Montana. She was 47. See page 10
2nd Bomb Threat at F.C. Office Building
Less than a week after a Falls Church office building housing an abortion clinic was evacuated twice due to a fireworks explosion and a bomb threat, police investigated a second bomb threat at the same building last Wednesday.
F.C. Council Votes 5-2 to Advance Innovative Senior Cottage Cluster Honor Flight
Opponents Contend ‘Conflicts of Interest’ In Council’s Motives
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
announcing the policy reversal was issued just before the City Council meeting Monday night. In the meeting, City Manager Wyatt Shields reported to the Council that he’d been notified of Spectrum’s plans last week and that he’d urged them not to do it. However, since the move did not
By a 5-2 vote (Mayor David Tarter and David Snyder dissenting) the Falls Church City Council moved forward the proposal for an innovative “middle housing” option for the City, a cluster of 10 senior cottage units on Railroad Avenue, despite heated opposition from neighbors to the plan, late Monday night. Strong views, both pro and con, came before the Council during the petition period, from those who contended the whole matter was the result of “bias and favored treatment” and based on a “conflict of interest” by Council members who’d received campaign contributions from the developer in question, Robert Young, to a strong contingent of citizens, such as Bill and Renee Andrews, who said the prospect of the cottage community is precisely what their aging parents need. Council members and City Attorney Carol McCoskie took turns dismantling the claims by the projects’ opponents that a “nefarious” conflict of interest had something to do with the proposal. From Councilman Dan Sze’s angry renunciation of the charge to Vice Mayor Mary Beth Connelly’s beat down of the idea, augmented by the assertion from McCoskie that receipt of a campaign contribution from any single person does not count as a conflict of interest if a matter pertaining to that person’s interests later come into play, the notion was thoroughly repudiated. Sze called the charge “sad form” by the accusers, Connelly said she was “horrified” such a
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See News Briefs, page 8
David Leonhardt: Trump is Lying Again, Now About Comey
The president of the United States is lying again. He is lying about the reason he fired James Comey, the FBI director. See page 15
Press Pass with The Family Crest
The Family Crest vocalist, guitarist and headman Liam McCormick caught up with the News-Press to talk about the band’s formation, the unique concept of featuring closet artists on records that sets it apart from the crowd, and the group’s evolving sound. See Press Pass, page 25
A DELEGATION OF U.S. military veterans from Houston including those who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam was honored during their stay in the City of Falls Church’s Hilton Garden Inn on W. Broad Street last weekend. The participants in the Veterans Honor Flight were brought to the D.C. area to visit memorials and historical sites in the region. (Photo: Gary Mester)
Parking Lot Division Caper Leads to Swift Reversal at Founder’s Row Site by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.12–13 Comment........ 14–17 Calendar........20–21 Food & Dining......23
Business News....27 Comics, Sudoku & Classified Ads......28 Crossword ..........29 Critter Corner.......30
After only three days in place, a temporary barrier placed in the parking lot serving the 7-Eleven and Mike’s Deli on N. West Street was removed early Monday evening. A loud and angry protest by citizens, including a large turnout at Monday night’s City Council
meeting (even after the barrier had been removed) spurred Spectrum Development to reverse its move quickly. The barrier had made it enormously inconvenient for customers of both the 7-Eleven and Mike’s Deli to negotiate the parking lot, and almost impossible for supply trucks serving the convenience store. A statement from City Hall