May 14 – 20, 2020
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. X XX NO. 13
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F.C. Mayor Helps Delay N. Virginia Re-Opening Tarter Voices Region’s Consensus on Closings BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Falls Church Mayor David Tarter was a prominent representative of the Northern Virginia region participating remotely in the press conference of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Wednesday afternoon, speaking on behalf of the region’s request for a two-week delay in the implementation of the governor’s Phase 1 reopening strategy for the state as a whole that’s set to begin Friday. The request was granted by the governor, and the counties and cities comprising the Northern Virginia region will not commence with Phase 1 before May 29, while the rest of the state will cautiously begin opening this Friday. Tarter, speaking as mayor of Falls Church but also as the chair of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, kicked off live video feed presentations from regional leaders, including the chairs of
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CITY OF FALLS CHURCH MAYOR David Tarter (left, on video monitor) spoke during Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s (right) news conference Wednesday to inform express that Northern Virginia’s local leaders were interested in prolonging its current Phase Zero to keep businesses closed until at least May 29. (P����: C������� G�������’� O����� �� V�������)
Site Plan Submission Set for F.C.’s West End Development Project BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Whither the West End Development Project, the ambitious effort to densely develop the 9.7 acres upon which the soon-tobe-replaced George Mason High School footprint stands? With all else going on, where does this plan stand?
With the impressive new $120 million Mason High construction proceeding apace adjacent where this is supposed to go, and still on time for completion and occupancy by this December, the plan to demolish the old school next January and to clear the space for the big new economic development project is continuing apace, as it turns out.
It will only be a couple of weeks before City Hall will be treated to a completed, revised and submitted “special exception site plan,” the document that details the whole project, including its two phases, with specifics on building designs and public space amenities. An initial effort at previewing the warehouse-like building design
plans being unveiled before a joint meeting of the Falls Church City Council, Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority last December was met with mixed reviews at best. The quasi-dystopian look did not, a number of participants suggested, jibe with the inherent opti-
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SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8
SEE STORY, PAGE 15
Falls Church police this week arrested the man allegedly responsible for a string of incidents over the past few weeks. He allegedly either followed or chased after women on both the W&OD Trail and through residential neighborhoods.
Health practitioners agree that a daily walk is essential to warding off the novel cornavirus’ side effect of cabin fever. This two-mile walk featuring wooded pathways to historical landmarks and the city’s downtown district encompasses all Falls Church has to offer.
INDEX Editorial............................................... 6 Letters.......................................... 6, 19 News & Notes............................10–11 Comment ............................... 7,12–13 Calendar ........................................... 14 Business News ................................. 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18 Crime Report .................................... 18
