Jun e 2 3 - 2 9 , 2016
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 No. 18
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Suspect Arrested in Skyline Homicide
A 25-year-old man from Woodbridge was arrested on June 10 in connection with the February 23 homicide of 35-year-old Babatunde Fadahunsi at Skyline Towers Apartments on Seminary Road in Falls Church. See News Briefs, page 9
F.C. Native Wins Pulitzer With Post
Long before she was a key part of the Washington Post team that won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, George Mason High School class of 2006 alum Jennifer Jenkins started her journalism career at 1430 S. West Street right here in The Little City.
Commercial Density ‘Is Your Friend,’ GMU Expert Tells F.C. Visionaries Hail the Class of ‘16
50 Gathered at Brain Storming Mull F.C.’s Next Quarter Century
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
the provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act. If approved for the ballot this Monday, it is expected that the bond referendum will be for an amount of $8.3 million, half of what the Library Board originally requested. The Falls Church Planning Commission has already vetted the proposal
In the face of the regional headwinds of a softening economy not likely to take off anytime soon, Falls Church leaders should focus on growing its private commercial sector by recognizing, for starters, that “intelligent density is your friend.” This was the advice provided by Bob Wolfe of the George Mason University’s Office of Real Estate Development to last Saturday morning’s “visioning conference” hosted by the City of Falls Church at the fellowship hall of the historic Falls Church Episcopal. More than 50 persons, including many “new faces,” were in attendance Saturday who were not part of the City’s staff or members of its boards and commissions, City Manager Wyatt Shields reported. The idea was to share thoughts on what kind of city citizens would like Falls Church to be like in 2040, but most of the discussion was on how to move the city forward most effectively. On that point, Wolfe was unapologetically straightforward. “You need to increase your commercial tax base to relieve pressures on your real estate taxes, and your need for a new high school is a unique selling point for doing this,” he said. Achieving this required embracing density in the commercially-zoned areas, including “floor to area ratios” (FARs) of 3.0 to upwards of 4 to 5, he said (FARs in commercial zones average 0.5 for unimproved sites right now—ed). FARs refer to the ratio of
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See page 8
David Brooks: A Nation of Healers
I’ve been traveling around to the most economically stressed parts of this country. You see a lot of dislocation on a trip like this. See page 12
Press Pass with 10,000 Maniacs
The band 10,000 Maniacs has existed for 35 years. What’s the secret to the Maniacs’ longevity? For bassist Steve Gustafson, the answer is simple. See page 25
IT WAS THE VERY BIG DAY. The commencement ceremony for 191 seniors graduating from Falls Church’s George Mason High School was held at the historic Constitution Hall in downtown Washington, D.C. Followed by an all-night grad party last night, many of these seniors may have been seeing one another for the last time in a very long time. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. Council Will Vote Monday On Library Bond Referendum by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.10-11 Comment......... 12-15 Business News....17 Sports..................18
Calendar.........20-21 Food & Dining.22-23 Classified Ads .....28 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........29 Critter Corner.......30
The Falls Church City Council is expected to vote at its regular business meeting this Monday night at City Hall on whether or not to place a bond referendum on this November’s ballot to pay for a renovation and expansion of the award-winning Mary Riley Styles Public Library.
It is an issue that has been 11 years in the making, and members of the Library Board of Trustees told the Council in a work session this week that the popular library, ranked a three or four-star library for eight years in a row, simply cannot delay further sorely needed upgrades, including adding 6,600 square feet of additional space and making the building compliant with