June 24 – 30, 2021
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 • VOL. XXXI NO. 19
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Fairfax Co. Plans to Back West End Collabora�on Planning Commission Expected to Give OK Next Week BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The Fairfax County Planning Commission, at its scheduled meeting next week, is expected to endorse the proposed amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan that will open up the potential for a large-scale coordinated development of WMATA’s West Falls Church Metro station property and adjacent property occupied by Virginia Tech. The changes, if subsequently approved as expected by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors later in July, will avail those parcels of land to dovetail with the 10-acre mixed use project at the City of Falls Church’s West End on the site where the former George Mason High School complex once stood, but has in the last month been leveled. These momentous actions by the Fairfax Planners and Supervisors over the next month will lay the groundwork for a monumental transformation of the three combined properties covering more than 40 acres in total into what is planned to be a seamless project. It would be unified by a new “commons avenue” that would run through its center from Route 7 at the intersection of Chestnut Street west of Haycock Road north to the Metro station. That avenue has been central to the planning of the Falls Church com-
ponent from the beginning. The expansion and extension of the 10-acre West Falls Church Gateway plan conforms to some of the most hopeful visions of the City of Falls Church and key developers, such as EYA, Hoffman and Rushmark, who have been intimately involved in advancing the plan, with EYA and Hoffman, along with Regency, being the major players in the 10-acre Falls Church component on top of the others. The eventual yield from the three-property development, which will exceed the Mosaic of Merrifield in its size and impact, will be beneficial both for the City and county, spurring a level of cooperation between the two often competing jurisdictions of an entirely new dimension. Visionaries on both sides of the jurisdictional boundaries have also seen the potential for additional parcels adjacent to these to jump in, including in the City of Falls Church. They would include Federal Realty’s 144,000 square foot Falls Plaza strip mall and the recently assembled over 20 acres now owned by Beyer Automotive. The Federal Realty property, running along the north side of West Broad from a Giant Foods store at one end to a Staples at the other,
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FALLS PLAZA shopping center has rebranded as Birch & Broad, preceding the massive, 10-acre West End development coming across the street in a few years. (P����: N���-P����)
Big Field of School Board Candidates Vie for 4 Seats BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
A sea change is underway on Falls Church City’s School Board. There are twice as many candidates as there are available vacancies to be filled this fall after a tense year where the school system dealt with Covid-19-related closures and the renaming of two schools. Four seats are opening up on the school board this fall due to a
mix of resignations and incumbents passing on reelection. Longtime board member Lawrence Webb resigned around the new year because he was moving out of the City, and former board vice chair Shawna Russell stepped down a month later over personal reasons. Sonia RuizBolanos and Edwin Henderson II, the two people whom the board appointed after those departures, have decided not to launch their
own candidacy. Current board chair Shannon Litton and former board chair Greg Anderson will not be looking to retain their seats come November either, as both announced they will not hit the campaign trail again. That’s opened the door for eight new candidates to compete for the City’s votes, and each brings a mix of professional, volunteer and even
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George Mason High School’s boys tennis coach Rafael “Rally” Diokno was arrested Monday after an investigation determined he had a sexual relationship with a student. He has been charged with three felony counts of taking indecent liberties of a child by a custodian. SEE STORY, PAGE 2
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Anthony’s Restaurant is a masterclass in perseverance and determination. A staple of Falls Church, it’s witnessed a rebirth the past eight-odd years since it was forced to move from its original location near the heart of the Little City. SEE STORY, PAGE 19
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 News & Notes................................... 10 Business News ................................. 11 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 16 Classified Ads ................................... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 21 Critter Corner.................................... 22
