June 29 – July 5, 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. 19
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Leaders Move Toward School Referendum
On Monday, the Falls Church City Council was unanimous in giving preliminary approval to developing language for a school bond referendum on November’s ballot, and to move ahead with the discussion on how much debt the City should absorb at this stage. See page 4
Summer Real Estate Special Inside
The News-Press’ Summer Real Estate special issue is here, with features on Falls Church mortgage lending, the cost of Little City living, real estate numbers and more inside.
Target, Aldi Announce Moves To Downtown F.C. This Week
See pages 13 – 20
David Leonhardt: A Vote of Conscience & Courage
Forget for a minute about partisan labels and listen to members of the U.S. Senate talk about why they work in politics. See page 21
George Mason High School’s Class of 2017 Last Wednesday, 194 George Mason High School seniors received their diplomas during the school’s commencement. See inside for more photos of the school’s 2017 graduating class. See page 12
Index
Editorial..................6 Letters..............6, 24 News & Notes.10–11 Comment.. 12, 22–23 Calendar........26–27
Classified Ads......28 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........29 Critter Corner.......30 Business News....31
AN ARTIST RENDERING of the new Target coming to Falls Church’s Lincoln at Tinner Hill on S. Washington St. (Photo: courtesy Target)
Big Revenue Gains Anticipated From 2 Big Retailers Coming In by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Two major chain retailers have announced plans in the last two days to move to within blocks of each other in downtown City of Falls Church. Wednesday, Target formally announced plans to open a 26,000-square foot, smallformat store on the now-vacant ground floor of the new Lincoln at Tinner Hill mixed-use development project on S. Washington, projected to open next March. It was also reported Tuesday that just up the street at the Tower Square Shopping Center, the
German-based discount grocery chain Aldi has signed a lease for a 19,000-square foot store, replacing the Halalco supermarket and other stores there now. The news comes as a major boost to potential new revenues to the City, and not a moment too soon as the prospect of paying for a new high school and renovations at City Hall and the library loom. City Hall’s economic development office, in addition to helping work out the details of the new additions, will be calculating how much the City can expect to gain in terms of new tax revenues to help pay for these needs.
City Councilman Phil Duncan, chair of the Council’s Economic Development committee, hailed the news, saying that Target “will be a highly popular addition to the City’s commercial mix, a national retailer that’s within strolling distance of thousands of City residents as well as our neighbors in nearby county neighborhoods. The Target-Aldi announcements come at a really great time that helps us make the case to citizens that we are not relying on the residential tax alone to pay for a new high school, City Hall and library improvements.” As for Target, in a press statement issued Wednesday, the new location “will be the company’s fifth small-location store in the greater Washington, D.C. area, joining the Rosslyn, College Park, Bethesda and Ballston (project-
ed to open in 2021) locations.” Larger Target stores are already functioning at Seven Corners and the Mosaic District on either side of the new Falls Church location. The new store will fill the vacuum left at the Lincoln at Tinner Hill when The Fresh Market, originally inked to move in there, back out of their deal. “Target is focused on expanding small-format stores in dense urban and suburban neighborhoods, as well as on college campuses,” the corporate statement noted. “With small-format stores, Target provides assortments tailored to meet the needs of local customers, a quick-trip shopping experience with a curated assortment mix, including a grocery selection with a focus on wellness
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