Index
Falls Church’s own freshman U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) reminded a standingroom-only crowd crammed into a Northwest Washington bookstore Tuesday that he was “primarily a writer” before the Katrina disaster of September 2005 stirred him to run for public office. Webb was on hand to sign copies of his new book, “A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America,” at the Politics and Prose Bookstore on upper Connecticut Avenue, and to answer a half-hour of questions, including why he
ruled himself out as a prospective Democratic vice-presidential candidate in a Monday announcement. Unlike perhaps some high profile figures, “I write my own books,” Webb noted, citing his nine previously-published works, including his best seller, “Fields of Fire,” about the Vietnam war. “I have been in office for 18 months now, and I still don’t have a speechwriter.” Shortly after being sworn in to give Democrats the majority in the Senate in January 2007, Sen. Webb was invited to give the Democratic response to President Bush’s State of the Union message, generally
regarded as one of the most concise and illustrative digests of the fundamental issues that separate Democrats from Republicans. Webb said he was approached by his publisher with an idea to write a book expanding on the themes in his nationally-televised Democratic response. Expecting he’d have plenty of time to do it, despite serving as a U.S. Senator, Webb readily agreed. But then seven months went by and he found that, despite his ease with writing, he hadn’t penned a word. Faced with a deadline to get Continued on Page 4
The Akridge Company, the highly-regarded Washington, D.C., development company, came to City Hall in Falls Church this week confirming its eagerness to build a large, mixed-use project in the teeth of the current housing downturn, and cautiously optimistic that it can sell 150 condominiums. But for now, Akridge representatives told a joint work session of the Falls Church City Council and Planning Commission they remain unsure whether the residential units would be sold or rented. Akridge’s Mike Gill and Joe Svatos noted that the proximity to the East Falls Church Metro station of their so-called “Gateway” project, right on the Falls Church City side of the border with Arlington on N. Washington St., could make it a winner for condo sales in a market where condos, generally, are still not moving. The project was first presented to the City two summers ago, and went through some significant revisions before awaiting its turn to come to bat before City officials following their lengthy review and decisionmaking efforts on the Atlantic Realty City Center project and the Jefferson One Hilton Garden Inn. Among the modifications, the height of three predominantly residential buildings was lowered from seven to five levels, to accommodate neighborhoods behind the site, and the proportion of space dedicated to commercial and retail drew to 31%. The total number of Continued on Page 5