Heat Wave Postpones Civic Jam to July 24 JULY 2 - 8, 2026 Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXVI N o . 21
CBC Board Now Backs Lowering AMI Limit
Northern Virginia’s Newspaper
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
‘Democracy Thrives In Sunshine’
ROCKETS RED GLARE
Affordable Housing Criteria Are Too High by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Hal Lippman, former Falls Church vice mayor and current president of the Citizens for a Better City, F.C.’s venerable and original civic association, spoke before the F.C. City Council last week and announced that the CBC Board of Directors, as a whole, has endorsed his take on the shortcomings of the recent years’ push for affordable housing in the Little City. Namely, the concern is over the lack of sufficiently low income criteria for persons applying for affordable housing in Falls Church. It is a stark
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Table Of Contents Editoral Page 6 Business News Page 7 Independence Day Pages 9-17 Best Of FC Pages 18-19 Classads Page 20 Calender Page 21 Critter Corner Page 22 Our Man In Arlington Page 23 Rep. Salim Page 23
A FAMILIAR SIGHT on the eve of July 4 is the blossoming of those temporary fireworks stands in the region, including this one just outside the city limits of Falls Church on Rt. 29, which the onsite person says will stay open to 11 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. Issues RFP for Virginia Village Redevelopment
by Nicholas F. Benton
Following the historic 6-1 vote to move forward with the process leading to the construction of new affordable housing on the City of Falls Church’s 4.5 acre Virginia Village parcel in the center of the city, the City officially issued a
request for proposals (RFP) to potential developers this week, ahead of schedule. The process is driven by the need for the City to commence with development of a plan by early 2027 when the deadline arrives to apply for state low income tax credits.
The RFP’s purpose is to solicit a future owner/ groundlessee/ developer for the nine of 20 total fourplex Virginia Village properties, originally constructed in 1941, currently owned by the City’s Economic Development Authority. The goal is to preserve and expand
access to affordable housing in alignment with the vision for this neighborhood set forth in the Comprehensive Plan. The City has said it expects a broad spectrum of firms to respond to the RFP by offering
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