September 10 – 16, 2020
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 • V OL. X XX NO. 30
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Local, National Elections Fill Up Fall Ballot in F.C.
Mail-In Voting For National Elections Is Underway BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
It’s not about Election Day this year so much as it is about Election Season. Concerns for the Covid-19 pandemic, the legitimacy of the vote in the context of President Donald Trump’s efforts to call that into question, and a near feverish determination of more citizens than usual to cast a vote this time have led to efforts to vote early and by alternative means. Mail-in voting is already underway, and in-person voting begins next week. In Falls Church, there is not only an election for president (the choices being incumbent Trump and Joe Biden), but also for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mark
Warner, and for the U.S. House seat currently held by Rep. Don Beyer. Also, there is the special election for the Falls Church City Council seat vacated by the death of Dan Sze last July. There will also be two Virginia Constitutional amendments on the ballot, one pertaining to establishing a Redistricting Commission designed to make the redistricting process more unbiased, and the other to make veterans exempt from car taxes. Amid all the campaigning, more events have been announced this week to give local voters a good chance to evaluate the three candidates on the ballot to fill the vacant City Council seat. In the latest development, Hal Lipmann, president of the
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MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY has been hustling non-stop with online story times, book clubs, and of course, curbside services since the Covid-19 pandemic took off in the spring. Now, the library is gathering messages of support the community has shared with them on the MRSPL Foundation website and will be posted in the trailer where they work. Everyone is encouraged to thank a librarian (P����: C������� M��� R���� S����� P����� L������)
F.C. Council Searching For ‘Win-Win’ With Whole Foods Project BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
At its first business meeting of the fall season this coming Monday, the Falls Church City Council will decide whether or not to forward for board and commission review the latest proposal for the
large-scale mixed use mega-Whole Foods development on 3.16 acres at the City’s central intersection of Washington and Broad. The prospect for the project moving forward toward a potential Dec. 16 final approval date was given a boost at Tuesday night’s virtual City Council work session
by extensive testimony from the Insight Property Group. The developer demonstrated that progress is underway on a number of fronts, most notably toward an agreement on an interim parking arrangement with neighboring restaurants and improved public open spaces. But a new feature announced
Tuesday provided perhaps the biggest new boost. It involved plans to build out an initial number of eight one- and two-bedroom residential units with novel “work-at-home” designs in response to what a new post-Covid-19 world may look like. Scott Adams and Maury Stern of Insight said the number of such units
may grow depending on demand. This was tantamount to adding office space to the overall project, the lack of which has been a concern to the Council in deliberations to date, especially as expressed by Councilman Phil Duncan. But Duncan told the News-Press after Tuesday’s work session that “the new work-from-home units concept
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SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8
SEE HOME IMPROVEMENT, PAGE 11
SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8
The consultants retained by the Falls Church School are developing a survey on the proposed name changes for George Mason High and Jefferson Elementary expected to be ready for School Board review by Sept. 29.
While most businesses have been struggling throughout the coronavirus pandemic, design and build firms as well as the suppliers and subcontractors they work with have been one of the few prosperous ones. Read all about how two Falls Church firms are holding up.
The consultants retained by the Falls Church School are developing a survey on the proposed name changes for George Mason High and Jefferson Elementary expected to be ready for School Board review by Sept. 29
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ................................ 7,10,15 News & Notes............................. 16,17 Calendar ........................................... 18 Business News ................................. 19 Classified Ads ................................... 20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 21 Crime Report .................................... 22 Critter Corner.................................... 22