FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
R EA L E STATE
RealFallEstate 2017
Understanding of Identity Assists F.C. as Neighbors are Taking Note
by Matt Delaney
FALL 2017 | PAGE 13
Falls Church News-Press
Physical identity is a key aspect of self awareness. To understand part of who you are, you first have to know what you look like. When it comes to any creating an identity of a geographical region, whether it be the City of Falls Church or its neighboring areas, it is often judged by the buildings that sprout up in its vicinity. Those developments embody not only a fiscal means to an end, but a people’s idea of their community. However, when dated developments outnumber newer ones, it’s difficult for people to latch onto a sense of progressive
uniformity that connects them – let alone feel their community is being pulled out of economic stagnation. “Creep, crawl, walk has always been my saying about revitalization,” Eileen Garnett, who was advised to start the Annandale Revitalization Committee back in 1984 from then-Mason District Supervisor Tom Davis, said. “[But] we’re still creeping.” Annandale provides a window into what the City would look like if development efforts hadn’t seen a significant uptick since the turn of the century. The region lays just south of the City of Falls Church, but resembles an older version of Falls Church proper that has been
washed over in its recent history. That is, it was more of cut through rather than a destination. The same could be said about neighboring Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners to the east. Both areas have been more defined by the major transportation arteries they facilitate as opposed to the commercial establishments they house. There are exceptions: Annandale is widely known for its Korean cuisine, Bailey’s has the allure of its Skyline entities and Seven Corners’ many stores are anchored by an active Home Depot. But these high-achievers can’t uplift the area’s business sector in isolation and indicate why revitalization committees have
A REAR VIEW of the old Saab dealership, which is now occupied by The Lincoln at Tinner Hill mixed-use development. (Photo: Courtesy City of Falls Church)
labored for the past 30-odd years. Current Mason District Supervisor, Penny Gross, has focused on alleviating the commercial lag her province is experiencing, and done so with success. “If I look around and see the things we’ve done the past 22 years, it’s really quite amazing,” Gross said. “Land use is very active in Mason District. It would
be even more active if we kept track of the people that I’ve told to take a hike...We’ve got to have the right kind of development, it can’t be a fishing expedition.” Garnett sees things differently. A bond approved for revitalizing Annandale and other districts in 1988 wasn’t spent out until just
Continued on Page 14
INSIDE: Falls Church Stays Big By Going Small page 17 | Internet Hits Real Estate Business page 18 | F.C. Home Sales #s pages 19–20
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