R EA L E STATE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Real Estate Summer 2019
Planned Micro Units in Falls Church Add Urban Flavor to Housing Scene
by Matt Delaney
SUMMER 2019 | PAGE 13
Falls Church News-Press
The massive new mixed-use development planned for the City of Falls Church’s west end, recently dubbed the “Little City Commons,” will feature a living space favored by big cities throughout the country when it introduces micro units upon completion in 2022. A micro unit complex makes up just one of the new structures that EYA, PN Hoffman and Regency — the Falls Church Gateway Partners behind the nearly 10 acre development project — are building, but the new
living option may represent the City’s boldest move to date in diversifying its housing stock to accommodate a younger, cashstrapped clientele. “We wanted to find a way to bring some young energy to the City with the right housing type, but also not produce something that will encourage housing units with children,” EYA’s Evan Goldman said, whose company has experience constructing micro units with a project on Rockville Pike in Maryland. “The City’s focus on affordable housing and how to achieve that, plus wanting the kids and grandkids of City residents to move back to
Falls Church instead of settling in Arlington or Fairfax County is where the micro units came into play.” Goldman clarified that, by Federal Housing Authority standards, properties can’t discriminate against potential tenants that may not fit young-urban-professional profile the developers have in mind during their current design phase. However, there’s no doubt that micro units are geared toward those who don’t mind a more pared-down lifestyle. The size of a micro unit, per Goldman, ranges anywhere from 300-500 square feet, or typically about 20 percent less than a
THE WEWORK BUILDING in Crystal City is the only other micro unit structure currently planned for Northern Virginia. (Photo:
News-Press.)
one-bedroom apartment (usually within the 500-600 sq. ft. range) or a studio apartment (more often in the 400-500 sq. ft. range). The amenities per unit aren’t established so far in the design phase either, but Goldman mentioned the developers will consider features that open the space up — including high ceilings, as found in the micro units being planned for the Wharf in Washington,
D.C., a built-in furniture piece or closet, or even the lack of a bedroom wall. A reduction in space outside of the unit itself is also being considered. Goldman noted that micro units are being constructed for residents who prize public transportation and alternative modes of transportation over driving. As
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