Blog posts are the personal views of Letty Hardi and not official statements or records on behalf of the Falls Church City Council 

Dear Friends,

Happy snow (slush) day! Hopefully that is the last time we say that this year. If you, too, have an extra two hours this morning – settle down with another cup of coffee and this week’s update for a few minutes. Three quick highlights and takeaways:

1) Without much fanfare, your City Council cast two important votes this week, representing significant investments in the future of the city. Read on to find out more.

2) Pay attention and let your voice be heard. We typically hear from *a lot* of people during budget season and land use/development projects. While this upcoming budget cycle is expected to be pretty tame (hurray) with everyone likely sticking to the budget guidance we passed in December, we are shaping the biggest projects ever in the city that will impact generations to come. Surprisingly, we have actually received very little public comment about the 10 acre project. See below for lots of links to the development, final school design, and schedules of meetings so you can be informed. Share with neighbors and friends and chime in with your thoughts.

3) Speaking of big projects and the community – if you currently have a Mt Daniel student, if you do not yet have a MD student, or had one graduate long ago – tomorrow is the Mt Daniel community open house! The school is open for public tours Saturday, March 2 from noon-3 pm so you can check out the completed building, which was a $17M capital project. My first grader and I will be one of the ambassador families greeting you, so I hope to see many of you there.

Best,
Letty

PS – My next office hours will be Monday, March 25 at 9 am, Northside Social. Maybe spring will have sprung and we can enjoy the sunshine outdoors! Come and chat about the budget, CIP, and the west end projects. If you drive, remember this handy parking map.

What Happened This Week:

(1) We voted 6-0 to move the West Falls Church Economic Development project (10 acres next to GMHS) at first reading, which means it advances to board and commission review and comment before we vote on a final version in May. Here are good links to follow:

• Economic Development Project – Special Exception Entitlement Application (it’s lengthy, but I found pages 40-45 most helpful)
• GMHS Campus – final schematic design
• Video of last Sunday’s Town Hall. Continue to expect the Sunday Series town halls to occur monthly to keep you informed.
• Other meetings: in lieu of 16 different meetings traditionally held with our Boards & Commissions to review the project, the meetings have been condensed into 6 meetings. These are open to the public, so a good opportunity to attend any one of these to learn about the project, ask questions, and offer feedback:

• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #1
  • Economic Development Authority, Human Services Advisory Council
  • Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
  • Offices of Viget, 105 W. Broad St., 4th Floor, Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity
• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #2
  • Arts & Humanities Council, Recreation & Parks Advisory Board
  • Wednesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
  • Community Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity
• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #3
  • Historic Architecture Advisory Board, Historical Commission
  • Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Community Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity
• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #4
  • Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Transportation, Housing Commission, Library Board of Trustees
  • Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
  • Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School Cafetorium, 7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity
• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #5
  • School Board
  • Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
  • School Board Conference Room, 800 W. Broad St., Suite 203, Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity
• Presentation to Boards and Commissions #6
  • Architectural Advisory Board, Environmental Sustainability Council, Planning Commission, Tree Commission
  • Wednesday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Community Center, 223 Little Falls St., Falls Church
  • Public Comment Opportunity

(2) We also voted 5-1 to acquire the Fellows Property for $4.67M. At nearly two acres of undeveloped land, this will be preserved as green park space and potential school use should we need to expand TJ Elementary in the future.

(3) Stormwater & local flooding concerns

As everyone knows by now, it has been a record-breaking wet year. At our meeting on Monday night, we heard from many neighbors on S. Spring about concerns about flooding and potential impact of Founders Row. City staff will follow up to discuss and investigate specific neighborhood concerns, but I wanted to take the opportunity to offer information around a common misconception – that commercial redevelopment causes flooding in our residential neighborhoods.

When Founders Row is complete, there will be less runoff from Founders Row vs the old uses because of stormwater retention measures. With commercial redevelopment, we are able to require more stringent stormwater plans – for example, there will be 45 wells on site for stormwater retention during construction and large underground retention chambers to capture runoff when the project is done. In contrast, we have less legal authority to regulate by-right residential redevelopment (ie SFH tear downs) and their runoff, other than setbacks, lot coverage, height requirements, etc. so I believe that does have an impact on neighborhoods.

What’s Coming Up:

• Monday, March 4 – City Council Work Session (really interesting topics in this one – the library project, exotic animals, and the latest on the demographics study underway)
• Monday, March 11 – City Council Meeting (FY20 budget presentation)
• Monday, March 18 – City Council Work Session (budget worksession #1)
• Sunday, March 24 – Sunday Series Town Hall (2 pm)
• Monday, March 25 – Letty’s Office Hours (9 am, Northside Social)