Some Falls Church leaders are expressing concern over a possible General Assembly measure that would take away local power to regulate parking in development projects.
Such a measure could be introduced by Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37), who represents the city in the upper house of the legislature. The topic was among the key points discussed at the Nov. 7 meeting of the City Council’s legislative committee.
“I want to understand, what’s his goal?” said Cindy Mester, the city’s director of community relations and legislative affairs.
Mester told committee members that both city staff and other localities were expressing concern about a potential blanket rule eliminating local governments’ ability to require a minimum number of parking spaces on existing or new development projects, or both.
“It’s hard to have one-size-fits-all,” she said, expressing the hope of working with Salim’s staff on the nuances of the bill.
Council member David Snyder, who serves on the legislative committee, said he has concern any time the General Assembly attempts to take away local authority.
Another committee member — Council member Debora Schantz-Hiscott — said she could see times when potentially excessive parking demands could be problematic in meeting a community’s overall goals.
“If you’re building affordable housing, you don’t necessarily need a two-spots-per-unit ratio,” she cited as one example.
Excessive parking demands also can be detrimental to certain infill development and small businesses, “especially in denser areas like ours,” said Schantz-Hiscott.
Salim told ARLnow that housing was one of the main drivers behind his thoughts on eliminating localities’ powers to require certain levels of parking:
“As part of my efforts to make living in our region more affordable, I am looking into several legislative proposals, including an end to parking mandates. There are a number of ways we can increase housing supply, a number of ways we can help people afford the cost of living, and the one thing the people will not accept is inactivity. We should be united in aggressively pursuing both of these goals with all the tools we have available.”
At the Nov. 7 committee meeting, Mester said she would shortly be meeting with staff from Salim’s office. She praised his staff as “very responsive” and said she was hoping for a “low-key” conversation with them as city officials craft their 2026 legislative priorities.
The city’s wish list for the 2026 General Assembly session is slated to be discussed by Council members at a Nov. 17 work session, with formal action taking place a week later.
Another issue on the Council’s legislative plate is the question of banning gas-powered leaf blowers.
At a recent meeting, city officials considered the possibility of using Falls Church’s noise ordinance to enact a ban. Mester told members of the legislative committee that legal counsel seems disinclined to approve that approach.
As a result, Council members would likely need to see enabling legislation from the General Assembly to move forward.
Last session, Salim introduced a measure that would give localities explicit authority to regulate leaf blowers. It did not get far, dying on a 12-3 vote in the Senate Committee on Local Government.
The measure would have explicitly allowed localities to regulate or outright prohibit gas-powered blowers and enact civic fines for those breaking the rules. It also would have allowed localities to use funding from the fines “to assist with the purchase of non-prohibited leaf blowers by residents and local businesses.”
Officials in nearby Arlington are also exploring options for limiting or banning gas-powered blowers.
The General Assembly’s 2026 session starts Jan. 14 for what is expected to be a 60-day session. In addition to Salim representing Falls Church in the upper house of the legislature, Del. Marcus Simon (D-13) represents the city in the House of Delegates.
