Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields and his staff currently are attempting to juggle requests from various organizations to close streets for Halloween-themed events.
At least six have come in, double the typical number of street closings allowed on any given day, city officials say.
“Closing too many streets in one day is a public-safety concern in terms of emergency access and things like that,” Shields said at an Oct. 16 meeting with Mayor Letty Hardi and other city leaders to set agendas for coming meetings.
Whether a three-a-day limitation is appropriate is an open question, Shields acknowledged.
“There’s a line to be drawn somewhere — the question is, have we drawn it in the right place?” he said.
The comments by Shields came after Hardi said she had received “a bunch of appeals” from organizations that found their requests denied.
Having no authority to address them directly, “I’m going to send them to the city manager,” she said.
In an effort to make everyone reasonably happy, city officials could ask those seeking closures of road stretches close to one another to team up on one single stretch, Shields said.
Halloween (Oct. 31) falls on a Thursday this year.
Timing of New Council Member’s Swearing In Still Up in Air: Falls Church City Council members will have a full agenda at their meeting Nov. 11. Whether the body’s seventh, and newest, member will be on the dais remains an open question.
City officials say they cannot be sure that the winner of the special election to fill a vacant City Council seat will have been certified by the date of the meeting. Without certification, the new member can’t be sworn in and begin service.
Paul Ferguson, clerk of the Circuit Court for Falls Church and Arlington, told ARLnow that state election officials attempt to expedite certification of special elections, allowing the victor to take office as soon as feasible.
Laura Downs and John Murphy are vying to fill the remaining 14 months of the post, which was left empty earlier this year when Caroline Lian resigned. It has been vacant in the interim.
City Council posts are nonpartisan, at-large seats.
The special election is being held concurrently with the Nov. 5 general election. It is the only Falls Church City Council seat to be decided by voters this year.
The proposed agenda for the City Council’s Nov. 11 meeting includes a formal discussion of potentially contentious accessory-dwelling regulations. That discussion had been on the council’s to-do list for October but was pushed back in hopes that either Downs or Murphy will be on board on Nov. 11.
Regardless of when the new council member is sworn in, it’s likely that a welcome reception for him or her will be held toward the end of the year, allowing time for it to be adequately planned and publicized, city officials said.
Council Member Wants More Data on Potential for ADUs: One member of the Falls Church City Council wants additional big-picture data as leaders begin formal discussions on an accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) proposal.
At an Oct. 16 agenda-setting session, City Council member Erin Flynn asked if staff could provide details on how many single-family parcels in the city already have reached maximum lot coverage, and how many are below it.
Those with room to spare under lot-coverage rules would be candidates to add standalone accessory dwellings on their properties. Having the data will help “to have a sense how many parcels are out there,” Flynn said.
Under the city’s zoning rules, single-family properties are generally limited to 35% lot coverage, counting the primary residence and all ancillary buildings.
There also are a host of other zoning requirements for properties in residential areas of the city.
ADUs are standalone properties on a single-family lot. Supporters say they will provide additional housing options not currently available, while others voice concerns that they could lead to increasing urbanization in Falls Church’s residential neighborhoods.
The issue was a key topic of discussion in a candidate forum between Downs and Murphy, sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
