Several Falls Church residents and one Council member have urged city staff to exercise maximum transparency around a major affordable housing development.
Several speakers on July 28 voiced concerns to City Manager Wyatt Shields that staff have not been communicating adequately about documents related to the Virginia Village plan as they evolve.
Falls Church leaders are about to hit the launch button on their most significant affordable-housing effort.
City Council members on Monday, July 27 are slated to appoint a seven-member screening committee to rank prospective partners for redeveloping portions of the Virginia Village site.
Two Falls Church intersections — one a major crossroads, the other somewhat less expected — accounted for a large portion of the city’s collisions in 2025.
Of 134 crashes recorded in the city last year, 42 took place at the intersection of Washington Street and E. Broad Street, according to the Falls Church Police Department’s annual report. That’s almost 1 in 3.
Falls Church leaders later this month will take a look at regulations related to clearing snow on sidewalks adjacent to commercial properties.
Like Arlington, Falls Church has ordinance requirements mandating that snow must be removed from sidewalks within a specified time after a winter event. Because of the intensity of a heavy snow and ice storm in January, which was followed by a deep freeze, adherence to the rules was even more spotty than usual this year.
A Falls Church middle school student won a region-wide “If I Were Mayor” essay competition through a plea for sidewalk improvements.
Willa Thom, representing Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, was honored for her achievement at the June 22 Falls Church City Council meeting. She had competed in the Virginia Municipal League’s Region 5, which includes much of Northern Virginia.
More owners of low-valued vehicles could receive a full exemption from car taxes in Falls Church.
Vehicles assessed at $1,500 or less are currently exempt from the city’s car tax of $4.80 per $100 assessed valuation. Under a proposal brought to Council members by Commissioner of Revenue Tom Clinton and city staff, the exemption level would double to $3,000.
Which should come first for the Virginia Village redevelopment in Falls Church: Selecting a development partner, or considering zoning changes?
City leaders are facing a “chicken-and-egg”-type challenge as they tackle the major affordable housing initiative.
Falls Church officials say it’s time to double down on off-roading moped riders who are reportedly zooming around some of the city’s parks and sidewalks.
At the June 8 City Council meeting, Hardi pointed to concerns raised by residents about young people’s scooter use in several areas, notably Cherry Hill Park. Crackdown efforts have so far proved unsuccessful.
Falls Church leaders are weighing a few options as they decide the fate of a major affordable housing project.
City officials plan to rehabilitate or redevelop at least a portion of the 40 fourplex apartment buildings on the Virginia Village site through a future partnership with a housing developer. A work session on Monday focused on refining the request for proposal that will be put out, soliciting partnerships.
Falls Church City Council members adopted a $134.5 million fiscal 2027 budget Monday night, but at the meeting warned of more significant budget challenges ahead.
On a 6-1 vote, Council members reduced the current real estate tax rate from $1.185 per $100 assessed valuation to $1.18 per $100.
It will be the heat of summer when Falls Church leaders consider possible changes to the city’s snow-removal ordinance.
At an April 29 calendar-setting work session, City Manager Wyatt Shields told City Council members he’d like to hold a “scoping” session on July 20, focused on rules applying to commercial property after snowstorms.
Tensions already are appearing among Falls Church’s elected and staff leadership, even before planning for a major affordable housing plan starts to take shape.
Council members voted 5-1 on April 27 to authorize spending up to $175,000 on a consultant to help guide potential redevelopment in portions of the Virginia Village community. Even then, however, leaders disagreed over how the process should move forward and how many potential development scenarios should be considered.
