Over a year in the making, Falls Church’s North Washington Street Small Area Development Plan was adopted 4-0 by the F.C. City Council Monday night as a “guiding document for decision making,” to be referenced in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan for redevelopment with densities as high as 2.5 floor-to-area ratios (FAR) and open space fronting the Four Mile Run was OK’d with the understanding that wording be added to ensure that it conform with the Council’s earlier mandate that no on-street parking be eliminated, that references to making either Maple or Little Falls one-way be deleted, that mixed-use projects be guaranteed to maximize potential for net revenues to the City, and that architectural designs of new structures reflect unique and highly-aesthetic considerations.
The importance of the first of a number of small area plans being devised by the City’s Planning Department lie in its unique location as a gateway to the City from Arlington, and in proximity to the dense development that Arlington County OK’d for the nearby East Falls Church Metro Station. The 30-acre area is also proximate to the I-66 Interstate and the W&OD Trail, which make it a critically-important redevelopment location for the long-term sustainability of Falls Church as an independent jurisdiction, the Council was told.
