After over two years and two dozen public hearings, the Falls Church City Council gave its final approval to a change in the City’s transitional zones rules that will allow for more diverse housing by a 5-2 vote Tuesday night. It comes as a welcome opportunity for those who are put off by the fact that the average price of a single family home in the City is approaching $900,000.

Strident opposition from some citizens, including Mayor David Tarter and Council member David Snyder, failed to change the minds of the five members of the Council who stood firm in their votes from the time they gave preliminary approval earlier in the summer. Vice Mayor Letty Hardi was joined once again by colleagues Marybeth Connelly, Phil Duncan, Debbie Shantz-Hiscott and Caroline Lian once again to cast “yes” votes to secure passage of the changes.

Heightened acrimony once again characterized last night’s hearing, as Snyder, insisting the changes have “fatal flaws” and failing to get any votes for his motion to table the matter, called his vote the most consequential in his two dozen years on the Council and Shantz-Hiscott assailed those who called her actions unethical or negligent. Such remarks, many of which were conveyed to Council members through emails, she said, were “untrue and unkind.” This new policy “will allow for all types of housing, and housing matters,” she said.

Transitional Zones Rules Updated

The options for condos, duplexes and “two over two” housing “is something we all desperately need and want” said Hardi. She said “the risk of inaction is greater” and assured opponents that “the sky will not fall” as a result of the vote. “At the heart of opposition to this is fear,” she said. Although a lot of the new housing still won’t be cheap, she acknowledged, it will nonetheless offer the option for “starter homes” for many.

Connelly said that the issue was “unnecessarily divisive,” and safeguards were built in to insure there would be no more unsightly developments like some feel the backside of The Spectrum has brought to Park Avenue. “This vote is a good move for Falls Church,” she said.

Lian, the newest member of the Council, said the process and final vote make her “proud to be a citizen of Falls Church,” because so many were vocal and passionate about the future of the City, and driven by “a very noble intent.” The changes, she said, “will be incrementally beneficial.”

Duncan said “there is hardly anything good that happens without strong disagreements,” and that “there were thoughtful pro and con arguments,” but the vote “tackled the issue of housing” in the context of “good progress on affordable housing.” He said he felt “the heavy weight of our posterity” in the vote.

Tarter, in casting the only ‘no’ vote besides Snyder, said the measure was “not yet ready,” and cited the near thousand residential units now or soon to be under construction in the City.

There was another strong contingent of citizens who spoke out prior to the vote, split between opponents to the changes such as former mayor Nader Baroukh and Council candidate Erin Flynn, and voices favoring the changes for the diversity of housing options that will result in the context of the greater region’s housing shortage crisis, including David Gustafson, Aaron Wilkowitz, Mostafa El Nahass and Joseph Schlarizzi. Wilkowitz argued the changes will bring more customers to City businesses, improve the environment by permitting the retention of forests in outlying areas, and allow for more community. He added, “Urban aesthetics are beautiful.”

Local developer Bob Young, chair of the City’s Economic Development Authority, in a written statement to the News-Press, added, “It’s a relief to me that the T-Zone code revisions have been approved by Council after over two years and 26 or so public hearings. It’s clear from the numerous revisions incorporated by Council over this time period that it has carefully listened to the substantial public input it’s received and produced a code that will permit additional housing that, by Falls Church standards, will be reasonably priced.”