A $148 million, six year Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) budget proposed by City Manager Wyatt Shields was detailed to the Falls Church City Council Monday, and in the current environment of acute uncertainty, the greatest concerns expressed had to do with whether or not the City will be able to count on being reimbursed by VDOT or the federal government as promised for road and other improvement projects recently completed or underway.

Caitlin Sobsey, the CIP Coordinator for Falls Church, led a presentation on the proposed budget and said that most of the $2 million due from VDOT as its share in road and intersection projects in the City had already been received, and there has been “no indication as yet” of any changes to commitments that have been made.

Between the coming Fiscal Year 2026 and 2031, the City is due to receive $46 million in grant funds, $33.6 million of which are state or regional and $12.4 million of which are federal. Currently, there are a total of $24 million in grant appropriations under agreement or in progress, many under construction. Federal grants cover Broad Street multimodal improvements and HAWK signal lights, Park Avenue “Great Street” work, the Sherrow Avenue bridge replacement, Greenway Downs and Berman Park trail crossings work.

Over the next six years, federal grants have been promised to cover Broad and Washington paving, phase two of the Bikeshare program, a S. Washington bus stop, pedestrian, bike, bridge and traffic calming, pedestrian bridges and bridge inspections.

In Fiscal Year 2026 (beginning this July 1) there will be a $1,250,000 investment in traffic signal infrastructure that will be allocated at that amount again the following year. Adding a solar rooftop to City Hall will require $104.000, but a new roof for the Henderson Middle School will not be funded until 2029.

In total over the next six years, the proposed City CIP budget includes $51 million dedicated to the general and school fund, $59 million to the transportation fund, $35 million to the sewer facility and $3 million to the stormwater utility for the $148 million total.

Sobsey said the CIP priorities are “effective and realistic project delivery, infrastructure reinvestment, multimodal transportation and affordable housing.” Those, she said, are in alignment with the City Council’s stated two year strategic priorities that include environmental sustainability, transportation, economic development, housing and good governance.

Highlighted public facilities and school projects in the proposed six-year plan include creating an uninterrupted power source for City Hall, and Oak Street Elementary and Property Year investments, the latter pending the final report from the Urban Land Institute’s two-day technical assistance panel examining the Gordon Road Triangle held here recently.

Plans for transportation improvements include a $700,000 increase in 2026 for roadway maintenance. In this context, it was noted that between VDOT and Arlington County, the City’s desire for a better outcome for the signal condition that now excludes a right turn out of Gresham Place will not be addressed until 2028.

As of 2025, Sobsey reported, there are 38 active CIP projects going on in the Little City’s 2.2 square miles. They include projects at $24 million for transportation,  $20 million for stormwater, $12 million for sewer, $4 million for parks and recreation, $8 million for facilities and schools, $600,000 for IT and $2 million for public safety.

Completed projects include the Broad Street HAWK signals (with pedestrian controls), W&OD trail crossings, Berman Park trail crossings and playground, neighborhood traffic calming at E. Columbia, E. Jefferson and N. Roosevelt, various crosswalks, ramps and sidewalks, parklets, fire hydrants and radios, a new stadium turf at Meridian High School, stormwater work on Hillwood and Lincoln avenues, Aurora House fire alarms and Oak Street Elementary safety upgrades.

In a quick review of a longer, 10-year outlook, Mayor Hardi suggested adding sidewalks on N. Virginia Avenue to the list.

A total of $6,953,463 is proposed to be allocated for affordable housing in the City over the next six years that includes the deployment of a $1 million grant from the Amazon Reach program in the coming fiscal year that will grow to $1.7 million over the next six years.