If, like many reasonable people who live here, you find yourself feeling a level of disgust and revulsion you never thought possible with the affairs of this small city when you moved here, stemming from the cumulative effects of: gross mishandling of the Mt. Daniel construction project, the very real possibly that the expansion portion of the project will be terminated, and debt service payments on an $11 million bond that is currently yielding no benefit to the city, efforts by the Superintendent to micromanage and accelerate funding of construction projects while losing interest in follow-through after funding is acquired. Cost overruns at Thackeray, TJ,Read More →

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Below is the text of a letter sent to parents of school children by the Pastor of St. James Church. September 17, 2015 Dear Parents: I am writing this letter to inform you about a situation that will affect pedestrian safety and the availability of parking on the streets surrounding St. James Church and School. At the end of this letter, I will urge you to take action to protect the interests of St. James parishioners and parents. We have seen many changes to our surrounding environment since I arrived in 2006. This past year has brought news of further development along Broad and WestRead More →

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There has been increased interest in planned and projected mixed use projects in out little city.  According to the city, when Pearson Square changed from condo to apartments it created a net fiscal impact to ZERO.  This is due to the unusually high pupil population (120 pupils) and with resulting school expenses measured by the City’s fiscal model.  The city is not making any money on the Pearson development.  On the other hand, condos contribute a better fiscal model and can be seen in the attached chart from the city.  The city needs to reconsider the type of dwelling units it approves for the mixedRead More →

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Council Members and Planning Commissioners:  I attended both the Planning Commission and Economic Development Advisory board meetings the week of August 3 so I could see the presentation of the proposed Planning Opportunity Area 6 (POA) document.  After watching both presentations, and seeing the very different responses by the two bodies, I wanted to take a moment to express my concerns before the document comes to you for approval.  The City spent (and continues to spend) a lot of money to create a The Little City logo for advertising.  I do not know if that logo was supposed to represent the actual physical size ofRead More →

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Note: The item below is a reprint of an article from The Washington Business Journal, originally published in February, 2015, by Michael Neibauer. It is being reprinted here in the interest of providing information to citizens regarding the Urban Land Institute proposal for the high school site. In late 2013, thanks to a boundary adjustment with Fairfax County, the 2.2-square-mile city of Falls Church expanded by 34.6 acres — providing a big opportunity for the quaint community to add more than 1 million new square feet of mixed-use development. Just over a year later, a panel of planning experts from the Urban Land Institute-Washington hasRead More →

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Bethesda developer The Meridian Group has reached a deal to bring a 15-screen Showplace Icon to The Boro, its redevelopment of SAIC’s corporate campus in Tysons where grocer Whole Foods has also signed on as an anchor tenant. Kerasotes Showplace Theaters LLC has signed a lease with Meridian and is planning to open its luxury theater, to feature upscale dining options and reserved seating, in summer 2018. Its addition builds on the momentum Meridian is gaining at The Boro, a mixed-use development near the Silver Line’s Greensboro Metro station in Fairfax County slated to break ground next summer. Meridian is still seeking final approvals toRead More →

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