Coming to the City of Falls Church are two new developments that are set to make the West Falls Church Metrorail Station area a hub for foot traffic. The metro site itself will undergo redevelopment to transform the surrounding parking lots into a space with retail, office buildings, and housing. This intended rezoning of the site will connect to an additional development, the West Falls project, through new bike lanes, sidewalks, publicly accessible parking spaces, and a secondary grid of streets to help alleviate traffic congestion in the area. The 9.45-acre West Falls development intends to serve as a gateway to the city, with pedestrian-oriented streets providing easy access to the site—and it lies within a 10-minute walk from the metro station.
“In the city of Falls Church … you can walk and do just about anything you want. There’s a lot within the kind-of two square mileage size of the city,” says Drew Walter, who is a resident of Falls Church near the mixed-use Founders Row community. “So, it’s a big, big draw. The less time to use the car, the better. But whether it’s bike or walk, the more the city is accessible from that front, the better.”
The West Falls development on Leesburg Pike and Haycock Rd. will comprise retail sites, office space, residential and senior housing units, and a hotel — as well as parking for these locations. The anticipated groundbreaking is April.
Developers expect the retail area, which spans over 140,000 square feet, to generate a high amount of foot traffic, creating an engaging atmosphere.
The West Falls project also includes space for civic engagement — for conferences, outdoor concerts and entertainment, educational purposes, and more. For Walter, the outdoor space is something he’s looking forward to the most.
“I’m always eager to see more outdoor space and space for concerts and events, just civic space where people can gather … and Virginia is a, generally speaking, most months of the year, nice place to be outside,” he said.
These residential spaces are expected to bring about 1,200 people to the area, according to Carly Aubrey, the city’s principal planner for the development. Affordable dwelling units will make up 6 percent of the total dwelling units offered once the development is complete.
Aubrey noted that given the variety of units coming to the commons, the city expects the opportunity to see a community with a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
“I know the city, both staff and residents, are excited to see bigger projects … come to fruition. A lot of planning goes into it,” Aubrey says.
Things are already moving forward on the aesthetic front of the West Falls development — and have already generated a small controversy. At the city council public hearing on January 10, Falls Church Gateway Partners (FCGP) Development introduced potential street names for the new area.
FCGP Development said that the inspiration for the names came from native trees in Virginia, as the city is Tree City USA community, designated by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Other street name options include a reference to Virginia’s state bird, the northern cardinal, as well as options that the developers thought fit the project’s identity.
Fairfax County and Falls Church boards and commissions commented that names should avoid confusion with other street names already in the city, as well as perhaps have more historical significance to the area.
Public feedback of the potential street names echoed this sentiment, with one person stating, “Unfortunately, I think they are incredibly uninspired and generic – they sound like the roads in a map at the start of an elementary school mystery novel. I think the developer should engage with our community to develop road names that are place-making and meaningful. For example, the Battle Hymn of the Republic was written after the author saw a battle near West and Lee Highway. So Battle Hymn Way would mean something.”
West Falls, aside from bringing more walkable relevance to the metro area, is also meant to complement Falls Church schools, including special event parking for school use. Meridian High School, formerly George Mason High School, had its own grand opening in October after a remodel to its campus.
For more stories like this, subscribe to our Home newsletter.