Blog posts are the personal views of Letty Hardi and not official statements or records on behalf of the Falls Church City Council

Dear Friends,

Happy Sunday – this week’s post will be a little different. We passed legislation in our meeting this week by several 7-0 votes – including our City Council priorities for the coming 2 years, all topics I’ve covered previously. What I’ll highlight are a few upcoming topics in our work session next week where I’d welcome your input – snow removal, new park names, and permit processes and fees. I know there are lots of opinions about the snow response to the January storm so we’ll have an after action discussion. Then a staff presentation on permit process improvements and fee increases that will be included in the upcoming budget. Our work sessions don’t have public comment opportunities – they are an informal way for us to dig in, understand issues, and shape staff proposals before we take any votes, refer out to boards and commissions, or get broader input from the community. You can send your thoughts to me directly or to all of City Council as emailed public comment.

Finally – if you haven’t seen them already, the city has a year-long line up of activities commemorating the United States’ 250th Anniversary, including a monthly video series and community events. The 250th is a good opportunity for reflection and recommitment to the founding principles that have guided our nation. One event I’ll highlight is Falls Church Forward’s second Civics Bootcamp next Sunday – one of the best attended FCF events last year, so we’re bringing it back during the 250th to help you learn how to get involved in local democracy and shape the city around you.

Take care,
Letty

What Happened This Week:

(1) We took 7-0 votes on several items below. I’ve linked to both the city staff reports and my previous posts that covered them should you have questions or want to revisit my thoughts on each topic:

• A one year pilot on rental scooters, likely launching late spring/early summer (Letty’s post)
• 10% tree canopy requirement in commercial projects (Letty’s post)
• Updates to Chapter 8 of the Comprehensive Plan focused on facilities and infrastructure. The city’s Comp Plan is the city’s long range planning document. (Letty’s post)
• Initiated the process to update the community engagement process on small area plan updates for Virginia Village, ahead of the redevelopment RFP to be issued this summer (Letty’s post)

(2) City Council Priorities – 2026-2027

We set City Council priorities every 2 years, after an election when a new City Council is seated, meant to guide both staff in their work and inform the public on key policy areas we hope to advance. The five large “buckets” of priorities have been consistent the past several terms: good governance, housing, economic development, transportation, and environmental sustainability. Under each bucket, there is an overarching strategy with specific strategies/initiatives – if you’re a long time reader, these policy positions will sound familiar. The one shift is around economic development, with a new focus on small businesses and marketing given the cooling off of the commercial real estate market and no big projects in the pipeline.

Good Governance
The City Council seeks to support continuous improvement by the City organization with the appropriate resources and policies needed by staff to deliver responsive, resilient, and reliable City services, and be a responsible steward of the public’s tax dollars.

Housing
The City Council seeks to improve access to affordable housing, address housing affordability and promote a wide diversity of housing in the City.

Transportation
The City Council seeks to transform the City to be truly multi-modal for visitors and residents alike so that they can safely walk, bike, roll, drive and take transit to meet their daily needs; ensure the reliability and good condition of core transportation infrastructure; and support data-based decision making to prioritize safety improvement projects for the benefit of all users of City streets.

Economic Development
The City Council’s vision for The Little City is to be the best place in the National Capital Region for independent, locally owned businesses to grow, thrive, and succeed!

Environmental Sustainability
The City Council seeks sustained progress in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, promoting sustainable development, building stormwater infrastructure to handle extreme weather, and growing a healthy urban forest.

What’s Coming Up:

Our entire City Council work session agenda is here (under Virginia law, all meeting materials and notices are posted 3 business days before a public meeting) but I’m pulling out a few items that are likely of community interest:

(1) Park names

New name proposals for the new park on S. Oak across from Oak St Elementary (fka Fellows Property) – we will be discussing the name suggestions from the community ahead of taking action on March 23. We’ll be getting construction bids this spring, construction of the park improvements is scheduled to begin this summer, with completion planned for the summer of 2027. We received 100+ submissions including suggestions from students and boards and commissions.

Name ideas begin on page 6, including some fun ones like Parky McParkface and Picklehut.

(2) Permit process improvements and proposed fees

I regularly get mixed feedback about our permitting processes – whether that’s homeowners looking to expand or renovate their home or businesses building out or retrofitting a space. Some, who have experience in other jurisdictions, say our processes work way better than our neighbors’ and appreciate the personal touch while desiring some self servicing. Others, especially those who are new businesses or have less savvy contractors, have a hard time navigating the process to get to the finish line.

As part of our previous Council priorities, we had directed staff to modernize the city’s permitting and code services processes to improve transparency, responsiveness, and predictability for residents, businesses, and the development community. At our work sessions, we’ll hear a report out on those recommendations and some fee changes which had last been updated in 2017 to ensure cost recovery and be able to invest in improvements.

(3) Snow response – after action discussion

I get even more opinions on snow removal from the big January storm, whose effects lingered for weeks! Overall – especially when seeing how other jurisdictions fared with the unusually large snow and ice amounts and ensuing old temps – I think the street plowing done by Public Works was commendable. And the fact that FCCPS was the first division to open after the storm was also notable. We appreciated all of our city and school staff who made that possible. Most of the feedback I’ve received was about sidewalk snow removal, especially in our commercial areas, and requests for more enforcement of those policies.

As background, the city’s current snow removal policies state that residential property owners have 12 hours after the snowfall (or sunrise) to remove snow and commercial owners have 6 hours. I expect we’ll discuss what actual legal authority we have to enforce that policy (and what may need more authorization from the General Assembly next year). We may also discuss snow emergency routes and clearing of the W&OD which is owned by NOVA Parks and not the city.

Your input is welcome.

==========================

March 16 – City Council Work Session*

March 23 – City Council Meeting* (budget presentation)

April 6 – City Council Work Session* (budget)

April 13 – City Council Meeting & Work Session* (budget)

April 20 – City Council Work Session* (budget)

April 27 – City Council Meeting & Work Session* (budget)

*All Mondays (except 5th Mondays and holidays) at 7:30 pm. You can access the agenda and livestream here, including recordings of past meetings

Office Hours:

Letty’s Walking Office Hours – Friday, April 10 (5 pm, Broad St / Howard Herman Trail)

Letty’s Jogging Office Hours – Friday, April 17 (12 pm, Library)

Letty’s Walking Office Hours – Friday, April 24 (5 pm, W&OD / West End Park)