Falls Church Turns to the Future

"The council is going to have to reevaluate the project, especially in light of the planning commission's vote," said Nader Baroukh, a lawyer who lives in Winter Hill. "We want a city center, but this falls on its face. They have sold city land at garage-rate prices. The city has to have the stewardship to get the development it deserves."

Detractors have raised other questions. They say that the project's mix of 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial development is unbalanced and that the project doesn't have enough parking, lacks access to transit and needs to include open space.

Jeff Peterson, president of the Village Preservation and Improvement Society, said the city is throwing in all the land it owns and buying additional land without getting a "public square or commons" in return.

"The height, mass and modern design elements of the proposed project all act to undermine the distinctive feel of Falls Church as a special place," he said, citing the architecture of the historic church that gave the city its name.

Adam B. Shulman, a partner at Atlantic, said: "This process has been long in the works. . . . It's not me coming in and saying, 'This is what you need.' It's us responding to what the city wants."

Added Gardner: "This is not our first go. We've had many iterations."

The uncertainty of the economy is another potential barrier. Some places that are hoping to rejuvenate their downtowns -- notably Herndon, Manassas Park and Springfield -- recently have scaled back projects or even killed them because of the real estate market slowdown and its drain on local government revenue. Falls Church's budget for the coming fiscal year will show a drop in revenue mainly because of the housing market slump.

City Manager Wyatt Shields said the housing troubles would not hurt the City Center plan because the city has not seen a marked slowdown in private investment.

"There may be several reasons for this: Confidence in the long-term strength of the Washington area economy is certainly one reason," he said. "But there are local factors specific to the city as well, such as our great location and our strong schools. Falls Church is a great place to live and work, and the market for high-quality mixed-use development here remains healthy."

On Thursday, Gardner said, the council will take the planning commission's recommendation into account. But she said she believes the timing is right for City Center.

"We are at a major crossroads, and this will determine where we are going," she said. "This is the right project for now."