First Peek at F.C.'s City Center Redevelopment Plan Reveals Upscale Grocery in First Phase

An upscale, natural food oriented 53,000-square foot grocery store may be going into the 200 block of West Broad Street in the quadrant including the Post Office, the Burke and Herbert Bank and overflow parking for the bowling alley on S. Maple.

That was the word that issued from the first glimpse that City of Falls Church officials provided Monday of plans for the transformation of downtown Falls Church. An initial presentation of the comprehensive city center redevelopment under direction of the Akridge Corporation was made public at Monday's Falls Church City Council meeting.

The grocery store would be the "anchor" of the first phase of the redevelopment, and could begin construction within a year and a half, a representative of Akridge subsequently told the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning.

Falls Church City Manager Dan McKeever said a meeting with the prospective retailer is slated for Friday. The News-Press learned from independent sources that personnel employed at two area grocery store sites – Whole Foods and Wegman's – reported having overheard talk of prospective new operations for their companies in Falls Church.

Still, nothing has been set in stone. The City is still in arduous negotiations with Akridge, hammering out the rights, roles and responsibilities of each side in the unique partnership to reshape the four blocks west of the intersection of Routes 7 and 29.

The "Block A" slated for the grocery store is the first one to move on, Joe Svatos of Akridge told the Chamber board, because it has the fewest businesses and property owners there. One of them is the City, which own the parcel where the 2 Sisters Coffee Bar has a limited lease.

In addition to the grocery store, that block would include a residential condominium component and structured parking. It is not clear yet, McKeever said, whether the parking structure would be open for public use or limited to tenants or patrons of a condo or retail complex.

"The kind of grocery store we are talking about is shown to be a surprisingly powerful generator of additional economic activity," McKeever said. "With the right store, a lot more retail activity comes in."

Svatos noted that when a new Whole Foods market came onto P Street in northwest Washington, D.C., between 14th and 15th streets "it created an incredible change in the entire neighborhood, and some of the highest retail rents are now right across the street."

"A high-end grocery store can be powerful," McKeever added. "Giant and Safeway will be getting a lot of competition."

McKeever stressed that as soon as both the City and Akridge are able, "We want to get to the point to make all this fully public. We want the community to buy in to these plans."

He said ample opportunities for public input will be provided before any plans are made final. A City Council work session on the plan is slated for May, even though the negotiating period between the City and Akridge is slated to take four months and maybe longer.

Svatos made it clear there is nothing in the plans involving a public taking of land through eminent domain or condemnation. "The law stipulates that can be only for such public purposes as a park, City building or public parking," McKeever added.