New Mixed-Use Bid Comes Forward for Diener Tract

Yet another proposal to put a large-scale mixed use project on the 4.7-acre so-called Diener tract on S. Maple Street will get its first public airing at a work session of the Falls Church City Council and Planning Commission tonight. An initial public hearing on the project is slated for this Monday night.

Atlantic Realty of Vienna, Va., has submitted a request for a special exception to develop the plan, which will involve three separate buildings housing 230 condominiums and 80,000 square feet of commercial use.

The project, called simply "500 Maple Avenue," would include a five-story all residential building fronted by two three-story all commercial buildings, according to Gary Fuller of the City's Planning Department.

One of the two commercial will have 7,200 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Otherwise, all the commercial space will go to office space. Overall, the total percentage of the project dedicated to commercial will be 20%, the highest of any mixed-use project to come before the City to date.

This is the third stab at putting a mixed-use project on this site since the fall of 2002. A large project proposed by KSI for rental units on the site was rejected by the City Council and last summer a plan forwarded by the Young Group and IDI was withdrawn when it began to run into City Hall resistance.

The site, also known as the duckpin bowling alley site, is the largest single remaining property zoned for commercial use in the City. The special exception request submitted by Atlantic Realty seeks to allow mixed use on the all-commercial site.

A unique feature of this project is that all the parking will be located underground.

Following tonight's work session, the schedule will be to hold an initial public hearing on the proposal at the City Council's business meeting this Monday. The Council would consider a first reading following a second public hearing on May 24 and a third hearing would accompany a Planning Commission deliberation on a recommendation June 7. A fourth hearing would precede a final Council vote as early as June 14.