Developer Adds Arts Center & Plaza to S. Maple St. Plans

A 3,000 square foot arts center available for a 10 year lease at a reduced rate to Falls Church arts groups, and an outdoor plaza, have been added to Atlantic Realty's plans for a five-story mixed use development complex on S. Maple St.

David Ross of Atlantic Realty unveiled the new components to the plan, which came before the Falls Church Planning Commission for its consideration Monday and was received with surprising enthusiasm.

Two members of the Planning Commission spoke glowingly of the new plans. Suzanne Farber called the overall project "far superior" to others of a similar nature already approved. "It will be great for our town," she said. "It offers so much public benefit. It brings energy and beauty and will enhance home values."

Board chair Christine Sanders chimed in, "It brings an exciting project to an area of the City that was blighted," adding that if she had the opportunity right then, "I'd vote for it."

The project, which includes 230 residential condominiums along with 60,000 square feet of office space, 10,000 square feet of retail and 5,000 square feet of restaurant space, comes for a preliminary examination by the Falls Church City Council at its regular business meeting this Monday, along with a public hearing. It comes back to the Planning Commission for a formal recommendation on July 19, and final Council approval of the "special exception" permit for the mixed-use project could come at its July 26 meeting.

The site is the 4.7 acre parcel at 400 S. Maple, known as the Diener tract, that is home to the historic duckpin bowling alley. It is the largest single parcel of commercially-zoned land in the City of Falls Church.

Atlantic Realty has been in extensive talks with representatives of the Falls Church Commission for the Arts and Laura Hull's Creative Cauldron arts education program about their needs, with an eye to creating spaces in the proposed structure for designated for their work. In addition to the 3,000 square foot space at a reduced cost, the outdoor plaza will not only anchor the outdoor pedestrian features, along with street-side landscaping, of the project, but will include public art and be a place where artistic efforts could take place.

Ross said his company, which owns the George Mason Square building at the intersection of Rt. 29 and 7 and has extensive holdings throughout the Washington, D.C, region, "has worked hard to adapt to the desires of the community" in making modifications to its S. Maple proposal.

In addition to the arts center and plaza, the plan was modified to include more street level retail and architectural diversity. Originally composed of three buildings, it now will be two, one housing the residential units and retail and the second the office space and retail. Phases of development will be reduced from three to two, another feature that Sanders found helpful.

The street-level retail is now being extended the length of the residential building, totaling 12,000 square feet in that building in addition to 6,000 square feet in the second building. Overall, the amount of commercial and retail in the project was increased from 80,000 to 97,000 square feet.

The issue of the "affordable dwelling" component of the project remains open, pending the City's wishes. It could be 15 affordable dwelling units contained within the project, or half that with the rest an equivalent in cash for the Falls Church Housing Corporation's efforts to build a senior housing structure.

Carol Jackson of the Housing Corporation said that an all-cash contribution for affordable housing would be preferable. "Affordable dwelling units in the project can remain at a reduced rate for only 15 years," she noted. "By asking $100,000 per unit equivalent in cash, that money can be leveraged to build more extensive housing that can last 40 years."