News-Press Editorial

The Falls Church City Council was introduced to a sweeping package of proposed zoning reforms at its work session Tuesday that, with a rewrite of the City's Comprehensive Plan, will lead to significant changes in how the City manages its growth and development in both its residential and commercial districts in the coming period. You name it, changes in everything from historical preservation to parking and landscaping will be covered in wave upon wave of new ordinances that will be considered between now and Christmas. The breathtaking overview of the legislative road ahead for the City of Falls Church was prepared by the City staff for the Council's consideration and action.

But while everything from open space to impervious surfaces was touched upon, it was curious that a major and increasingly critical component of the City's uppermost priorities was not even mentioned: that is, affordable housing and whatever zoning or Comprehensive Plan changes may be required, or not required, to enhance its development.

In our view, there is no more pressing issue currently facing the City than this, with all the appropriate alarums and whistles going off when this spring's average 33% leap in assessed values for real estate in the City was announced, hiking the average value of a single family home from $399,000 to $527,000. That's the mean average value.

We're going to beat the drums about this relentlessly until meaningful and timely action is taken by our Council, because the current crisis means that by any standard the City is already at the point where no middle class family can afford to live here, including almost no family of a City employee or employee of a City business.

Still, the "affordable housing issue" languishes somewhere on a City Council "to do" list, and is included in tiresome litanies of things we're all "for" by those who can remember to do so. Anytime the subject deviates in the slightest, as with this Tuesday, it is forgotten entirely.

For example, creating land acquisition strategies for adding to open space was discussed Tuesday, but not for adding affordable housing.

In addition to helping build new affordable housing structures, the Council in its fall legislative agenda must adopt and ordinance providing for the ability of owners of single family homes to create "mother-in-law" or "granny" apartments on their properties. The ability to do an add-on, or to renovate a basement or space above a garage for a small, separate living unit is an essential component of making it possible for elderly persons living in value-appreciated homes stay in them by earning supplemental rental income. Such apartments also become destinations for those elderly needing to leave their larger homes, as well as for college students, young folk getting started in their careers, and others with modest incomes.

As a component of an affordable housing strategy for Falls Church, it is essential, and Council must not wait to get started.