Letters to the Editor

Editor,

Councilmember Mabry's incongruous letter in last week's News-Press, in which Mr. Mabry assured readers the City had engaged in fair housing violations by discriminating against families with children, seemed more an excuse for misguided political conduct than a serious attempt to provide information or context.

The housing issue was fundamentally about controlling development projects in the City, not about protecting families or fair housing policy. Opponents of recent development projects retained private legal counsel; executive session, work documents and attorney-client communications were leaked; and contacts were made with the media to run articles stating the City was anti-family. Mr. Mabry has not fully disclosed the extent of his involvement in this effort, but it is known Mr. Mabry was, unbeknownst to City officials, in contact with housing investigators providing statements, documents and pressuring officials to pursue investigations.

The end result of the housing investigation was predictable. As soon as the City became aware of potential fair housing issues with its ordinance, it modified the ordinance. No family was denied housing or impacted as a result of the ordinance. The City fully cooperated with the investigations of its housing policies. The housing investigators found the City had engaged in no wrongdoing, and, in fact, now use the City housing policy as a fair housing model for other jurisdictions to follow.

The activities surrounding the housing issue go well beyond what should be tolerated in our community. First, because the purpose of the shenanigans was to force a political agenda rejected repeatedly by our citizens rather than to serve the community. Second, because an “at any cost” interest that is willing to attack the City's support for families jeopardizes the City's reputation and puts the City at risk financially.

Robin Gardner, Member Falls Church City Council

Editor,

To the elected officials of Falls Church City: Please do not get rid of any of the green space at West End Park. Buy the land from the Volunteer Firefighters and enhance it. It is worth more to the residents of the City as green space than as commercial space.

The western commercial area (West End) of the City is very different from the commercial areas at the other end of W. Broad St. and N. and S. Washington St. It feels more open, more spread out, less enclosed and I think a big reason is because like Redford's movie which had a river running through it, the West End has a bike trail (an antique rail bed) running through it.

The W&OD Northern Virginia Regional Park is a green corridor that links our City in a straight line to Alexandria and Purcellville. In that distance the trail only crosses a handful of pedestrian friendly business districts and the one at West End (with it's ample eateries, stores, and services close by and it's delightful wooden bridge crossing of the old turnpike and the delightful West End Park green space) is arguably the nicest. Walking/rollerblading/biking recreationers, green commuters, and indeed bicycling enthusiasts from all over the region appreciate this West End green space and stop here to refresh body and spirit.

Whatever happens the park will still exist but it's tranquil effect will definitely be lessened if half of what is green there now is sold. A parking lot, the back of a building with it's dumpsters, or apartment windows with people starring out would certainly blunt the solitude that can currently be enjoyed there.

Losing this bit of ground will assuredly grieve its immediate neighbors but it will also take an incremental bit of green ambience away from all City residents (east and west), from the business district here, and from the regional users of the W&OD greenway.

Dennis West Falls Church

Editor,

At the meeting of the Planning Commission on November 14, dozens of Falls Church citizens came forth to voice their support for retaining the open space adjacent to the West End Park as additional park land.

Likewise, a week later at the City Council meeting, dozens of citizens from all over the City also rose to speak out on the need to save this last bit of open space in the northwest part of the City for park land. Not one word of these significant happenings appeared on the pages of the News Press. This certainly indicates the bias of your newspaper concerning this issue.

If a five-story building planned to be constructed on this little portion of land occurs, it will end this last hope for a decently sized park for our citizens and playground for the children of this neighborhood.

Donald Hunt Falls Church

Editor,

Many people are angry over the proposal for senior apartments as an unfair opposition of open space versus affordable housing needs. This is not the real debate. Unless the City can afford to purchase the land next to West End Park it will eventually be developed. The real debate is whether we encourage affordable housing for seniors or allow the property to develop by-right as several McMansions and a small business. We should feel lucky that in this case the FCHC has given us an alternative.

Open space is critical for our kids' and our well-being. It’s also good environmental practice to have moderately tended, “wild” land. We must put a high value on this kind of area and we can thank the vocal supporters of open space for bringing this issue to the forefront. But would we all agree to spend scarce (and currently non-existent) money to turn expensive commercial land along Broad into parkland or is there more critical and beneficial land? I suspect we'd find a lot of projects -stream buffer easements, infill lots, daylighting of streams, etc. that are more critical than the Broad Street parcel that aren't on the future land use map. Let's move forward by designating truly critical areas and creating an open space fund. The revenue from this project might be a good start.

I understand there is a political unwillingness to vote for the project because of vocal, upset citizens who wish to create more park space or those who question the size or simply don't want an apartment-type structure nearby. City Council must do what is legally correct and best for the good of the city, period.

We have a serious need for affordable housing. This project appears to be a very fortunate and possibly unique combination of a property that is already partially zoned for business but not very appealing to standard development, a sympathetic seller, and a very capable proponent of affordable housing able to develop it. I cannot imagine that this combination is going to be easily replicated in this city. The only thing it needs is support from City Council.

Judy Fraser Falls Church

Editor,

Thank you for your editorial last week on the ABC 20/20 segment on the murder of Matthew Shepard and how the slant of the production undermines the public perceptions of hate crimes.

I would ask the head of ABC and those involved directly in producing this segment of 20/20 if they would have any hesitancy in producing a similar show that shows the murder of James Byrd wasn't a hate crime, simply three men with too much to drink who lost their sense of moral rightness?

Would the producers make such a film and would the network air it? I think your concluding sentence, “But thanks to ABC dubious motives, the public's understanding of the role of hate in criminal behavior has been diminished” is spot on.

Gerald Mickle Washington, D.C.