New Amenities Added to Deal for BJs
A traffic signal and streetscape on Wilson Blvd., upgraded storm water controls, landscaping and buffers, better erosion control during site infill, a wall for noise mitigation and screening the site from the neighborhood behind it, and an upgraded building façade have all been added
to the pending agreement between the City of Falls Church and JGB, owners of the 8.4 acre site that will be sold to BJ’s Warehouse, the F.C. City Council learned at a work session Monday. Tom Sebastian of JBG told the Council that immediate finalization of the tax-sharing deal to attract BJ’s is vital, and that he hoped the Council would vote that through at its business meeting this Monday. BJ’s Warehouse, the nation’s top competitor with Costco in the cut-rate warehousing business, could bring up to $1 million in net new tax revenues to Falls Church if the deal is closed. It is a “by right” project at the site, formerly owned by Noland Oil, but the City’s Economic Development Office, led by Rick Goff, encouraged JBG to welcome BJ’s by proposing a tax-sharing deal to enable the considerable site upgrades needed. The City will take the first $450,000 in annual tax revenues from the retailer. The City and the retailer share the next $450,000, and the City will get everything else above that number. Sebastian said he hoped the deal would be completed by the end of December, noting that delay in this economic environment is not a good idea.
City Center Revision Plan Unveiled Tonight
The Falls Church City Council will hold a work session tonight, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. to consider reported revisions in Atlantic Realty’s $317-million City Center project approved by the Council last spring. According City Manager Wyatt Shields, the tough economic environment has caused Atlantic Realty to seek a revision of its plans for residential components of the project. In the main residential building, above the proposed Harris Teeter, he said, Atlantic wants to reduce the height by two stories, but to keep the same number of units by eliminating step-backs on three sides of the building. It would keep the step-back above condos on the Big Chimneys Park side of the building. There are no written documents, only sketches, from Atlantic so far.
F.C. Resident Dies in I-66 Single Car Crash
A driver identified by Arlington Police as 55-year-old Constance Halback of Falls Church was pronounced dead Monday at the Northern Virginia Hospital Center after her car veered off westbound I-66 near Glebe Rd. shortly after 12 p.m., overturned and crashed. She was the only passenger in the car. A preliminary investigation indicates the probable cause of the accident was a “medical issue.”
F.C. Police ‘Toys For Tots’ Drive Underway
The Falls Church Police Department and F.C. Police Association are once again participating in the annual Toys For Tots program, collecting new, unwrapped gifts at its collection box in the lobby of the police station at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue. The drive will continue until Tuesday, Dec. 16, when all toys taken in will be delivered the next day to the U.S. Marines at their main warehouse.
Dem Community Service Awards Sunday
The Democratic Party’s 11th Congressional District Committee will hold its annual Community Service Awards brunch this Sunday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. at the LaRue Restaurant in McLean. Congressman-elect Gerry Connolly and Lieutenant Governor candidate Jody Wagner will be present. In a related development, the Northern Virginia Democratic Business Council announced that Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe will attend its monthly breakfast meeting this Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 a.m. at the Fairview Marriott.
‘News-Press Live’ Monday at 7 p.m.
“News-Press Live,” the bi-weekly live half-hour television commentary show hosted by Falls Church News-Press owner-editor Nicholas F. Benton, airs at 7 p.m. this Monday, Dec. 8, prior to the F.C. City Council meeting. Benton’s guest will be Carol Jackson, executive director of the Falls Church Housing Corporation.
