Clark Construction, the mega-developer who participated in the public-private partnership deal to build the City of Falls Church’s Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School a decade ago, has come forward with a bold new, unsolicited proposal for the construction of a new George Mason High School and develop the 39 acres the City received from its deal to sell its water system to Fairfax County last year. Clark submitted the proposal to the surprise of everyone at the F.C. City Hall Wednesday, and Thursday the City issued a press release saying it and the City schools had received the proposal “for the construction of a new George Mason High School and the commercialization and redevelopment of portions of the campus that currently houses George Mason High and the Henderson Middle School.”

The City’s press release did not identify the developer who made the submission or any details of their proposal, but the News-Press independently learned it is Clark, a company with the resources and the familiarity with Falls Church to make it happen. The City’s statement said only that “Acceptance of the unsolicited for further evaluation is not a commitment to proceed with the project and the City and Schools may reject the proposal at any point.

As background, the City statement added, “Last year, the Falls Church City Council and School Board created a joint task force which has served to guide the effort to plan for future projects on the campus.” Of the nearly 40 acres that have been annexed from Fairfax County by the City, 30 are dedicated to educational use, and approximately 10 may be developed commercially, with the close proximity of the West Falls Church Metro station being a lucrative incentive.