There is not a Whole Foods Market in this plan, but there are a lot of amenities to make it pedestrian- and arts-friendly for downtown Falls Church.
On Monday night, developers from Insight presented their plan to the Falls Church City Council for their proposed massive redevelopment of the property encompassing the Robertson Building and Applebee’s at the northwest corner of N. Washington and E. Broad. The new plan, which requires Council approval for two special exceptions for height and residential in a commercially zoned parcel, has been repositioned away from Lawton Street to its rear and will include a $3.5 million contribution for the establishment of a permanent home for the regionally acclaimed Creative Cauldron arts and education non-profit. The plan would also provide Falls Church with its first significant Class A office building complex (Class A referring to the newest and highest quality buildings in the market) opened up internally to be more linked to surrounding businesses, including one that helps the block earn the title of a performing arts section of the Little City anchored by the State Theatre.
“The fact that this will be in downtown Falls Church will be our anchor,” Rick Hauser of Insight told the Council Monday. “We will do all we can to animate and make powerful” this iconic intersection, he said. “We will put feet on the ground with public gathering places, generating a force of energy, activity and animation” around that corner, he said.
The impact of the project on the City is expected to generate a net of $417,000 to $963,000 annually to the tax coffers of the City, said F.C. Economic Development specialist Rick Goff, compared to $64,000 that is derived from the location at present.
The plan is due to come to the City Council for a first reading this Monday, with a final approval set for early October.
