Stratford: Update Parking Requirements
Dear Editor,
I was happy to hear recently that the eyesore of the abandoned Stratford motel is now planned to be updated into a beer garden and community space. With such an excellent location in the heart of our most walkable downtown area, it’s the perfect place for another “third place” in our community. So why does the city require thirty nine parking spaces for this update?!
Obviously, 39 new parking spaces is a terrible use of space on W. Broad street. As a reference, Spacebar only has about eight dedicated parking spots, and Audacious Aleworks has about ten. The more parking we build at bars means more people are driving to get there, instead of walking, and there will be more drunk driving as a direct result. I was incredibly disturbed to see the news this week of six teens in critical condition after a crash where the driver was under the influence on Shreve Road. To avoid these kinds of preventable tragedies we should be designing our city to optimize for more walking and less dangerous drunk driving. Especially at bars, we should have parking maximums, not minimums. I hope the Falls Church Planning Commission will seriously consider the safety implications when reviewing the Stratford update plan and require less parking spaces.
-Joseph Schiarizzi
Teens For Food Banks
Dear Editor,
I am writing on behalf of TeensForFoodBanks, a student-run nonprofit based in McLean that is working to fight food insecurity in our local community. For the past few years, our organization has hosted numerous food drives and fundraisers, through which we have collected and donated over 13,000 pounds of food to help families in need in the Falls Church and McLean area.
Just a couple days ago on November 11, we hosted our annual pantry sort event at the Share of McLean. Through this impactful event, our student volunteers sorted through donations and prepared packages of food that will go directly to helping feed local families struggling with food insecurity, impacting countless lives in need.
Our group is entirely youth-led and our motivation stems from seeing the hunger that exists right in our own neighborhoods. As students, we aim to use our time and abilities to make a real difference for local families struggling with food access.
I wanted to reach out to see if the Falls Church News-Press would be interested in featuring our nonprofit to help spread awareness of food insecurity issues in our city. It would be an honor to have our young volunteers highlighted for their sustained community service efforts. Please let me know if you would like any additional details about TeensForFoodBanks or if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Alan Wang, TeensForFoodBanks
