Memorable 10 Year Term Wraps Up at End of Month

In what was likely the final public appearance of his record fifth two year term as mayor, outgoing City of Falls Church Mayor David Tarter appeared before a large audience at the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon this Tuesday at the Italian Cafe. Tarter and also outgoing veteran City Council colleague Phil Duncan captivated the business-oriented crowd with their recollections of the past development and vision for the future of the Little City.

Tarter said that when he first moved to Falls Church 20 years ago (having grown up in the Northern Virginia region), it was evident to him that the City’s downtown “needed to be kick-started.” The process had only begun in the first years of this century with the final approval for construction of The Broadway coming in September of 2001.

Duncan, who spoke extensively after Tarter’s presentation, noted that in the decade before that, momentum for the transition began with the new News-Press’ drumbeat editorial emphasis on the need for economic development to pay for the schools. Founder and editor Benton also became president of the Chamber of Commerce. It had been up to then that the two components of the City were at loggerheads – the residential population concerned about schools and the business community concerned about taxes.

the time that Tarter moved here, the beginnings of a sea change were being felt with both sides seeing the value in the others’ success.

By the time Tarter and Duncan first ran for City Council in 2012, with Tarter serving on the City’s Economic Development Authority and as an interim city attorney prior to that, the momentum was well underway. But they both played critical roles in building it further, including the deployment of new tax revenues derived from it for crucial, long overdue infrastructure improvements.

Central to that was the need for a new high school, and at that time estimates of the cost were considered prohibitive. Alternatives to spending $120 million on a new high school were feverishly being sought, but none could be found.

In Tarter’s and Duncan’s earliest years on Council a commitment was made, through a public referendum, to commit to the new school, even though it was feared that the tax rate burden on households would be extreme.

But it began to be developed that an alternative could be achieved by pushing the envelope on commercial development. In the end, not only did the new high school get built on time and under budget, and not only did it not cost taxpayers anything to do it, but thanks to the success of commercial development negotiations in the City-owned West End, there was a record tax cut of over 12 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

While around the City’s 2.2 square miles commercial spaces are being transformed, from the West End to the Broad and Washington city center and in between, there is more still in the pipeline.

The net result is that the City is now home to one of the most touted school districts in the U.S.. with major capital improvements to all the City’s public school facilities, but it also has a renovated City Hall and public library, more walkable streets and sidewalks, and a bright future to do much more, including the prospect of much bigger tax cuts to come.

In his remarks Tuesday, Tarter said that his “parting shots” include continued commercial development for a balanced tax base, greater walkability and bikeability with sidewalks already widened from 14 to 20 feet, better streetlights and planters, and designated bike lanes. He called for maintaining quality building design standards, undergrounding of parking and an emphasis on “the last mile” to link the two Metro stations that flank the City to its commercial center, and that more creative uses of Uber and Lyft resources could be a better approach than what was tried in the past.

He said that “universal design standards” to make the City more physically accessible to all, with major pushes for more affordable housing, are vital.

“We are on a great path, with high quality development, city services and schools,” he said. Duncan added that the business and community interests, including schools, need to work more closely together still, to meet the many challenges facing the City and region, especially in the area of affordable housing.

Tarter told the News-Press that he doesn’t know yet what the next period in his life will bring, but that he doesn’t see staying involved with the City as he has been to be in it.