Editor:

In the late 1990s, as the City was exploring ways to expand its commercial economic base, it hired a consultant to study the possibilities of a large new development in the Gordon Road area. He proposed a radical new idea for the City called the Technology Triangle that would create a campus for technology companies in addition to apartments on land now owned predominantly by the Beyer family and including the City’s Property Yard (although this idea never came to fruition, it did stimulate activities that ultimately led to the creation of the Special Exception Ordinance).

The City, eager to expand its tax base, jumped on the idea and began to scout the area for places to relocate the property yard and its many functions. Falls Church soon discovered to its dismay that no neighboring jurisdiction looked favorably on encumbering its valuable land with the City’s industrial uses, nor was there any available land within City limits that could house the facility. In addition, it was determined that moving the yard outside the City would result in large inefficiencies requiring extra time and costs commuting to and from the site.

Now the City is once again facing a situation that pits the property yard upgrades against a potential large new development.

When reviewing the issue and the request for a $30 million renovation project, the Council needs to focus on the importance of the services provided by the property yard facility and its staff, and the difficulties involved in moving it. Unless we can discover an efficient and cost-effective solution for relocating the yard, common sense dictates that it stay where it is.

Upgrades are necessary, but perhaps the best approach is to begin discussions with all stakeholders to find creative solutions that can tastefully and functionally combine the two competing needs. If we are serious about addressing the property yard deficiencies, it would be valuable to begin discussions soon.

-Marty Meserve