Letters to Editor: May 16-22, 2024

If You Build It, They Will Come, But Then?

Editor,

As the Little City gets bigger every day I see that many of these new apartment buildings are for the “55+” seniors. Presumably the building owners are paying a heavily reduced tax rate since they won’t have children in the schools and perhaps it’s an appeal to city managers who think seniors are less likely to drive and further congest the crowded roads. However the Founder’s Row senior community appears to have a bus stop where children are getting picked up for school. Who is paying for this?

The new Broad and Washington Apartment complex will add 339 apartments, Founders Row II will add 280, and West Falls development will add an astounding 647 units plus an additional 215 senior apartments. That’s 1266 new “non senior” apartments that could have students by fall 2024. If half of these apartments had one school age child it would more than double the current school population. Oak Street Elementary has 518 students. Are they prepared for an additional 500 students next year? Oak Street already didn’t have enough teachers to start the 2023 year and had substitutes filling in for months until they could hire additional teachers. Is there a secret plan for next year that we don’t know about?

-Adam Roth

F.C. Taxes Still Higher Than Our Neighbors

Editor,

Your recent pat-on-the-back article about local politicians doing better than nearby jurisdictions by lowering the tax rate for Falls Church by two cents to $1.21/$100 of valuation completely omitted the more important fact that taxes here are higher than those jurisdictions even though the others are increasing the rates somewhat for next year. A recent Washington Post article said Fairfax County plans a rate of $1.125/$100 next year, Arlington anticipates $1.033/$100 and Alexandria $1.135/$100.

When we moved into Falls Church over 40 years ago, I remember Falls Church having the lowest tax rate of any of the jurisdictions. With the recent massive increase in development in Falls Church (not really a little city any longer) and the corresponding promises of huge decreases in the tax rate to go with it, where’s the payoff?

-James E. Schoenberger

A Plea to Reconsider Water Tower Plans

Editor,

I am writing to urgently address the proposed construction of an industrial-sized water tower on Tower St. in our neighborhood, particularly impacting the Poplar Heights area.

The narrowness of Tower St. poses a significant safety risk, especially for our children who use it to access school buses. Adding such a massive water tower will drastically increase this risk and disrupt the tranquility of our neighborhood, adversely affecting property values and overall quality of life.

Furthermore, the choice of our neighborhood for the construction of this industrial-sized water tower raises concerns about discriminatory building practices. Poplar Heights is home to more affordable residences in our zip code, and siting such infrastructure here will perpetuate historical injustices of placing infrastructure utility projects in areas with lower property values.

It’s imperative to explore alternative sites within Fairfax County for the water tower. These sites could better accommodate the increased demand for water supply generated by large mixed residential/commercial building projects that have been approved, while also ensuring equitable development practices and preserving the unique character of our community.

I urge Falls Church News-Press to shed light on these issues and advocate for the careful consideration of alternative sites that prioritize safety, equity, and community well-being.

-Xavier Perez

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