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Demolition Now Imminent at Old Stratford Motel 

The one remaining eyesore along W. Broad Street between the N. Washington intersection and Founders Row in the otherwise lovely downtown Falls Church will be disappearing not a minute too soon.

One of the two buildings of the vacated and fenced in old Stratford Motor Lodge site in the 300 block of West Broad is slated to be demolished and removed within two weeks, the News-Press has learned. The building is a two-story structure that is composed of rooms for tenants.

Once work on the site is completed, it will surely become another very appealing addition gracing the Little City’s downtown. It will be a classy new restaurant going by the name of the Stratford Garden under the skilled ownership of Arash Tafakor, a member of the team that now operates the Dominion Wine and Beer up the street in the 900 block of W. Broad.

Meanwhile, another eatery is opening in Falls Church, this one in the Founders Row 2, still under construction. It will be Tatte, offering pastries and brunch bites, one of 17 locations for the outfit, which is due to open in July.

The Stratford project is being done “by right,” requiring only a site plan approval from the F.C. Planning Commission, which was approved on December 20, 2023, just over a year ago.

The site currently has no trees, and the new development would plant 10 canopy trees and sevcn understory trees. Once the building is demolished, work will begin on the open space and a 3,772 addition that will be made to the front building where an existing kitchen is located. The design of the project is being done by Francois Frossard Design of Miami, and the architect is Matt Lee of Lee Design Studio.

In an email circulated at City Hall by economic development specialist Becky Witsman this Tuesday, officials were told that permits have been obtained and “the demolition of the old Stratford Motel is imminent, as in probably the week of January 20.”

It added that “the demolition permit is all but issued, and the property owners are meeting with the police staff tomorrow (yesterday) to talk about some training exercises at the old motel. The fire department has also made a similar training request with the building that is being torn down adjacent to the Christian Science reading room, and that meeting is coming soon, too.”

The 0.72 acre property is located on the corner of West Broad Street and Little Falls Street, across the street from the Harris Teeter building. It is comprised of two buildings. While the long building will be demolished, the remaining lobby section, situated near the street corner, will be renovated and extended to form the restaurant.  There will be a large area of outdoor dining wrapped around two sides of the building. This open area is partially covered.

When the Planning Commission approved the site plan a year ago, they expressed enthusiasm for the project. Commissioner Andrea Caumont said it was “the kind of community gathering place that was needed in the City.” Commissioner Derek Hyra liked that the developers were keeping some of the old structure and hoped that they would be able to create something edgy out of a motel that was once known by local police as a haven for illicit activity.

The indoor-outdoor restaurant concept will come from the team behind Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church, Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg and Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, with plans to introduce an indoor-outdoor restaurant concept. The idea emerged when the business owners met the motel property owner to discuss their vision.

“This property was supposed to be developed a couple of times, and those developments fell through, so they were trying to find a use for it, because they’re paying a mortgage on this,” Tafakor said in a recent interview. “We came in and we looked at the property, and we’re just like, kind of, like, wow, there’s so much space here. It’s a really good location. We wanted to possibly do some sort of restaurant beer garden type.”

As for Tatte, a lease was signed in late November. It will be on the ground floor of Modera Falls Church still under construction on the southwest corner of W. Broad and S. West that will begin to accept tenants this spring.

Tatte’s menu will include tartines, hearty breakfast sandwiches and quiche and a variety of sweet treats, pastries and lunch items. In addition to coffees and teas, it will offer specialty sodas, lattes and fresh-squeezed juices.

Another retail tenant has been confirmed for the site, as well, MyHome Thai Bistro.

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