by Pete Behr
Nader Baroukh said the Council has failed to set clear economic development guidelines. “This has led to artificially inflated values in properties, because owners realize that the current majority of the Council will approved almost any project, including those that are disproportionately residential….”
“It is critical that commercially zoned land be used predominantly for commercial purposes….Despite mammoth new developer-friendly projects that threaten our neighborhoods and add significant new public service costs, commercial properties make up only about 25 percent of the city’s total tax assessments….Rather than responding to what developers bring to the table, we must pursue developments that preserve the city’s many unique qualities that set it apart.” Baroukh opposed the City Center project and supports the proposed referendum.
Mayor Robin S. Gardner, running for reelection, said if the resolution passed, “We would lose the flexibility and tools that attract creative development….We would be resigned to…strip malls, fast food franchises, palm readers and check cashing stores on our major corridors.” The City Center “is a good first step toward giving Falls Church a true, appealing downtown.”
Gardner said she supports “projects that are appropriate to our community’s scale and that broaden our revenue base.” The Council’s actions, she said, are “keeping our school system well-funded and strong, and enabling us to avoid large tax increases that would price people out of their homes….We must make sure we can pay for and deliver the services expected by our communities.” She voted for the City Center, and opposes the referendum.
Independent E.B. “Ed” Hillegass said that “by placing more and more residential units on commercially zoned property, the existing city council has continued to narrow the revenue base by placing more of the tax burden on the homeowner….We need a greater percentage of this (commercial) property to be occupied by businesses -- national chains -- that will generate positive revenue for our city….”
He said the financial models for the new condominium and apartment projects “have not accurately projected student enrollment. So the newly elected council will need to get its fiscal house in order, which would keep our school system strong and stabilize our property values.” He supports the proposed referendum.
Vice Mayor Lindy Hockenberry, running for reelection, said the proposed referendum to change the City charter, is nearly identical to one that was rejected by the City’s voters in 2002, and it should rejected as well. “If passed, it would essentially shut down future development in the City, killing our efforts to expand our revenue base and ease the tax burden on homeowners….As a result, the future of our independent City and our excellent school system would be in jeopardy.”
She said the city’s greatest challenge “is ensuring the economic sustainability of our independent city and outstanding small school system.” The Council must “broaden our tax base and provide a reliable future revenue stream that does not rely overmuch on residential taxpayers.” She called for more “affordable housing for our employees who want to live here and for our citizens who wish to remain in the city.”
Margaret W. Housen, said the referendum, by requiring 60 percent commercial and retail uses on commercial land, “will bring a great deal more money to the City coffers and lower tax rates for City residents. It will also keep school enrollment down and classrooms small…. Lowering taxes, at this time, can only be accomplished by City Hall tightening its belt with fewer employees.” She questioned whether the cornerstones of the proposed City Center -- a new hotel and a Harris Teeter grocery store -- will become realities.
Patrice A. Lepczyk said “the City may not have received sufficient concessions in exchange for ceding rights and variances such as exceeding height limits, which also allowed additional residential units in this development adding to citizens’ concerns that an influx of families would adversely affect the City’s services and resources….Although [the City Center] development will bring in very much needed resources for the city, the negotiating of the packaging may have been stronger.” She opposes the referendum as “unlikely to have any positive effect for the City’s future.”
Lawrence L. Webb, said the referendum, if approved, “would handcuff the City’s ability to attract the kind of quality businesses that we want and need in our commercial corridors.” The School Board “must have the resources it needs,” but the Council should “look for savings in department budgets.” He said the most urgent challenge was “holding down the residential real estate tax rates [by considering] commercial and mixed-use redevelopment….Smart modernization along our main highways will help us expand our revenue vase, easing the tax burden on individual property owners.”
Gardner, Hockenberry and Webb are running with the endorsement of Citizens for a Better City. The other candidates are independents.
The above quotations are taken from the League of Women Voters Voter Guide, from "Growth Policies Are Key as Seven Contend for 3 Seats" and from candidate profiles in the Washington Post. Click on the hyperlinked candidate name to reach each Washington Post profile.
Peter Behr is a freelance writer and a member of the steering committee for Deliberation Falls Church City. He is also a member of the Citizens for a Better City.
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