Which should come first for the Virginia Village redevelopment in Falls Church: Selecting a development partner, or considering zoning changes?

City leaders are facing a “chicken-and-egg”-type challenge as they tackle the major affordable housing initiative.

A decision will have to come soon, as city leaders hope to have an interim development agreement inked in the fall, followed by a full agreement nearly next year. At the June 8 Council meeting, officials discussed whether to prioritize zoning changes or partner selection.

Council member Arthur Agin said he believed consideration of zoning changes should come in advance of, or at the latest concurrently with, selection of a development partner.

“We shouldn’t be taking that acceptance of a developer until we’ve fully locked down the zoning,” Agin said.

City Manager Wyatt Shields said he wasn’t so sure. Shields affirmed staff’s position that an interim agreement with a development partner should come before finalizing land-use changes.

“It would be good for the public to interact with the specific plans [put forward by the developer]” before final action on potential zoning changes, Shields said. The Council could use that information to craft zoning changes for the 20-parcel Virginia Village site, he said.

The city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) currently owns nine of the 20 lots, while the remainder are in private hands. Any zoning-overlay district for Virginia Village would apply to public and private parcels.

Council members on June 22 are expected to formally approve a request for proposal, seeking a development partner for the sites under EDA ownership. The city is expected to set a deadline sometime at the end of July for development proposals to be submitted.

City officials are seeking proposals focusing on three alternative development scenarios:

• Option 1: Rehabilitation of city-owned properties in Virginia Village with the potential for minor expansions, such as an additional floor or bump-outs of the existing buildings
• Option 2: Low-intensity redevelopment that would include razing the city’s properties and rebuilding up to four levels on the parcels
• Option 3: Larger infill redevelopment that would demolish the city-owned buildings and replace them with properties potentially up to seven stories tall in some areas

City officials also will consider hybrid proposals, combining elements of the three options.

Of the 20 fourplexes comprising Virginia Village, the city’s Economic Development Authority owns the following:

• A four-parcel strip at 2002-2004-2006-2008 Gibson Street
• A two-parcel strip at 310-312 Shirley Street
• Individual parcels at 302, 303 and 310 Maple Ave

The owner of a 10th lot, located at 300 Shirley Street, has contacted city officials with a request to potentially collaborate in the redevelopment. Additionally, other owners may now be in communication with city officials, or could be in the future.

The Virginia Village matter and the order of moving forward was not on the Council’s June 8 agenda, but Agin brought it up to Shields.

West Virginia has added another key piece on the offensive front with a commitment from Atlanta (Ga.) Tucker 2027 offensive lineman Jajuan Graham.

Graham, 6-foot-4, 300-pounds, picked the Mountaineers over offers from North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Memphis, USF and a number of others. 

West Virginia initially offered in late April and the connection between the two only continued to blossom with offensive line coach Rick Trickett serving as the lead recruiter. 

Graham made the trek to Morgantown over the weekend for an official visit and that proved to be enough to seal the deal on his recruitment with a commitment.

The versatile offensive lineman can fill several different roles for the Mountaineers up front. 

Graham becomes the 20th commitment for West Virginia in the 2027 class and the second along the offensive line in this current recruiting cycle.

WVSports.com will have more with Graham in the near future. 

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A large tent collapsed during a Virginia church’s 20th anniversary celebration on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen others, officials said.

Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds tore through Moneta, a small community about 124 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Richmond, as the EastLake Community Church was holding an outdoor service, Shelley Basinger, a spokesperson for Bedford County, said in a statement.

The group was in the process of leaving the event tent when it collapsed, according to Abbey Johnston, acting chief of Bedford County Fire and Rescue.

Eleven people were taken to the hospital and 11 others had minor injuries and were treated at the scene, Basinger said.

“Initially, I’m told it was a very chaotic scene, trying to account for the individuals,” Johnston told reporters.

Officials rushed to rescue everyone inside the tent behind the church and move them to safety as the strong thunderstorm raged on, she said.

Troy Keaton, the non-denominational church’s senior pastor, said he had just walked up to the stage to tell the group to go to their cars when a gust of wind picked up the tent.

“Sadly one of our dear brothers suffered a fatal injury,” he said in a statement on social media. “Our hearts are broken for his precious family.”

The tent had seating for 1,500 people, according to officials, but it was not immediately clear how many were inside when it collapsed.

No details were provided about the conditions of the people in the hospital.

Officials are gathering evidence as they investigate the collapse, Johnston said.

The tent had passed an inspection by the county’s building inspections division three days earlier, according to Basinger.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger said her team has been in close contact with the response crew on the ground.

“I am praying for the EastLake Community Church and all who are impacted, and we will continue to support the community during this difficult time,” she said in a statement on social media.