Virginia
Falls Church officials weigh order of operations for major affordable housing project | ARLnow.com
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.
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Events scheduled for Friday, July 17 are being canceled across the Richmond area due to poor air quality making it unsafe to be outside.
City of Richmond
- All camp programs are indoors on Friday.
- Outdoor city pools will also be closed Friday. Indoor swimming is available at Bellemede Community Center Pool (1800 Lynhaven Avenue, open until 8 p.m.) and Swansboro Pool (3160 Midlothian Turnpike, open until 8 p.m.).
- The scheduled Festival of the Arts performance at Dogwood Dell (KOS BAND) has been canceled.
- The Salvation Army at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue will be a center for cooling and air quality relief from 2 p.m, on Friday, July 17 to 8 a.m. Saturday, July 18 and from 12 to 5 p.m.
Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs in New Kent canceled live racing for Friday but will continue on Saturday at an earlier-than-normal 11:30 a.m. post time. Military Appreciation Day at Colonial Downs is still on for Sunday, July 19.
Weather Updates
Some areas in Virginia area under a Code Purple Alert, which means everyone should limit their time outside, especially children, older adults, and those with lung and heart diseases.
Click here to track the air quality near you.
Copyright 2026 WWBT. All rights reserved.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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