Testimony before the Falls Church City Council

RE: Falls Church City Council Public Hearing for Virginia Village

By Becca Dedert, Virginia Housing Advocacy Specialist, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Sept. 28, 2026

September 28, 2026

Thank you to Mayor Hardi and the City Council members for this opportunity to testify.

My name is Becca Dedert and I am speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), which advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities. I am testifying tonight in support of the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments needed to redevelop the Virginia Village site into a vibrant, mixed-income community with committed affordable housing. 

In light of the serious need for affordable housing, this project offers a unique opportunity to leverage city-owned land to innovatively address this increasingly urgent problem. Virginia Village is in an ideal location to expand opportunities for community members, offering a walkable environment served by multiple bus routes that connect to two different Metro stations.  By redeveloping this site to deliver both committed affordable and market rate homes, this project will allow people to live closer to where they work, provide access to the many resources the city has to offer, and contribute to a diverse and vibrant Falls Church. 

We support many elements of the Zoning Ordinance amendments released in the Staff Report, including:

• Permitting by-right redevelopment for projects that meet robust affordable housing thresholds.
  
• Requiring a one-for-one replacement of existing units or a minimum of 50% committed affordable units overall (whichever is greater) at or below 60% Area Median Income (AMI). Households below 60% AMI represent our region’s greatest housing need, and we encourage the Council to seek all mechanisms necessary to target the deepest levels of affordability for this project.
  
• Maintaining low parking minimums for both townhomes and multifamily units. Research shows that lower-income households have lower rates of vehicle ownership and higher rates of transit usage – a trend reflected in resident survey data from nearby communities like Culmore. Keeping parking ratios minimal lowers construction costs and supports transit-oriented living.

However, we are disappointed with the latest update to remove the previous recommendations for height bonuses and relief from minimum building setbacks, as well as the modification to lower the maximum building height across all zones. To maximize the public benefit of city-owned land, the city should preserve all incentives that enable greater project affordability. Restricting building envelope flexibility deprives developers of essential tools required to make committed affordable projects financially feasible. The working families and community members this project aims to serve – our bus drivers, teachers, janitors, and local service workers – depend on homes priced at the deepest levels of affordability. Retaining height and setback flexibility allows for thoughtful, neighbor-conscious design while ensuring we do not leave critical affordable housing opportunities on the table.

We urge the City Council to approve the proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments for this site without delay while restoring essential buildable envelope flexibilities. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Becca Dedert – Virginia Housing Advocacy Specialist