Improvement Vision Being Created For East End Of Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The City of Falls Church is working to create a small area plan, a vision for redevelopment and investment, in the East End of the city.

The East End, one of eight planning opportunity areas identified in the city's comprehensive plan, is a small area of the city near Seven Corners. Bordered by Wilson Boulevard, E. Broad Street and Hillwood Avenue, the area includes commercial locations like the Eden Center, BJ's Wholesale Club, Koons Ford, 24 Hour Fitness and smaller businesses. The area does not include residences, although it is next to apartment communities like Roosevelt Towers, Falls Green Apartments and Madison Condominium.

A small area plan is a vision for redevelopment and investment in the focus area, according to the city. Currently, the city has small area plans for the North Washington Street area, South Washington Street area, downtown, W. Broad Street and West End.

"The vision for redevelopment is sensitive to the area's history and responds to the current and future needs of the City's residents, workers, and visitors," the city states on its website.

The draft plan's goals include preserving the Eden Center and its cultural identity with programming and public art investments to celebrate Vietnamese-American culture. The craft also calls for improving multimodal transportation mobility, activating public spaces, preserving and providing housing opportunities in and around the east end, providing design transitions between existing housing and new development, supporting economic revitalization, and developing in an environmentally-friendly way. Potential concepts in the plan include a permanent plaza at the Eden Center for programming, renaming the city's part of Wilson Boulevard as Saigon Boulevard, an East End Farmers Market, pocket parks, senior and family-sized housing and more.

Residents can see the full draft plan here. The next opportunity for residents to get involved with the process will be a public listening session Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with the Falls Church Planning Commission at City Hall Council Chambers. There will be a staff presentation, public comment period and Planning Commission work session.