Eden Center Property Owner Has No Plans To Redevelop, Vietnamese Activists Respond

FALLS CHURCH, VA — As the City of Falls Church and Vietnamese advocates continue discussing a development and reinvestment vision for the Eden Center and surrounding area, the shopping center's owner confirmed it has no intention to redevelop the property.

Capital Commercial Properties, the Eden Center's owner, shared a letter with the Falls Church Planning Commission and City Council ahead of their work sessions on the Small Area Plan for the East End, which centers around the Eden Center and nearby commercial areas.

In the letter, the property owner said the Eden Center would not be redeveloped in the near or long-term future. The property owner said it did not request the Small Area Plan process the city started.

"We intend to continue operating the center for the foreseeable future in much the same way it has evolved over the past four decades: that is, as a nationally- and regionally-recognized cultural home to the local Vietnamese and broader Asian American community," Graham Eddy of Capital Properties said in the letter.

The property owner said the shopping center is 100 percent occupied and has over 115 tenants, as well as a long wait list of tenants. Eddy said there is no debt on the property, and could extend many leases beyond 2050.

The group of Vietnamese activists seeking to protect the Eden Center's Vietnamese businesses and culture told Patch they agree with the property owner on areas like preserving and promoting small businesses.

"However, we feel that [Capital Commercial Properties'] stated approach of 'simply allow[ing] the center to continue operating as it has' does not adequately address the real possibility of commercial displacement as a consequence of redevelopment in the East End," Binh Ly of Viet Place Collective told Patch.

Viet Place Collective organizers have been pushing for legally binding anti-displacement measures so Vietnamese businesses aren't pushed out by a changing business landscape.

Testimony from Hoainam Nguyen at Monday night's City Council meeting highlighted this point.

"I know the property owner has stated many times that they never plan to redevelop Eden Center," said Nguyen. "And I believe them. However, promising to never redevelop Eden Center is not an anti-displacement strategy. The property owner controls what happens on their property but does not have control over the surrounding properties, nor do they control the changing retail landscape and market pressures around Eden Center."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Eden Center Improvements Reflect Vietnamese Community Feedback
• Vietnamese Community Worried Out About Eden Center's Preservation
• Amid Concerns About Eden Center, Small Area Plan Outreach Continues
• Improvement Vision Being Created For East End Of Falls Church

The group's advocacy led the city to revise its draft East End Small Area Plan to include anti-displacement strategies as a core goal.

Capital Commercial Properties, however, expressed concern with the anti-displacement measures being carried out without a redevelopment being proposed. The property owner said it has "no opinion" on the city adopting an anti-displacement ordinance, but said it should apply to all of the city's property owners.

The activists and property owner also have differing opinions on the city's proposed plan branding the neighborhood as Little Saigon East.

Viet Place Collective believes the Little Saigon branding recognizes the Vietnamese community's contributions to the thriving Eden Center and would make it more well known.

"Naming the area Little Saigon East would elevate this neighborhood to a national level of prominence, alongside much larger cities like Houston, TX, Seattle, WA, San Jose, CA and Orange County, CA, but will also acknowledge that this is the largest concentration of Vietnamese businesses on the eastern seaboard of the United States," Ly with Viet Place Collective said. "Renaming the area is the first step to support business development and 'tourism and promotion' brand marketing that we believe [Capital Commercial Properties] would be supportive of."

Capital Commercial Properties said the wording of Little Saigon East is "well-intentioned" but "confusing" to Eden Center visitors, especially since one of its three indoor malls is named Saigon East. The property owner supports keeping the brand identity of the Eden Center like the wayfinding signs the city installed.

However, the property owner said it supports the ceremonial renaming of the 6700 block of Wilson Boulevard as Saigon Boulevard.

Capital Commercial Properties also suggested the city promote Eden Center's events similarly to major events like the Memorial Day Parade and Falls Church Festival, and work with tourism organizations on an Asian American Pacific Islander cultural trail.

"The best way to ensure the long-term health and vitality of Eden Center as a Vietnamese/Asian American cultural hub is to simply allow the center to continue operating as it has, and to build upon its well-established legacy," Eddy of Capital Commercial Properties wrote to the city. "Our tenants deserve nothing less."

On working with the property owner and city, Viet Place Collective's Ly said, "VPC plans to continue to work closely with the City of Falls Church Council, City staff to finalize the Small Area Plan and hope to collaborate with Capital Commercial Properties in the interest of the Vietnamese small businesses."

City Council had a work session scheduled on the Small Area Plan Monday following the Planning Commission's May 17 work session. A video recording of City Council's work session from Monday was not yet available at the time of publication.

Patch will continue to provide updates on the progress of the East End Small Area Plan and its impact on the Eden Center.