Park Avenue Improvements Focus Of Upcoming Walking Tour

FALLS CHURCH, VA — In place of a meeting next Monday, Falls Church City Council will host a walking tour of the Park Avenue improvements project.

The project features various components to make Park Avenue a "Great Street," which the city defines as " lively, attractive roadways that accommodate all modes of transportation while promoting social interaction, civic activity, and/or commerce." The project area focuses on Park Street between N. Virginia Avenue and N. Washington Street, where community sites such as City Hall, the Falls Church Farmers Market, Mary Riley Styles Public Library and businesses are located.

The walking tour will start at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 1 outside Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave. The tour will go along Park Avenue with stops at three sites: the Park Avenue and N. Virginia Avenue intersection, the Park Avenue and Little Falls Street intersection and the Park Avenue and Maple Avenue intersection. It will end no later than 8:30 p.m.

The project is in the preliminary design phase. Planned parts of the project include undergrounding utility poles, reducing the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph, additional trees, raised brick intersections with shortened crosswalks, a realigned Maple Avenue intersection, improved entrance to Cherry Hill Park, and improvements to the intersections of Little Falls Street and Maple Avenue with W. Broad Street.

The city is also considering moving the Falls Church Farmers Market from the City Hall parking lot to Park Avenue.

The project timeline calls for final design to be completed in summer 2025. Construction would potentially begin in winter 2025 and be completed in fall 2027.

The estimated project budget is $11.51 million and will be covered by Virginia Department of Transportation revenue sharing and local funds.

Renderings of different project elements are available on the Park Avenue project website.