November 7 - 13, 2024
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXIV N o . 39
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Downs Wins Locally, But Harris Loss Stuns F.C.
WOMEN RULE IN F.C.
Harris Carried All N.Va. & State by Wide Margin by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Locally, in the City of Falls Church, former F.C. School Board chair Laura Downs handily won election to an open seat on the Falls Church City Council, defeating former Board of Zoning Appeals chair John Murphy by a solid margin of 4,701 to 3,279, with 83 percent of registered voters here casting ballots, according to City Voter Registrar David Bjerke. In her victory statement issued to the News-Press yesterday, Downs wrote, “I would like to thank the Falls Church City citizens who voted for me and thank my opponent, John Murphy, for a civil campaign that explored many ideas and issues in our city. John and I agree on many things, and we both love our city. I will do my best to listen to and address the concerns and feedback of his supporters. I am looking forward to serving the Falls Church City community and want to thank my family, friends, volunteers and supporters. The future is bright for our city and I am honored to be given the opportunity to help lead it.” For the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Senate and U.S. president, Falls Church voters also returned overwhelming margins for the Democratic nominees, incumbents Don Beyer and Tim Kaine, and U.S. presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. In fact, the margin for Harris in Falls Church was 7,017 to
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WINNING ELECTION to fill a vacant seat on the Falls Church City Council, former School Board chair Laura Downs (second from right) was joined by veteran Council member Marybeth Connelly (left), F.C. Education Foundation executive director Suzanne Hladky, and Mayor Letty Hardi (right) at Clare and Don’s to celebrate Tuesday night. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. Council Mulls Ordinance for Accessory Units
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
In an exhaustive discussion at its work session this Monday, the Falls Church City Council mulled options for revisions in the City’s zoning code to allow for the building of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) here. Properties with ADUs, being tiny second living units on existing residential properties,
average roughly a 15 percent greater assessed value, a study by the City’s Planning Division has determined, as reported to the Council Monday. The Council plan is to officially adopt a preliminary “first reading” of a proposed new ordinance at its Nov. 25 meeting later this month, and for a robust round of hearings before a variety of volunteer
boards and commissions and prepared for final adoption by next March 2025. The plan is for ADUs to supplement the housing stock in the City by allowing residential property owners to build second, smaller housing units either as separate structures or as integrated into a primary housing structure. Following a national pattern designed as one
option for addressing the severe housing shortage in the U.S., the ADU plan would allow for tiny living quarters that could be made available to inlaws or as rentals, either for long-term tenants but also as overnight alternatives to hotel rooms for visitors. Jack Trainor, a City senior
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