Laura Downs
1. Please explain the role you believe the City of Falls Church should play in expanding housing choice and opportunities for those living here or wishing to live here? What changes to the Accessory Dwelling Ordinance would you support or oppose?
A thriving, vibrant community can only exist with a diverse community. Diversity of all kinds- age, socioeconomic status, education level, and ethnicity is bolstered by a diversity of housing options. We should strive to be a community where people can both work and afford to live. Young singles, families, empty-nesters, retirees, senior citizens, service industry workers, teachers, and city staff, should all be able to find a home in Falls Church City. The City Council and General Government play a major role as they work with developers to offer affordable housing in their buildings. The new townhouses in the T-Zone are not necessarily “Affordable,” but they are certainly more affordable than the majority of detached houses in the city. I support the city’s efforts to purchase lots at Virginia Village with the goal of developing an affordable housing project there. In terms of ADUs, I’ve attended the CC work session and the last two open houses on ADUs. I’ve found the community feedback to be interesting and split. Overall, I support ADUs as a means of increasing the housing inventory and providing housing for elderly relatives, disabled family members, and caregivers. In listening to the community, it seems the biggest concern is that residents are worried about ADUs becoming short-term rentals (Airbnbs). If there is a way to regulate this, I believe the community would be more supportive.
2. What are your thoughts on the specific bicycle routes proposed by staff in the draft update of the Bicycle Master Plan, specifically North and South West Street and the east-west connection from the W&OD to the secondary campus? Additionally, how would you balance the need for safe bicycle infrastructure with the availability of parking on City streets?
Our family lives on the East side of town, near Dulin Methodist Church. We have a son at Meridian and a son at Henderson Middle School. I do not feel comfortable having our 7th grader ride his bike to the secondary campus from our house, so I would certainly support connecting the W & OD to the secondary campus. The North and South West streets would be an ideal way to connect the north and the south parts of the city as those streets are wider with fewer vehicles using street parking. The balance between bike infrastructure and street parking can be tricky as the streets in front of our homes do not belong to us, but we feel they do, especially if we like to park in front of our homes. A combination of detailed street measurements, traffic and parking studies, conversations with neighbors, and looking at each block individually can help strike a healthy balance between bicycle infrastructure and the desire for street parking.
3. Transportation and buildings account for 90% of Falls Church’s carbon emissions. What, If any, what actions will you support to reduce emissions in these areas?
The newly built Meridian High School was awarded the LEED Gold certification. Its geothermal HVAC, solar panels, and net zero-ready status prove that it is possible to have a state-of-the-art building that is environmentally responsible and can be built on time and on budget. That said, there is room for improvement with our school bus fleet. Due to the distances buses must travel to take our athletes to away games (sometimes as far as a two-hour drive), FCCPS will need some diesel buses, but the school system could determine the minimum number of diesel buses that would be necessary. I would assume a goal of just 25% of the school bus fleet being diesel would be a good goal. While electric buses cost nearly three times the amount of a diesel bus, given that carbon emission reduction is a city-wide goal, I would support efforts for the general government to help supplement and obtain grant funding to offset the costs. In addition, I’m in support of offering tax incentives for businesses and developers who implement measures to reduce carbon emissions, as well as city funding for programs that promote energy audits. Often making an environmentally friendly investment can also be the financially prudent choice, saving money for the city, residents, and businesses in the long run. Finally, making the city more walkable, with a variety of housing options, enables people to live, work and shop here and become less reliant on cars. Improving the infrastructure for alternate modes of transportation like electric scooters and electric bikes will help reduce the number of cars on the street.
4. What, if any, economic development initiatives will you support to generate the revenue to meet our city’s high level of public services (e.g. public schools, parks, public safety) while maintaining a reasonable tax burden on residents and businesses?
I would support a wide array of economic development initiatives, especially commercial projects with strong financial foundations. These initiatives not only help pay for our city services but also help reduce the burden of personal property taxes, ensuring a more sustainable future for our community. I also support mixed-use development, as it generates multiple streams of revenue—not just from property taxes, but also from sales and meals taxes generated by the commercial spaces within these buildings. Voluntary Concessions from developers also help with school expansion and other public services such as the Mary Riley Styles Library and pedestrian safety improvements. In addition, streamlining the permitting process for small businesses will encourage them to open in the city. By attracting more businesses, we’ll create new job opportunities and contribute to the growth and vitality of our community. I support the city’s incentives for local businesses- the commercial property rehabilitation tax abatement program, the technology zone program, and the industrial revenue bonds program (bonds issued by the EDA). There will always be a demand for medical care in our area, so investing in medical office buildings such as the new development at West Falls is a solid approach. The Falls Church Economic Development Office is also a terrific resource for our businesses. I support its programs and initiatives, such as the “Little City Gift Card” program and “Falls Church Restaurant Week.” Notably, the EDO also recently created a “Visit Falls Church” tourism website. Promoting businesses and special events and destinations such as the Eden Center can bring people in from outside FCC to spend money at our businesses.