Hotel Project Criticized But Advances; Northgate Reviving
By GEORGE BROMLEY
Falls Church Times Staff
June 16, 2011
In the face of considerable criticism, the Falls City Council approved two special exceptions for the Hilton Garden Inn project Monday evening. The exceptions, for building height and rezoning, both passed unanimously with Vice Mayor Snyder absent. The Council votes refer the project to several City boards and commissions for further review.
The project’s critics, including many parents of students at the adjacent St. James School, expressed their concerns about security and traffic. One speaker called the hotel a “crows nest for predators.” Another, warning of “sex travellers”, noted that Viginia Code prohibits sex offenders from living within 500 feet of a school and wondered how this would be enforced.
Speakers also questioned whether aspects of the project would conflict with the City’s Safe Routes to School plan and if deliveries to the hotel might further snarl traffic on Broad Street.
Other speakers termed the current state of the site deplorable and called on the developers to clean it up. One stated that the weeds there now are six feet high.
In response to the comments Mayor Nader Baroukh called St. James School part of the community. “Don’t feel you can discount them because they are not voters,” he cautioned the developers. He referred to the evening’s vote as a kickoff for a more formal review, not a final approval. The mayor then listed numerous open items pending before second reading in July, including dumpster locations, traffic calming measures, architectural design, and security.
Developer Barry Gosnell said that he had taken active steps to address many of the citizens concerns. His colleague Bob Young stated that the developers had met with the St. James PTO on three occasions earlier in the process and had executed an agreement with the school that addresses many of their concerns. Young said that Falls Church chose not to participate in an agreement with two private parties but he would provide the City with a copy this week.
Northgate (AKA North Gate) - Earlier in the meeting City Manager Wyatt Shields announced that the long-delayed Nothgate project (pictured) is ready to move forward. Approved in 2007, the Nothgate will occupy the former Pearson Funeral Home property at the corner of N. Washington St. and E. Jefferson St. The project consists of 95 apartment units, 10 three-story townhouses, and 14,000 square feet of office space. Representatives of developer Hekemian & Co. met with neighborhood residents Wednesday evening to discuss the phasing of the construction, traffic management, and parking plans.
By George Bromley
June 16, 2011
The whole “this hotel will attract pedophile predators” is so stupid that one suspects it is a joke. Like Cong Weiner jokes, the whole Catholic priests as pedos riff sort of writes itself.
Really people, hotels attract pedophiles? Is the Stratford Inn a hotbed of child sex? The Inn of Virginia a haven for underage rape? Residence Inn a homeland for… priests and their alter boys?
Give it up and let the city grow some revenue. Jeez.
The city needs commercial tax revenue, and the Broad Street corridor is woefully underutilized, given the income of the surrounding area. The hotel, if well-designed, would be a welcome addition.
There are reasons to oppose a hotel, especially if the design has no regard for adjacent residents or traffic, but the “pedophile” argument is baffling. Who’s going to pay for a hotel room just to stare at kids during recess? St. James is already in the middle of a busy area. Whatever a pervert can theoretically do from a hotel room can already be done from a parked car. I fail to see how a hotel is an added threat to the children.
If we keep subjecting development projects to unending review and contrived criticisms, we will drive development (and the economic growth and tax revenue it creates) out of the City. How many more boards and committees must sign off on this before the City can finally render a decision? If we make this process too difficult and expensive, we should not be surprised when businesses don’t want to locate in the City and our municipal revenue challenges continue.
Here’s what I agree with:
1) We need to increase our tax base through smart development
2) There are practical issues like traffic flow that need to be addressed before approving this, or any other, develpoment.
3) The whole pedophile discussion is absurd and a sad distraction.
What I don’t agree with:
1) People who are using this to paint the entire Catholic church with the brush of child abuse.
I looked over the Northgate docs…last update on them was 2007. Mention is made of proffers including one for the George bus…..I wonder if the proffer still stands and where it will go since George no longer exists.
I live nearby and I am glad to see things moving on the project since the current buildings are pretty cruddy.
TFC: There was a similar proffer for the Hilton Garden Inn (jwhich was dropped by the developer this time around – butwhat you should look for is tosee if a “discount” was given on the required parking spaces because of the availability of public transport that is no longer there.
As for the pedophile thing, a representative from a child crimes/ protection division (or something similar) of the DoJ spoke at a Council meeting about the risks of locating a hotel close to a school – when I want advice on getting my car repaired I go to a mechanic….Maybe this is something that needs to be looked at one last time to be sure – preferably by people who actually know what they are talking about and aren’t just airing their opinions / bias.