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Falls Church staff presents updated Chapter 8 of comprehensive plan, schedules hearings in February and March
Summary
Staff presented the revised Chapter 8 (Community Building Blocks) and summarized public outreach. The draft adds sustainability references, ULI CAPS recommendations, and updated callouts; commissioners asked for clearer language on utilities, stormwater specificity and stronger mention of telecom pole removal.
Zoe Sareef, planning staff, presented an updated draft of Chapter 8 of the City of Falls Church comprehensive plan at the Jan. 7 meeting. The chapter — titled Community Building Blocks — covers city facilities, infrastructure, utilities and public services and is intended to guide capital investment and operational priorities.
Sareef summarized outreach work since the September draft: a joint session with the Public Utilities Commission, presentations to advisory boards, tabling events at the farmer’s market and library, an open house, and stakeholder interviews. Redline edits in the draft reflect new references to the city’s sustainability goals and the May 2025 streetscape standard. The draft also includes a new summary of ULI CAPS recommendations and green callouts noting progress and future opportunities.
Commission comments and staff responses
Commissioners praised the extensive engagement and the comment/response matrix staff circulated. They requested several clarifications, including re‑adding a clear reference to public utilities and infrastructure in the vision statement, including small area plans in the list of guiding documents, and stronger language about telecom and utility pole management (removing redundant poles and coordinating concurrent undergrounding where possible). Commissioners also asked staff whether capacity studies for sanitary sewer and stormwater were underway or should be called out; staff said the master planning process would house detailed capacity work but agreed to clarify references to capacity analyses in Chapter 8.
Timing and next steps
Staff said the chapter will go to city council for a Feb. 2 work session; the planning commission public hearing is planned for Feb. 18 and a council final consideration is anticipated March 9. Staff will incorporate commissioner edits (vision‑statement wording, utility/telecom language, and any missed comment responses) before the hearings.
Ending
Commissioners thanked staff for the extensive outreach; staff noted they will reconcile any missed comments and finalize exhibits and attachments before returning the draft to the commission and council.
