Life in Falls Church

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC is not diverse, if that matters to you.

It does. I will definitely look more at that. I assume that includes the schools (i.e. they don't draw from nearby communities?)

Correct - many years ago the then-town of Falls Church (which is now Falls Church City) redrew its borders to exclude the town's Black neighborhood to disenfranchise the Black residents and keep them from voting in local elections. The area that was carved out is now part of Fairfax County, rather than Falls Church City, and is heavily Hispanic today. The kids there go to Falls Church High (which is part of the Fairfax County schools) rather than to Meridian High (which is the Falls Church City high school).

OP in every thread about FCC this poster, or someone else I guess, always posts this information about FC from more than 60 years ago as if Arlington and Fairfax and other nearby areas of NoVa weren't also segregated and in no hurry to integrate. Falls Church City has been a progressive city full of highly educated people for many decades now and the schools are currently 65% white and 35% minority. That's not as diverse as many other schools but they are hardly trying to keep the city or the schools segregated, that's just ignorant and incorrect.

+1. When pressed they admit it was in the 1940s and 1950s when all growing suburban towns did this. It’s a ridiculous assertion. I lived in McLean for 30 years and I’ve never heard of this allegation anywhere but here. By the same poster

You’re mixing up different events. The town of Falls Church kicked out its Black residents in the second half of the 19th century. The town incorporated so it could operate its own schools in 1948.

No one claims people living in FCC today would make the same decisions. However, the demographics of FCC have been shaped by these historic events. And when FCC residents tout their schools and warn people away from nearby areas zoned to Falls Church HS in Fairfax County, they may be doing so without appreciating that the demographics of Meridian HS and Falls Church HS have been influenced by those same historic events.

For more on the historically Black neighborhood in Falls Church, see https://www.tinnerhill.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC is not diverse, if that matters to you.

It does. I will definitely look more at that. I assume that includes the schools (i.e. they don't draw from nearby communities?)

Correct - many years ago the then-town of Falls Church (which is now Falls Church City) redrew its borders to exclude the town's Black neighborhood to disenfranchise the Black residents and keep them from voting in local elections. The area that was carved out is now part of Fairfax County, rather than Falls Church City, and is heavily Hispanic today. The kids there go to Falls Church High (which is part of the Fairfax County schools) rather than to Meridian High (which is the Falls Church City high school).

OP in every thread about FCC this poster, or someone else I guess, always posts this information about FC from more than 60 years ago as if Arlington and Fairfax and other nearby areas of NoVa weren't also segregated and in no hurry to integrate. Falls Church City has been a progressive city full of highly educated people for many decades now and the schools are currently 65% white and 35% minority. That's not as diverse as many other schools but they are hardly trying to keep the city or the schools segregated, that's just ignorant and incorrect.

+1. When pressed they admit it was in the 1940s and 1950s when all growing suburban towns did this. It’s a ridiculous assertion. I lived in McLean for 30 years and I’ve never heard of this allegation anywhere but here. By the same poster

I'm not that PP but I've heard this in a few places - including from people who have lived in the city for the past 50+ years. They formed a separate city because they wanted to keep the schools as white as possible. I believe this - and I believe that all of the brouhaha around making Tanner Hill a "thing" is kind of their version of reparations -- "see everyone, we do have black history, we're celebrating it by building a Target here!". That said, if I could afford it, we would probably consider living there. It's just way too expensive and I am not a fan of the development (although as a 22043 resident, I will say it's helping my property value increase to be able to walk to new developments).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked in FCC but ended up just over the line in Arlington where are taxes are half the price of similar priced homes in FCC. I really like both jurisdictions. My kids do some camps and activities through Falls Church Rec since some are closer than parts of Arlington. Lots of good parks and cute walkable area. We can walk to the EFC metro. Good schools, tons of kids in our neighborhood, and both the Falls Church and Westover farmers markets are really nice. I suggest also looking in the parts of Arlington that border FCC since there is very little housing stock around here.

Factually incorrect. Arlington property taxes are about 1% versus FCC at about 1.3%. So it is not "twice as much". Besides, Arlington houses are more expensive, even for smaller, older and lacking possibilities for upgrades or enlargement. This is the reason we bought in FCC, and have since loved it. We are white but consider ourselves diverse since we are both first generation immigrants from Eastern Europe.

I’m the PP you’re responding to and it’s not just about rate. It’s also about how the assessment was done. I was house hunting in 2018 and 2019 and the taxes on similar priced homes was quite disparate. Consider 2 homes priced at $1m. If the FCC one is assessed at $1m x 1.3% tax, that is 13k/year in taxes. If the Arlington home gets assessed at only $850k (our home was originally assessed way below market rate) at 1%, that is $8,500/year in taxes. So not an actually double. But enough that it made hundreds of dollars difference in monthly payment. I mentioned in a prior response that our assessment has gone up a lot since the pandemic, so the tax difference may be smaller now. But I think because Arlington is bigger and its property values more all over the place, there was greater variation in assessed values.

It’s not a dig at FCC. We spend a lot of time there and I think would have been just as happy there if we had found a home in our price range. My advice still stands that inventory is very low and the tax rate is higher in FCC, so I think looking over the border near EFC or Westover isn’t a bad idea. Also, I haven’t found Arlington to be more expensive for older homes than FCC (I think the lack of inventory in FCC really ramps up prices). But do agree you get a bit more land for your money. I’ve noticed the lot sizes in FCC (around Broadmont) are larger than the generally 6k sq ft lots a few streets over in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

I for one am thrilled that we’ve been able, collectively, to make this thread about race. I was afraid I wasn’t getting enough racial discussion today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I for one am thrilled that we’ve been able, collectively, to make this thread about race. I was afraid I wasn’t getting enough racial discussion today.

Whatever. You can expect someone to provide a reminder of Falls Church City's history any time some racist tells people to avoid the "sub-par" (i.e., more diverse) schools in Fairfax County near FCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look, the schools are fantastic, the community is a little homogeneous, and it doesn't have the "small town feel" that people think it does. Also, traffic is always bad except on the small roads. Oh, by the way, the speed limit is about to be 20 on those small roads, but it's okay because the police force is basically non existent.

Just stay off 7, since there are speed cameras there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op I live nearby in Westover, neighborhood nearby over the line in Arlington, and have a lot of friends in FCC because I grew up in this area so we are a little scattered now. I think they would describe it the way you did and all are very happy. We were looking in both westover and FCC when we bought for the same reasons you are. We are very happy in westover and I feel confident we would have been happy in FCC too. Posters on here will always have some negativity of these slightly more walkable areas with high price tags for a variety of reasons so take some of it with a grain of salt. I think if you talked to most FCC'ers on the street they would say they agree with your assessment and are happy!

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked in FCC but ended up just over the line in Arlington where are taxes are half the price of similar priced homes in FCC. I really like both jurisdictions. My kids do some camps and activities through Falls Church Rec since some are closer than parts of Arlington. Lots of good parks and cute walkable area. We can walk to the EFC metro. Good schools, tons of kids in our neighborhood, and both the Falls Church and Westover farmers markets are really nice. I suggest also looking in the parts of Arlington that border FCC since there is very little housing stock around here.

Factually incorrect. Arlington property taxes are about 1% versus FCC at about 1.3%. So it is not "twice as much". Besides, Arlington houses are more expensive, even for smaller, older and lacking possibilities for upgrades or enlargement. This is the reason we bought in FCC, and have since loved it. We are white but consider ourselves diverse since we are both first generation immigrants from Eastern Europe.

I’m the PP you’re responding to and it’s not just about rate. It’s also about how the assessment was done. I was house hunting in 2018 and 2019 and the taxes on similar priced homes was quite disparate. Consider 2 homes priced at $1m. If the FCC one is assessed at $1m x 1.3% tax, that is 13k/year in taxes. If the Arlington home gets assessed at only $850k (our home was originally assessed way below market rate) at 1%, that is $8,500/year in taxes. So not an actually double. But enough that it made hundreds of dollars difference in monthly payment. I mentioned in a prior response that our assessment has gone up a lot since the pandemic, so the tax difference may be smaller now. But I think because Arlington is bigger and its property values more all over the place, there was greater variation in assessed values.

It’s not a dig at FCC. We spend a lot of time there and I think would have been just as happy there if we had found a home in our price range. My advice still stands that inventory is very low and the tax rate is higher in FCC, so I think looking over the border near EFC or Westover isn’t a bad idea. Also, I haven’t found Arlington to be more expensive for older homes than FCC (I think the lack of inventory in FCC really ramps up prices). But do agree you get a bit more land for your money. I’ve noticed the lot sizes in FCC (around Broadmont) are larger than the generally 6k sq ft lots a few streets over in Arlington.

I do appreciate it, I will do some research on the tax assessments and the rates on houses in and out of FCC.

[Anonymous]

Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

Likely go up after the developments. One thing when it’s being constructed, another when you can actually go to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

I live in this area and am excited about the Whole Foods development. Arlington and Fairfax County also have plans to create a really walkable corridor down Sycamore/Roosevelt between the metro and Eden Center. Broadmont is a great area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

I live in this area and am excited about the Whole Foods development. Arlington and Fairfax County also have plans to create a really walkable corridor down Sycamore/Roosevelt between the metro and Eden Center. Broadmont is a great area.

This is news to me. Do you have a link to the plan? Would love to know more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

I live in this area and am excited about the Whole Foods development. Arlington and Fairfax County also have plans to create a really walkable corridor down Sycamore/Roosevelt between the metro and Eden Center. Broadmont is a great area.

Falls Church is desperate to get rid of Eden Center - they are calling it "East End Redevelopment".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

I live in this area and am excited about the Whole Foods development. Arlington and Fairfax County also have plans to create a really walkable corridor down Sycamore/Roosevelt between the metro and Eden Center. Broadmont is a great area.

Falls Church is desperate to get rid of Eden Center - they are calling it "East End Redevelopment".

Why? Isn’t Eden Center a cash cow and also one of the most interesting things about Falls Church? It’s certainly more interesting than all the generic condos getting built on Broad Street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but also very interested in FCC, especially Broadmont (no surprises here). How much effect on prices will the new Whole Foods and performing arts theatre development have on Broadmont?

Also how much impact will the West End and Founders Row 2 development have on the rest of the city if we can't get into Broadmont? Do prices go up immediately after project completion or is there a lag time? Thanks.

I live in this area and am excited about the Whole Foods development. Arlington and Fairfax County also have plans to create a really walkable corridor down Sycamore/Roosevelt between the metro and Eden Center. Broadmont is a great area.

This is news to me. Do you have a link to the plan? Would love to know more.

All the planning can be found here.

https://www.fallschurchva.gov/2128/East-End-Small-Area-Plan

Love the ideas and hope they become a reality. Plus, Fairfax County has great plans for a new Seven Corners which is fantastic.

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/study/seven-corners