FALLS CHURCH, VA — After City of Falls Church staff heard support for protecting the Eden Center and its Vietnamese businesses, a revised development vision for the neighborhood returns for city review.
On Wednesday, the Falls Church Planning Commission will review the revised East End Small Area Plan, which are guidelines for development and reinvestment. The East End refers to the area bordered by Wilson Boulevard, East Broad Street, and Hillwood Avenue. While the area’s biggest landmark is the Eden Center, it also includes other commercial areas like BJ’s Wholesale Club, Koons Ford and 24 Hour Fitness.
When the city was reviewing the proposed small area plan in late 2022 and early 2023, Vietnamese activists raised concerns about displacement of Vietnamese businesses and culture, as well as inadequate outreach by the city to the Vietnamese community on the proposal.
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Viet Place Collective, a group seeking to protect Vietnamese culture in the region, says the revised plan incorporates most of their demands made in collaboration with Eden Center business owners and other Vietnamese community members.
“We’re encouraged to see that most of our demands have been included in the [Small Area Plan], especially that anti-displacement strategies to protect Vietnamese small businesses is now a core goal,” the group said on Facebook. “We’re continuing to push the City to use the area’s tax revenue to fund robust strategies + programs to protect and bolster the vibrant Viet community, promote business longevity, and support the continued growth of the #1 destination in the City.”
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That sentiment is progress since the community engagement about the Small Area Plan. In a late 2022 survey drawing about 2,000 responses, respondents highlighted the protection of the Eden Center and Vietnamese culture. Common themes respondents wanted to see were stronger language in the plan on protecting the Eden Center, anti-displacement strategies for businesses, and less of an emphasis on new development, especially on Eden Center property.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Vietnamese activists with Viet Place Collective reiterated concerns about displacement and inadequate engagement with the Vietnamese community at a January listening session with the Planning Commission. Further action on the East End Small Area Plan was delayed to get additional community feedback.
That led to outreach improvements, including pop-up events at the Eden Center with a Vietnamese translator and written information on the Small Area Plan proposal in English and Vietnamese.
Similar themes about protecting and enhancing the Eden Center resulted from the city’s recent pop-up events. Common threads from the pop-up events at the Eden Center were anti-displacement measures for Eden Center businesses, measures to improve safety, improved maintenance of buildings and cleanliness, increased parking availability, and support for a plaza for celebrations without restricting parking.
Following the pop-up events, Viet Place Collective provided a list of demands for the Small Area Plan. Those demands included making anti-displacement measures for businesses a priority goal, funding anti-displacement measures through a portion of Eden Center tax revenue, introducing other anti-displacement strategies, increasing free parking availability, introducing Little Saigon East branding, making infrastructure improvements, and using Vietnamese artists for public art.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to directly inform, dispel rumors, and gain insight on the challenges business owners face, and consequently the opportunities for the City to support the community that defines the area,” Viet Place Collective said in a letter to the city. “We challenge the City to commit to their values of ‘diversity’ and ‘cultural heritage’ by implementing these protections to prevent the commercial displacement of the Vietnamese community.”
Revised Plan Introduced
The strong show of support for the Eden Center and Vietnamese legacy hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Small Area Plan is returning to the Planning Commission with revisions based on community feedback.
According to a city staff report, key updates include a vision focusing on Vietnamese culture of the Eden Center rather than the structure, an anti-displacement toolkit for Eden Center businesses, strategies to brand Eden Center as Little Saigon, a concept for a hotel, cultural center, or plaza to support Eden Center visitors, and strategies to revitalize Fort Taylor Park.
The city staff report said the Small Area Plan’s revised goals are:
On land use, the revised plan envisions civic and green space along Wilson Boulevard and Roosevelt Boulevard with a hotel use, as well as green space in front of BJ’s paired with new retail.
The plan identifies the 24 Hour Fitness site as a potential place for a town center-type development with land from Koons Ford site or adjacent properties in Fairfax County.
For the Eden Center, the plan recommends preserving and expanding the structure and prioritizing repairs and maintenance, exploring public parking options, providing a community space or plaza and a Vietnamese cultural center, providing a hotel for out-of-town visitors to the Eden Center, and branding the area as Little Saigon East.
For the area east of Roosevelt Boulevard, the city’s plan says redevelopment is possible with consolidated properties and limited redevelopment of the BJ’s parking lot. Recommendations for the land east of Roosevelt Boulevard include a hotel for Eden Center visitors, Asian-focused retail to complement the Eden Center, and mixed-use residential with affordable housing, green space in front of BJ’s. If redevelopment would occur, the plan envisions a food hall or maker space in the BJ’s area.
What’s Next
After the Planning Commission’s work session on Wednesday, City Council is expected to have a work session on May 22. If the revised Small Area Plan moves forward as currently proposed, the Planning Commission could take action on June 7, followed by the City Council on June 26.
The full revised plan can be viewed on the East End Small Area Plan web page.
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