Business owner pushes back as F.C. seeks land acquisitions for W. Broad Street improvements | ARLnow.com

Falls Church is attempting to move forward with a project to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access along W. Broad Street.

The multimodal improvement project calls for widening sidewalks, redesigning intersections and adding a new pedestrian crosswalk, with changes planned at the intersections of W. Broad Street and Virginia Avenue, Lee Street, Oak Street, Spring Street and West Street.

To make this happen, the city is seeking to acquire easements from 29 property owners along the commercial strip, mostly along sidewalks and near the road. But at least one business owner has expressed an unwillingness to play ball — leading city leaders to discuss exercising eminent domain to take a portion of the property.

Steve Doudaklian, owner of Bedo’s Leatherworks at 412 W. Broad Street, said at an Aug. 12 meeting of the Falls Church Council that he supports the sidewalk widening. However, he is in opposition of the city’s desired easement, which would affect his business’s parking spaces and public visibility.

He expressed a desire for a reciprocal easement that preserves “the rights for customers entering into my property without interference.”

“The proposed plan takes away my sign, and the city will not allow a sign of five foot area within the easement boundary, even though my neighbors were allowed to construct their building inside the five foot boundary area,” Doudaklian said at the meeting. “It’s going to affect my business, whether you like it or not.”

Falls Church Vice Mayor Debora Schantz-Hiscott replied that the council takes pride in supporting small businesses, but also has “a lot of responsibility” to pedestrians and people with disabilities, before inquiring about the city’s legal perspective on the issue.

“I’m sure that you want people to be able to access your building,” Schantz-Hiscott said. “I’m not a jury, I’m trying to make the best decision possible for the most people possible.”

City Manager Wyatt Shields advocated for the council approve condemnation proceedings, stating, “Our goal is to build a sidewalk, it will serve the public. That’s it.” He also said the goal is to reach a “good agreement” with Doudaklian.

After the discussion and public hearing, the council ultimately approved deferring a condemnation vote until Sept. 9.

The city’s acquisition contractor, Bowman, has obtained at least three signed easement deeds so far out of the 29 required, “making good progress,” Project Manager Scott Freda told ARLnow.

The easement process allows affected property owners to sign deeds for compensation and make counteroffers, something Freda said a couple of businesses have opted to do.

“We’ve already accepted some counteroffers, [and] we’ve already declined some counteroffers,” Freda said.

The city’s deadline to acquire easements for properties along W. Broad Street is in spring 2025, the project manager said. Construction can’t begin until after the city has gained rights to work on the entire stretch.

Funding for the multimodal projects comes from both local and federal sources. The project is supported by a $3 million Smart Scale grant and $1.5 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program funds, as well as nearly $850,000 from the Regional Surface Transportation Program and $375,000 in local funding.