Your Gov't at Work: EDA's First '26 Meeting Examines Citywide Events, Outdoor ABC Licensing

By Cindy Sieden,

On Tuesday night, the Falls Church City Economic Development Authority (EDA) held its monthly meeting, at City Hall. It’s open to anyone interested in attending, and also livestreamed on Teams.

The EDA serves to advise City Council on economic development issues and proposals. Their goal is to develop and strengthen the “brand” of the Little City, making sure people from all over Northern Virginia want to come here to eat, shop, play, be entertained, and even move. The Authority has seven members, who serve four-year terms. Currently the Chair is Ross Litkenhous, with Vice-Chair Jim Coyle.

One item on the agenda discussed at great length was a meeting that had taken place between owners of a dozen or so local restaurants, who wanted to voice grievances about — among other things – changes to the annual New Year’s Eve Watch Night party. This year the City had a somewhat scaled-down event. City Council did not approve in the budget the costs associated with staff for closing the streets (about 30 staff-members needed), so instead, most of the activities took place at a variety of indoor locations including the Falls Church Presbyterian and Falls Church Episcopal churches. Restaurant owners had told the EDA members they had large drops in revenue on NYE as a result. 

There was substantial discussion about the role of the City in these events, and all agreed that City government (including the EDA) cannot be the main organizer or funder of city-wide seasonal events, but if organizations want to propose events and ask for support from City government, they have some funding to assist. This might include a possible replacement for the Fourth of July fireworks, a return to the outdoor road-closed Watch Party, a Mardi Gras celebration of some sort, or an Oktoberfest celebration, for example.

There were a few other items on the agenda, including the progress on Falls Church City’s application for a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) license, which would allow alcoholic beverage purchased from approved retailers within a designated area to be consumed outdoors — enabling, for example, a “bar crawl” event. Some nearby jurisdictions have this license, and Falls Church City is working on obtaining one, which requires a security plan coordinated with law enforcement and the VA-ABC.

They also discussed ongoing efforts to engage in some sort of census or survey of City businesses to ensure open dialogue between business owners and the EDA; a plan for street banners, including setting up a calendar for the changing themes and possibly seeking an outside organization to fund the banners; and the announcement that the upcoming restaurant week (Jan. 23 through Feb.1) has over 60 participating restaurants, including 14 from Eden Center.

A few new development projects are forthcoming: Best Buns, opening soon opposite Jubilee Ice Cream, in West Falls; Ian Sushi, under review in Founders II; and Wonder, with a hopeful opening date of April 2 in the former Brown’s Hardware site. Mayor Hardi has been engaged in discussions with the company to find a way to honor the legacy of Brown’s with perhaps a mural.

The next Economic Development Authority meeting is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2026.

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Cindy Sieden is a Falls Church City resident of more than 15 years. She discovered several years ago that her civic duty extended beyond merely voting when an election arose, and now takes a very active role in following state and local government and helping others understand how those governments work, what actions they take, and how to advocate for issues important to them. She founded the Virginia Progressive Legislative Alert Network (VAPLAN) to that end, and is also a regular contributor at Blue Virginia.