Like an oasis in a sea of high density development, the area around the East Falls Church metrorail station on the Orange Line features a landscape of single-family homes, parks, and low-rise commercial development. This puts the neighborhood in marked contrast to the high- and mid-rise corridor that runs from Rosslyn to Ballston and the new townhouse and condominium development springing up at West Falls Church, Dunn Loring and Vienna.

As Arlington busily builds out the remaining available land along its metrorail corridors, it only seems natural that this development activity will soon extend to the “last frontier.” However, one neighborhood association near the East Falls Church station, sensing that they may be next in line for a forest of construction cranes, has taken matters into their own hands and commissioned a study by Virginia Tech planning students that examined the development potential for the area and provided a scheme that integrates development opportunities with a wish list of development from neighborhood residents.

As with most publicly-crafted development plans, the likelihood that it will come to pass in its current iteration is probably slim to none. The biggest obstacle right now is not the opposition of residents, but rather the Arlington County General Land Use Plan.