Vietnamese Group Optimistic After Falls Church City Council Approval Affecting Eden Center

FALLS CHURCH, VA — After comments from Vietnamese advocates on a neighborhood development vision involving the Eden Center, the Falls Church City Council approved the plan with most of the advocates' goals met.

The East End Small Area Plan approved 7-0 by the City Council sets a development and reinvestment vision to guide any future land use reviews and city policies. The East End refers to the area bordered by Wilson Boulevard, East Broad Street, and Hillwood Avenue centered around its biggest landmark: the Eden Center. It also includes other commercial areas like BJ's Wholesale Club, Koons Ford and 24 Hour Fitness.

Viet Place Collective, a group seeking to protect Vietnamese culture in the region, became involved with the plan due to concerns about inadequate city engagement with the Vietnamese community and potential development displacing the Eden Center's small businesses. The group, which acts as a link between the older generations of Vietnamese business owners and the city, also sought to dispel rumors that the plan meant the Eden Center would be redeveloped.

While the plan only sets guidelines for future development proposals, Eden Center's owner has indicated there is no short-term or long-term plan to redevelop the shopping center.

"We're not going to redevelop," said Alan Frank, a senior vice president for the Eden Center. "Our only plan is to run the center, improve it, beautify it, improve public facilities, work with the community, make a big mural that we're already talking about. We're studying expansion of public spaces, as well."

The approved East End Small Area Plan drew praise from Viet Place Collective, which helped get potential anti-displacement strategies as a goal in the plan.

"Overall, we're satisfied with the plan. We feel like it captured most of what we wanted," Hoainam Nguyen with Viet Place Collective told Patch.

But while anti-displacement measures are mentioned in the plan, funding cannot immediately move forward due to legal concerns. Funding for anti-displacement measures had been recommended to City Council by the Planning Commission.

At Monday's City Council meeting, City Attorney Sally Gillette said it can be legal to support cultural areas through arts and culture districts, preserve historic and cultural areas, and have community development authorities fund infrastructure.

However, giving money directly to businesses is likely not allowed under the law, and the city could explore other ways it can support businesses with anti-displacement measures.

"While the goals of the plan can and should be pursued, there is more work to do to understand what mechanisms are available," said Gillette.

On options that are legal, the city attorney said, "Those options need to be brought back before council so that informed decisions can be made on the approach to implement the goals of the plan."

Nguyen of Viet Place Collective said, "it's probably a much deeper discussion to be had with [the city] on what they can legally provide."

Multiple City Council members also expressed support for looking into creating a city staff position for outreach to the Vietnamese community. A Vietnamese translator was added during pop-up events at the Eden Center city staff held for the Small Area Plan.

"So come next budget, I would support piloting an outreach coordinator position because I do think that this needs to be not a one-time effort and needs to be something ongoing," said Vice Mayor Letty Hardi.

While development near the Eden Center isn't being proposed now, Nguyen said the plan can help Eden Center business owners feel more at ease.

"The plan does acknowledge the history and the importance of the small businesses. They should feel more assured," Nguyen said.

Another goal that Viet Place Collective supports in the plan is establishing a cultural district. The plan mentions that a cultural district would mark the Eden Center as a nationally-recognized destination and the largest Vietnamese shopping center on the East Coast.

Little Saigon East is one name suggestion for the cultural district with significant community support, according to the plan.

Establishing a cultural district would require a separate approval process after the small area plan, Nguyen said. Nguyen said Viet Place Collective is advocating for the process to happen soon, but the city hasn't indicated the timing for it.

Nguyen noted the name Little Saigon East honors the Vietnamese community, but doesn't exclude others existing in the neighborhood.

Eden Center's property owner, however, has voiced opposition to the Little Saigon East neighborhood name. Frank, the representative for the Eden Center, told City Council that 40 years ago, the Vietnamese community wanted the shopping center to be called Eden Center. Since then, Frank said the property owner has worked hard to promote the Eden Center name.

"Eden Center is different. It is a treasure. It's a gem," said Frank. "And it's different from every other place where what they call Little Saigon."

But Nguyen and Viet Place Collective believe the Eden Center name and Little Saigon East cultural district name could coexist and benefit each other.

Another long-term discussion could be about providing more parking at the Eden Center as requested by Viet Place Collective. Eden Center's Frank noted the shopping center previously heard the concern from tenants and encouraged parking in the underutilized back lots.

Hardi encouraged the property owner to provide signs and lighting to encourage parking in the back lots and for Viet Place Collective to spread the word about the back lots.

Viet Place Collective had been working on advocacy in the Small Area Plan for over six months, and now its members plan to regroup and determine what organizers want to focus on next, according to Nguyen. The group can support other disadvantaged communities facing concerns like displacement, Nguyen says,

But Viet Place Collective will also remain involved with the Eden Center to see how else they can help.

The city's vice mayor encouraged the group to stay involved to help improve the Eden Center.

"I think the [Viet Place Collective] has a huge opportunity to help communicate and continue using the platform you all built to reach the population out there that can actually make the Eden Center an even better place to do business," said Hardi. "Because at the end of the day, I think hearing from Capitol Marshal properties hearing from the tenants hearing from the patrons, our interests are very, very much aligned. We want the intent to thrive. And to do that it requires real investment in projects.