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Chapter 2: People, Housing, and Jobs (Adopted 8/12/19)
Demographics are a critical base of information for City planning; the City’s housing, transportation, economy, parks and recreation, and social framework rely on current and future population trends and needs. The Demographics Chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan was last updated 13 years ago, in 2005. Since that time, several changes have occurred in and around the city, so an update is timely.
Read the 2005 Demographics Chapter.
This chapter examines Falls Church’s demographic profile and explores the City’s population, workforce, and housing trends using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), and the City of Falls Church. It covers the recent population trends of the City, how it compares to neighboring jurisdictions, and makes informed projections about our continued growth through 2045, and explores connections to various topics in community planning.
The demographic trends report discussed with City Council on November 13, 2018 identified several topics for Falls Church and the Northern Virginia region. Population, housing, and workforce trends were explored as a means to determine characteristics such as age and racial diversity, the overall economic strength of the community, and also how the City’s growth might relate to what is being seen in the surrounding Arlington and Fairfax Counties. Among many other conclusions, the trends report identified that Falls Church has recently seen an increase in single-person households, that multi-family housing is more widely available, and that many residents have jobs in higher-paying industries outside of the City.
Link to Demographic Trends Report | Link to Demographic Trends Presentation
The most recent phase of the demographic study presented to City Council on March 4th, 2019 is an exploration into the city’s future demographics. The projections are calculated estimates that take into account local and regional economic development as well as housing availability. These projections use several different methodologies to increase confidence and assess the inherent variability in projecting future conditions. The projections were developed using a range of information sources, including data from the U.S. Census, Washington Council and Governments, and recent and projected development activity in the City.
Link to Demographic Forecasts Presentation
Following the forecasting phase of this demographics effort, the consultant team and city staff will shift focus on questions of community connections. This section will put the data in perspective of city functions and explore questions raised in reaction to both the trends report and the demographic projections.
Please take a moment to participate in our Demographics Chapter Survey, available until June 10, 2019: www.fallschurchva.gov/DemographicsSurvey
Date | Group | Milestone |
November 5, 2018 | Planning Commission (Work Session) | Demographic Trends Report Presentation | Link to Video (@1:29:00) |
November 13, 2018 | City Council (Work Session) | Demographic Trends Report Presentation | Link to Video |
February 19, 2019 | Planning Commission (Work Session) | Demographic Forecasts Presentation | Link to Video |
March 4, 2019 | City Council (Work Session) | Demographic Forecasts Presentation | Link to Video |
April 15, 2019 | Planning Commission (Work Session) | Draft Chapter Presentation Link to Document |
May 1, 2019 | Recreation & Parks Advisory Board | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 8, 2019 | CACT | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 9, 2019 | VPIS | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 16, 2019 | Chamber of Commerce | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 16, 2019 | Housing Commission & HSAC | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 20, 2019 | City Council (Work Session) | Draft Chapter Presentation Link to Video | Link to Document |
May 23, 2019 | HARB & Hist. Commission | Draft Chapter Presentation |
May 29 - June 10, 2019 | - | Demographic Chapter Survey |
June 4, 2019 | EDA | Draft Chapter Presentation |
June 5, 2019 | AAB | Draft Chapter Presentation |
June 6, 2019 | ESC | Draft Chapter Presentation |
June 8, 2019 | Community Meeting | Public Meeting on Demographics Chapter |
June 10, 2019 | Tree Commission | Draft Chapter Presentation |
June 17, 2019 | City Council (Work Session) | Draft Chapter Presentation Link to Document | Link to Video |
July 1, 2019 | Planning Commission (Work Session) | Draft Chapter Presentation Link to Document | Link to Video (@2:03:21) |
July 15, 2019 | City Council/Planning Commission (Joint Work Session) | Draft Chapter Presentation Link to Document | Link to Video (@ 52:28) |
July 17, 2019 | Library Board of Trustees | Draft Chapter Presentation |
August 5, 2019 | Planning Commission (Regular Session) | Action on Draft Demographic Chapter Link to Document | Link to Video (@ 2:30) |
August 12, 2019 | City Council (Regular Session) | Adoption of Draft Demographic Chapter Link to Document | Link to Video |