Robert Young explains his motivation for Oak Place

During the July 19^th, 2023, Planning Commission meeting, Robert Young, Oak Place developer and owner, spoke to the commissioners about the need for daycare in the city. The Oak Place project is to build a daycare center that would be a Lightbridge Academy franchise. It would have 150 children. The project is located on the corner of N Oak Street and Park Avenue, across from St. James Catholic School. For more information, please read our posts on the Oak Place Project here.

The commissioners were asked to make a recommendation to the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow Mr. Young’s project to exceed the 40% building coverage code limit. The project building is about 51% of the lot, although the waiver is for a 55% building coverage. The lot is 0.36 ac.

Mr. Young, also the chair of the City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA), said that in the previous week, the EDA called in an expert to speak to them about what the community wants and what the market wants. Daycare was among the top three things.

He also said that earlier that day (July 19^th), during the City Council Economic Development Committee meeting meeting, another expert from Federal Realty basically said that daycare was her top 3 things.

Below is the video clip (1m) of Mr. Young’s speech.

References:

Planning Commission meeting, July 19, 2023, https://fallschurch-va.granicus.com/player/clip/2376?view_id=2&redirect=true&h=cbae3241927b6626b1b47c394cab629d. This city weblink is best viewed on a widescreen as it contains both the video and agenda.
The Falls Church Pulse posts on Oak Place may be found here.