The Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA) is an all-volunteer association representing roughly 5,000 households in Great Falls. Our board of directors and community volunteers advocate with local government on issues and solutions that improve our community while working hard to retain our semi-rural character. We regularly deal with a range of projects from traffic, zoning, county and school budgets, beautification, to ground and stormwater issues, trails, parks and the environment.

As just one example, over the past year, GFCA worked very closely with SunTrust Bank on plans for its new bank building in town. The bank sought a special exception from the county and our Supervisor, John Foust, looked to GFCA to evaluate it. Working closely with his office, the bank and residents, we achieved changes to the architecture ensuring compatibility with the neighboring Village Centre, additional landscaping, and accommodations to protect several large oak trees.

GFCA has worked diligently to achieve the completion of an interconnected trail system that will allow residents to walk and bike from their neighborhoods safely to other parts of Great Falls. The trail connects our neighborhoods with our schools, parks, and main commercial center in the Village. Next year the section of the trail along Georgetown Pike from Seneca Road to Utterback Store Road will be complete, and in the year to follow, we expect the trail to extend all the way to the Village.

Since 1968, when the GFCA was founded, we have had many other successes including:

• Raised funds to purchase and restore the town’s century old school house

• Prevented the county from building a heavy equipment maintenance facility at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Route 7

• Held a petition drive that stopped the downgrading of Riverbend Park and its programs

• Prevented a two lane left turn off Route 7 onto Georgetown Pike at Seneca Road

• Protected our well water by obtaining a commitment for cleanup of MTBE contaminants at the old Exxon station

• Worked with Fairfax ReLeaf to offer native tree and shrub seedlings to residents.

The GFCA board and community volunteers are currently working on the following major projects:

• Addressing neighborhood and traffic issues with the widening of Route 7 to Tysons

• Working with the county on the possible transition of Grange management to the community

• Ensuring that county playing fields are safe for soccer and lacrosse players

• Looking for solutions to calm increasingly dangerous driving on Georgetown Pike and neighboring streets

• Identifying new improvements in the Walker Road/Georgetown Pike intersection for pedestrian and traffic safety

• Working with our Supervisor and the National Park Service to address unacceptable traffic backups onto local roads at the entrance to the park.

If working to improve our town, and “Keeping Great Falls Great” is of interest to you, we encourage you to become involved in GFCA and any of our other local organizations. Our website has all of the details at www.gfca.org. You will also find resources helpful to new residents, and a good source of information about current events in Great Falls.

Welcome to the neighborhood!