2050 Eastern Gateway Concept Plan - City of Falls Church

location and moved into a potentially more lucrative location in
2009. Since Syms vacated the site, the building remains empty
until it is made available for redevelopment.
The Eden Center
Unlike most of the rest of the Eastern Gateway site, the Eden
Center, which makes up almost a quarter of the Falls Church
Seven Corners Gateway site, successfully transformed itself
from another suburban strip mall to one of Falls Church’s largest
and most successful commercial developments. In addition to
bringing successful commerce to Falls Church, the development
had a dual role as an east coast tourist attraction. Vietnamese-
Americans travel from around Northern Virginia, the D.C.
metropolitan area, and beyond to visit the almost 150
Vietnamese-owned food, retail, and service establishments. 1
Entering the United States en masse in the mid- to late-1970’s
and early-1980’s after the fall of Saigon, Vietnamese
immigrants of all professions, levels of education, and economic
status settled in Northern Virginia. Today, Vietnamese
immigrants number 50,000 in the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area, with the majority living in the Northern
Virginia suburbs. Many, in search of storefront space at cheap
rents, established restaurants and retail stores in declining areas
like Clarendon in Arlington. Their presence helped Clarendon
develop into a bustling downtown area with a strong
Vietnamese-American community presence.
In search of more affordable space to relocate their businesses,
many Vietnamese shop owners moved to a strip shopping
center just outside of Arlington in Falls Church. Now officially
named the Eden Center, but often referred to as “Little Saigon,”
the shopping center houses almost 150 Vietnamese-owned
establishments. The suburban shopping center has evolved into
a hub of activity and commerce for both Falls Church and the
Vietnamese community. By 1984, nearly 60 percent of the
area’s Vietnamese immigrants had settled within three miles of
the Eastern Gateway site, and they were utilizing the Eden
Center for shopping and services, as well as social and cultural
center. 2 But, with its popularity, Eden Center developed the
problems typical of suburban shopping centers across the
country, including congestion, high rents, and limited parking.