Join Club

County Board to vote on the height of Clarendon parking lot development

A 3D image of the proposed Courthouse West development on Wilson Blvd (image via Arlington County)

The Arlington County Board is finally set to vote this weekend on the potential height of a new development coming to Wilson Blvd between Clarendon and Courthouse.

For months, height has been the topic of conversation for the proposed project being dubbed “Courthouse West” at 2636 Wilson Blvd on what is currently a parking lot housing ghost kitchen trailers.

Back in July, the Planning Commission voted to amend the General Land Use Plan (GLUP) from “service commercial” to “Office-Apartment-Hotel.” That designation allows the development to be between 6 and 16 stories high.

However, that is where the differences in opinions lie.

Last week, after a public hearing, the Planning Commission recommended that County Board adopt the county staff’s GLUP study — but with one very notable change.

In the study, county staff recommended a designation of “Medium Office-Apartment-Hotel” which would cap the height of the building at 12 stories, reasoning that height is in line with the rest of the planning for the corridor, would “fit well into the existing skyline,” and would minimize shadows on nearby residential properties.

This is also seemingly closer to what nearby residents who voiced their opinions on the project want. In December, an online survey was disseminated to the public where more than half of the respondents voted for a maximum height of 6 to 10 stories.

At its early September meeting, however, the Planning Commission voted to amend the study to change the designation to “High Office-Apartment-Hotel,” which would allow up to 16 stories. This is also what the applicant, the Ballston-based developer CRC Companies, wants as well.

The Planning Commission went against staff recommendation not to guarantee the highest possible building, several commissioners said, but to allow the height talk to continue without ruling out up to 16 stories.

More affordable housing, concentrating more residents in proximity to transit, and an increased likelihood of a revamped Courthouse Metro entrance all are potential advantages of a taller building, several noted.

“I want to make sure the community knows we are not approving a 16-story building… We are giving the option to allow staff to potentially negotiate up to that height if they provide community benefits that the Planning Commission thinks are valuable,” said commissioner Tenley Peterson at the Sept. 7 meeting.

The vote was not unanimous, with other commissioners calling the 12-story height cap proposed by staff a “reasonable compromise.”

Now, the decision goes to the County Board this weekend. Even if the Board allows consideration of a 16-story building, it would still have to go through a public review and engagement process prior to any final approvals and construction.

“After the Board’s action this weekend, adopted guidance would be in place to inform a future application for development, and a property owner would have to submit an application that would go through the County’s public review and engagement process on the specifics of the development proposal,” Erika Moore with the county’s Dept. of Community Planning, Housing, and Development told ARLnow.

Beyond this particular project, there was a clear sentiment from the Planning Commission that the way the county is conducting comprehensive community planning may need a revamp.

Two other motions passed last week, aimed at taking a look at the long-accepted “bullseye approach” to urban planning, as seen in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, as well as more regularly updating sector plans.

The “bullseye approach” aims to have the tallest and most dense developments within a quarter mile of Metro stations. But a couple of commissioners said that assumptions made by this approach have proven to be either incorrect or outdated — including data that shows people are willing to walk more than a quarter of a mile to Metro.

The first motion, which passed unanimously, recommended that County Manager Mark Schwartz conduct a study to see if the bullseye approach should still be used in planning.

“Given the shortage of land we have, the high price of land, and the… crying need for additional housing and community facilities, this is an appropriate study that needs to be made,” said commissioner James Lantelme.

The second motion, which passed with six votes to one, called for sector and corridor plans to be updated on a regular basis.

Occasional special land use planning studies, like that used for this development, should be seen as a viable alternative to updating outdated sector plans, two commissioners said. The GLUP studies take up too much time, are piecemeal, and do not necessarily consider a comprehensive plan, they added.

“We are doing a lot of planning on a spot-by-spot basis… this is happening because we have 40-year-old guidance that we are not updating. We are seeing more and more of these special GLUP studies in planned areas,” said commissioner James Schroll. “This planning guidance [the current sector plan] is older than half the planning commission.”

Recent Stories

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 16319 times… so far. 📈 Top stories The following are the most-read articles for today —…

Arlington County police are investigating a pair of early morning incidents involving guns over the weekend. The first happened shortly after midnight on Saturday, when a pickup truck driver allegedly…

With Arlington getting some warmer weather, George Mason University is opening up the plaza of its Arlington campus to a series of free activities and events. The weekly programs are…

A new vision for replacing the Pentagon Centre shopping center, including the Costco, is coming into focus. Kimco Realty Corporation revised its plans envisioning the long-term redevelopment of the 16.8-acre…

Art House 7‘s spring session will begin on April 10th! We’re offering classes, workshops, and open studios in a wide range of art mediums for all ages, from 4 year olds to adults. We cater to different skill levels in ceramics, embroidery, drawing, and of course, painting – including watercolor, oil, and acrylics. Our Spring 2023 offerings include a Portfolio Development class for high schoolers who are considering a career in the fine arts. This class provides an opportunity to create and develop a strong portfolio for college applications.

We also have some excellent classes for younger students. The “Art and the Pre-K Reader” class is designed for 4-5 year olds, and we offer “Arts and Crafts” classes taught by teens for 2nd-4th and 3rd-5th grade students.

To view our complete class schedule, Spring workshops, open studios, and 3-week classes, please visit our website. Join us this spring to learn, create, and explore with us!

Submit your own Announcement here.

The March NAACP Arlington Branch General Membership Meeting

The March NAACP Arlington Branch General Membership Meeting is focused on Public Safety & Justice. We will hear from Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Chief Public Defender Brad Haywood, Chief of Police Andy Penn, and Deputy Chief Wayne Vincent. We encourage you to come to this community conversation prepared with questions for our speakers. Registration Required www.arlingtonnaacp.com

Guest Speakers

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

Singin’ in the Rain

The “Greatest Movie Musical of All Time” is faithfully and lovingly adapted for the stage by Broadway legends, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, from their original award-winning screenplay. Each unforgettable scene, song and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping

5 Tips for Buying Your Dream Home – A Free…

Are you planning to move in the next 12 months but feeling overwhelmed by the current real estate market’s low inventory and high mortgage rates? Join us for a short seminar where we’ll provide 5 tips to help you find

×

Subscribe to our mailing list