A less restrictive process for home improvement projects at older townhomes and apartment buildings could be coming to Arlington.
By default, townhomes and multifamily properties in Arlington currently can’t receive any “interior structural alterations” unless they are in full compliance with the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO). If property owners want an exception to conduct partial renovations like remodeling a kitchen or finishing an attic, they often have to seek approval from the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
“The intent of this requirement is to encourage the eventual replacement of nonconforming buildings with new buildings and structures that meet current standards,” a County Board report says.
In some circumstances, however, bringing a building up to current zoning standards can be difficult or effectively impossible. Especially challenging, according to the report, is the ACZO’s street setback requirement, as well as a standard requiring at least 20 feet of separation between multifamily buildings in the same lot.
Ultimately, the report says, current restrictions “may conflict with policy goals for preservation of older buildings that may have cultural or historic value and/or provide lower-cost living solutions compared to newer buildings.”
In the past year alone, the Board of Zoning Appeals received 24 requests to make exceptions for nonconforming properties in the Fairlington neighborhood, where garden-style condo buildings and townhouses from the 1940s are the norm. Most commonly, the requests are from homeowners who want to remove walls separating the kitchen from the dining room, or who want to install emergency exit windows in their basements.
A proposed change to the ACZO would allow property owners to make interior structural alterations at townhomes and multifamily properties without having to bring those properties into complete compliance with current zoning standards. The change would also allow for the addition of window wells for basement egress, areaways, exterior stairs, ramps and decks.
The ACZO already makes similar exceptions for nonconforming one- and two-family dwellings and Expanded Housing Option uses.
“This amendment would alleviate the burden of pursuing Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approval for certain home improvement projects in communities such as Fairlington and other communities where nonconforming townhouses and multifamily properties are present,” the report says.
The change would “allow for renovation of entire multifamily buildings.” Possibilities include supporting accessibility improvements for people with disabilities, or converting existing shared spaces like laundry rooms or rental offices into additional housing units.
The report notes that “allowing interior structural improvements could result in higher rents for renter-occupied homes and could increase risk of displacement.” However, “these rent increases are likely to be more modest compared to rent in a newly constructed building, which property owners may be more inclined to do given the current limitations of the ACZO.”
The Arlington County Board approved a request to advertise hearings on the proposed zoning amendments at its meeting earlier this month. Public hearings by the Planning Commission are scheduled to take place no earlier than Oct. 7, to be followed by discussion and action by the County Board.
