A pair of new single-family homes getting built on Langston Blvd has prompted dismay from a local leader seeking greater densification along the corridor.
Two new homes are expected to replace the former New Image Hair Designs at 5800 Langston Blvd, a property that the Langston Boulevard Area Plan envisioned getting redeveloped with up to five stories of commercial, multi-family residential or mixed-use.
It’s not to the liking of County Board Vice-Chair Maureen Coffey, although she acknowledges the challenges that developers like Arlington-based BCN Homes are facing these days.
“I was disappointed to see the intended development plans for this property on Langston Boulevard, but I suspect the economics of the current market to be the deciding factor in this decision,” Coffey told ARLnow.
If anyone was wondering what the vision for this lot was in the Langston blvd area plan…Hint: not two SFHs…Lot is the furthest west, on the south side of Langston in area 2
— Maureen Coffey (Arlington, VA) (@maureencoffeyva.bsky.social) 2026-11-04T20:26:39.872Z
Ginger Brown, executive director of the Langston Boulevard Alliance, pointed to another factor that she expects played a role: the size of the lot.
“This is a very, very small lot,” Brown told ARLnow. “The costs, risks and length of time to go through a site plan review with the county could very well make it not doable for a developer. They might opt for a by-right approach.”
Brown noted that Plan Langston Boulevard called for studying the possibility of an easier approval process for redevelopment projects in areas of “lesser change,” meaning five to six stories. However, she said such changes were never implemented.
BCN Homes purchased the property in question from Edward Pozarny in 2019 for $1.4 million. It originally filed a demolition permit in 2020 and then submitted subsequent permits to build a commercial structure on the property, but it appears the plans shifted in late 2025 or early 2026.
The developer, which did not respond to prior requests for comment, is currently seeking to build two new single-family homes facing N. Madison Street.
Coffey said she’s going to continue looking for ways to get future development more in line with the plan for Langston Blvd that her colleagues approved in November 2023.
“I will continue to push for us to plan for future growth, not just immediate opportunities, but I know long-term change will only be viable if financial conditions improve,” Coffey said. “My colleagues and I will continue to reflect on this and what we can do at a local level to make this a reality.”
