Elected leaders and other stakeholders from Montgomery County, Md. were in Arlington last week to tour examples of “missing middle” housing.
The tour did not include any construction projects started under Arlington’s Expanded Housing Options, which a judge overturned last month, putting the completion of such projects in doubt. Instead, it focused on the look, feel and impact of two other examples of housing densification in South Arlington.
Arlington and Falls Church have once again ranked as some of the most livable communities in the nation.
The ratings in the new AARP Livability Index, both good and bad, largely track with the findings of an ongoing Arlington County study into what residents value.
Arlington’s elected leadership is not saying much about the future of the county’s Missing Middle policy — at least not from the dais.
Pressed to make some comment on what will happen with the residential zoning change — known alternately as Expanded Housing Options (EHO) — County Board members on Saturday (Oct. 19) opted to stay mum.
A proposal to let up to eight people live in Arlington recovery residences has received the Arlington Planning Commission’s support, despite some pushback.
Prior to a unanimous vote on Monday, commissioners acknowledged some residents’ concerns about how existing recovery houses affect surrounding Arlington neighborhoods.
Falls Church City Council members and staff on Oct. 7 mulled a number of possibilities that could change the way city residents pay for trash collection and recycling.
But with the exception of solid support for expanding the composting part of the program, there seemed enough disagreement on bigger issues for City Council members to push consideration to a later date.
There will be a several-week delay, pushing the matter into November, before Falls Church officials return to the issue of accessory-dwelling units.
The request to hold off for an additional two weeks was made by city staff as they work through potential zoning language before heading to the City Council chambers.
It could be an uphill battle at best, but an Arlington government advisory body wants the state and local governments to loosen restrictions on religious congregations seeking to turn their parcels into affordable housing.
Members of the Housing Commission in September voted to include the proposal on a list of priorities for consideration by the County Board in advance of the 2025 General Assembly session.
Controversy is heating up around a proposed six-unit development near the East Falls Church Metro station.
The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is scheduled to vote tomorrow (Wednesday) on whether to uphold a decision to approve an Expanded Housing Option permit for the property, located at 2315 N. Tuckahoe Street.
Falls Church is eyeing possible changes to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
The city, which has not granted an ADU permit since 2000, has released a draft framework for potential amendments to its zoning ordinance. Scheduled for a City Council vote in February, proposed changes would make it possible to build detached ADUs within city limits and would set dimensional standards for floor area, height and setbacks.
Kinhaven School is set to return to its original home on Fairfax Drive following the Arlington County Board’s approval of a childcare center permit.
Formerly housed within Central United Methodist Church in Ballston, Kinhaven moved in 2017 to St. George’s Episcopal Church at 915 N. Oakland Street in Ashton Heights after its original site was redeveloped into a 144-unit affordable housing complex. That complex, at 4201 Fairfax Drive in Ballston, officially opened earlier this year and includes a new space for the church and room for a childcare center.
Certified recovery residences with up to eight people might soon be allowed in single-family Arlington neighborhoods.
With limited exceptions, the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance currently allows no more than four people to live in a single-family home unless they are “related by blood, marriage or adoption.” But a county staff report recommends changing county code to provide explicit support for recovery residences, which offer drug- and alcohol-free housing to people with substance abuse disorders.
Arguments about the way Arlington approved Missing Middle have taken center stage this week in the civil trial over last year’s hotly contested zoning amendments.
Testimony on behalf of the plaintiffs concluded yesterday (Wednesday) as attorneys continue to argue that Missing Middle zoning changes should be invalidated because they say the county improperly advertised the changes and failed to adequately study them, among other allegations.
