News

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.


News

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.


News

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.


News

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.


News

An eight-story apartment building could be replacing an aging Clarendon office building, where a new restaurant just opened.

A development application for 3033 Wilson Blvd, filed last week by Carr Properties, calls for 312 units of housing ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments. The building across from the Clarendon Metro station would have a parking garage with 344 spaces, plus almost 7,000 square feet of retail space.


News

Arlington’s homeless population grew by 14% in the past year, according to a recent report.

However, the county’s efforts to expand shelter capacity and enhance outreach have led to more homeless individuals gaining access to shelter and fewer homeless survivors of domestic violence and transition-age youth, per a report released on Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG)


News

Virginia’s U.S. senators are throwing their weight behind a bill to support first-generation homebuyers.

The Downpayment Toward Equity Act would provide grants of up to $20,000 to support socially and economically disadvantaged homebuyers. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are co-sponsoring the bill, alongside several fellow Democrats, saying this will help close equity gaps.


News

A year after the passage of Arlington’s “Missing Middle” ordinance last March, the jury is out on the long-term implications of the zoning change.

Challenges include a substantial slowdown in Missing Middle applications and continued opposition from some residents.


News

Federal funding is on track to bring more housing for many of the county’s most vulnerable residents as well as trail improvements and new playground equipment.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Wednesday $5.9 million in funding for Arlington initiatives in its annual budget. A little more than half of that funding — $3.3 million — is for housing for low-income residents, domestic violence survivors and chronically unsheltered people.


News

(Updated at 12:35 p.m.) Even in the era of Missing Middle, some duplex projects in Arlington have to go to the Arlington County Board for approval.

A proposal to build two side-by-side homes for sale at 1129 N. Utah Street, a few blocks from the Ballston Metro station and Washington-Liberty High School, is one such project.


News

Arlington’s Board of Zoning Appeals has rejected a neighbor’s attempt to stop two proposed Expanded Housing Option developments in the Alcova Heights neighborhood.

An affiliate of local homebuilder Classic Cottages proposes building two side-by-side six-plexes at 4015 and 4019 7th Street S., bordering Alcova Heights Park and a couple of blocks north of Columbia Pike.


View More Stories