housing | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published April 7, 2022 at 7:30AM

The pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Police Looking for Missing Teen — “ACPD is seeking assistance locating 15-year-old Alejandro… Described as a Hispanic male, 5’8″ tall, 145 lbs with brown eyes and half yellow/half black curly hair. He has ear piercings, a nose piercing and wears a silver dog chain necklace.” [Twitter]

Another Missing Teen — “ACPD is seeking assistance locating 14-year-old Anderson… He is described as a Hispanic male, approx 5’7 tall and 130 lbs. Last seen wearing a black sweat shirt, gray pants and black sneakers. He is known to frequent Rocky Run Park and CVS (2121 15th St N).” [Twitter]

News

Amid transit-oriented growth in Arlington, a detached garage endures across from the EFC Metro

By Jo DeVoe

Published April 6, 2022 at 3:55PM | Updated August 22, 2022 at 2:15PM

A detached garage across from the East Falls Church Metro station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A detached garage stands just across the street from the East Falls Church Metro station and a stone’s throw from an I-66 entrance and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.

Elsewhere in the county, developers would be champing at the bit to turn this transit-accessible carport into an apartment building with ground-floor retail.

Around Town

Arlington nonprofit helps local man who had experienced homelessness for years find a home

By Matt Blitz

Published March 25, 2022 at 1:45PM

Barry Oliver with Kasia Shaw and Gabrielle Goodson of PathForward holding keys to his new home (courtesy of PathForward)

Local nonprofit PathForward has helped an Arlington man who has experienced homelessness for more than 15 years finally find a place to call his own.

Earlier this month, the organization tweeted that it was able to find a new home for Barry Oliver, who was often seen in the Ballston, Virginia Square and Clarendon neighborhoods. He moved into a subsidized apartment in Arlington the prior week.

News

Study: Arlington is a hub for Gen Z renters and trendsetters

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 21, 2022 at 10:45AM

Is Arlington experiencing a Gen Z takeover?

Zoomers — the generation born after 1997 — make up the “only active generation of apartment seekers nationwide,” and they are disproportionately choosing Arlington County, according to a new study from RentCafe.

News

Marymount proposes housing-hotel conversions for hospitality courses

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 18, 2022 at 1:45PM

Marymount University's office and educational building and "The Rixey" apartments (file photo)

Marymount University is seeking Arlington County Board approval to convert some of its student housing in Ballston into hotel rooms permanently.

The conversions would occur at “The Rixey,” an apartment building Marymount owns and operates at 1008 N. Glebe Road as graduate student housing. Marymount intends to repurpose 133 of the 267 units into hotel rooms to give students studying hotellery practical experience.

News

Updates to Clarendon’s development plan head to County Board

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 17, 2022 at 12:45PM

Clarendon Sector Plan update area (via Arlington County)

Updates to a 14-year-old plan guiding future development in Clarendon are entering the home stretch.

This Saturday, the Arlington County Board is slated to authorize public hearings on the Clarendon Sector Plan update, which could culminate in a vote on whether to accept the updated plan on April 23. The county is also still seeking feedback on the updates.

News

Two women are on a quest to map every racially restrictive property deed in Arlington

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 14, 2022 at 3:55PM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:25AM

A sociology professor at Marymount University and a former housing lawyer are poring over century-old property records to locate Arlington’s segregated neighborhoods.

It’s a time-consuming process, but the goal is to map Arlington’s “history of exclusion,” says professor Janine DeWitt.

News

NAACP: ‘Missing Middle’ not sufficient to integrate Arlington neighborhoods

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 11, 2022 at 10:45AM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 10:49AM

Duplexes in the Arlington Heights neighborhood (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The local NAACP is calling on the Arlington County Board to do more to encourage affordable homeownership opportunities for residents of color.

Although segregation officially ended last century, the Arlington branch of the NAACP says non-white residents are still effectively excluded from some neighborhoods due to county zoning codes, compounded by rising housing costs.

News

Duplexes vs. McMansions: What makes a house too big for neighbors?

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 24, 2022 at 3:30PM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:25AM

The Garrison residence (courtesy of Les Garrison)

The owner of a two-family home near Crystal City says he may cancel his redevelopment plans because county approval processes have delayed construction and run up costs.

“As of right now, the project is on hold, possibly dead, because the County delayed it so long that the prices of construction (up 40%) not to mention the $150,000 in costs so far to get it approved, have made it unaffordable,” owner Les Garrison tells ARLnow. “The payback time is now unreasonable.”

News

EXCLUSIVE: Pike redevelopment project displaces tenants, sparking community outcry

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 18, 2022 at 9:30AM | Updated February 18, 2022 at 10:47AM

Columbia Gardens apartments at 5309 8th Road S. (via Google Maps)

(Updated 10:45 a.m.) Nearly 60 residents and families on Columbia Pike are scrambling to find new housing options under the shadow of a looming redevelopment project.

The impacted tenants live at Columbia Gardens Apartments (5309 8th Road S.), a collection of market-rate affordable garden apartments. Some families have lived there for upward of 20 years, but now, 62 units will be replaced with townhouses through a by-right development project.

News

Pentagon City Sector Plan to reach County Board on Saturday amid some vocal opposition

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 11, 2022 at 11:30AM

RiverHouse in Pentagon City at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

This weekend, the Arlington County Board is poised to vote on a planning document set to shape several decades of post-HQ2 development in Pentagon City.

The Board’s meeting this Saturday will be residents’ last chance to weigh in on the Pentagon City Sector Plan, which envisions a denser and less car-centric neighborhood with “ribbons” of tree- and plant-lined walking paths.

Around Town

These are the best-designed edifices in Arlington, according to the county

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 26, 2022 at 3:30PM | Updated January 26, 2022 at 5:28PM

The Ballston Pedestrian bridge (via Arlington County)

(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) On N. Kirkwood Road, amid a sea of brick homes, a sleek, modern house in black and white with pink trim stands out from the pack.

Designed by local architect Paola Lugli, of PLDESIGNSTUDIO, “Black & White House with a Touch of Pink” is one of the residences recognized in the 2021 DESIGNArlington awards along with other homes, community facilities and affordable housing communities.