The future of housing in Arlington was among the issues taking center stage at a town hall hosted by the County Board on Monday night.
Opinions were varied and without consensus, with some promoting looser zoning restrictions and others contending the county’s signature housing policy is counterproductive.
One piece of litigation over Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning ordinance is reaching the final leg of its journey, although the larger legal fight is far from over.
The Virginia Supreme Court has been reviewing a ruling from the Court of Appeals that allowed Arlington County to resume issuing permits under the Expanded Housing Options (EHO) in mid-2025 — a decision that has let developers continue building up to six-unit buildings in previously single-family-only neighborhoods. The high court is scheduled to hear arguments in that case on Oct. 28, which will inform a final ruling.
A trio of townhomes is hitting the market at the site of a former duplex destroyed in a house explosion in December 2024.
An open house for the townhomes will take place on Aug. 15 on the 800 block of N. Burlington Street, developer J. Alex Wilson told ARLnow. Wilson lives nearby in the Bluemont neighborhood and will be moving into one of the new homes.
County Board members went into their two-month summer break after 15 minutes of verbal fireworks over Missing Middle housing policies currently tied up in litigation.
Three Board members — Maureen Coffey, Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., and Takis Karantonis — castigated colleague Susan Cunningham for a proposal made without much advance notice at the tail end of the Board’s July 21 meeting.
The Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to review the lawsuit over Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning change, moving one step closer to resolving the complicated but consequential case.
Following oral arguments last month, the court announced today (Tuesday) that it will review a Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that would create big obstacles for plaintiffs, if upheld.
Oral arguments in the lawsuit over Arlington County’s “Missing Middle” zoning changes are taking place in the Virginia Supreme Court this morning (Wednesday).
Justices are scheduled to hear a roughly 10-minute argument on plaintiffs’ attempt to reverse a Court of Appeals decision, which effectively put Missing Middle back on the books in Arlington last summer for procedural reasons. This moves the court one step closer to deciding whether to accept the case for full review.
Missing Middle’s critics are launching another round of opposition as Arlington County returns to accepting permit applications for this kind of construction.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit over Arlington’s Expanded Housing Option filed an emergency motion yesterday (Monday) in the Supreme Court of Virginia. They’re seeking to block a Virginia Court of Appeals order that allows the county to resume issuing permits for multifamily construction in previously single-family-only neighborhoods.
The Missing Middle lawsuit has finally arrived on the desk of the Virginia Supreme Court.
Plaintiffs in the suit against Arlington County’s contentious zoning change submitted a petition for appeal to the commonwealth’s highest court yesterday (Monday). They’re trying to reverse a recent Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that would create big obstacles for their case, if upheld.
Arlington’s “Missing Middle” ordinance may make a comeback after a new ruling in the Virginia Court of Appeals.
In a Friday decision, a panel of three judges returned to the court’s original stance that effectively put the zoning change back on the books in June, creating big obstacles for plaintiffs.
The Virginia Court of Appeals has withdrawn a recent decision reinstating Arlington’s “Missing Middle” ordinance, once again striking it from the books as judges reconsider arguments.
In a ruling that adds yet another layer of complexity to the legal fight over the controversial zoning change, the appeals court agreed on Tuesday to reassess a judgment that the court handed down just last month.
Last week’s ruling that put Missing Middle zoning changes back on the books in Arlington presents a major setback for plaintiffs, experts say.
The determination in the Virginia Court of Appeals, which found last year’s circuit court ruling invalid for procedural reasons, could substantially set back the timeline for the case and require even more resources to support a privately funded lawsuit.
Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning ordinance is back on the books, at least for the time being, following a ruling in the Virginia Court of Appeals.
In the latest development in the dramatic legal battle over the county’s Expanded Housing Options (EHO), three appeals court judges issued a ruling yesterday (Tuesday) that reverses a circuit court decision declaring the zoning change void.
