Missing Middle

Opinion

Progressive Voice: Decision-making and leadership — a look in the mirror

By Progressive Voice
Democrat-endorsed School Board candidate Mary Kadera (left) and Democrat nominee for County Board Takis Karantonis (right)

Progressive Voice is a bi-weekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the authors’. 

The editors of Progressive Voice believe a core value of progressive government is for leaders to self-examine, strengthen and innovate to enhance opportunity for every person. In that vein, we explored Democratic candidates’ approaches to leadership and decision-making as we interviewed Mary Kadera, candidate for Arlington School Board, and Takis Karantonis, candidate for Arlington County Board. The two interviews have been edited and condensed.

Go to Progressive Voice: Decision-making and leadership — a look in the mirror Read more
News

Executive Director to Step Down from Local Affordable Housing Nonprofit

By Jo DeVoe
Michelle Winters (courtesy Alliance for Housing Solutions)

The head of a local nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing is stepping down after five years at the helm.

Michelle Winters announced Friday that effective Nov. 30, she will no longer be the executive director of the Alliance for Housing Solutions (AHS).

Go to Executive Director to Step Down from Local Affordable Housing Nonprofit Read more
Opinion

Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: Sept. 24, 2021

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County Fire Department on the scene of a kitchen fire at Dama on Columbia Pike on Thursday (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 6 p.m.) It’s a Friday afternoon and the start of what promises to be a gorgeous, basically perfect early fall weekend.

Here’s wishing lots of sunshine and quality time out of the house for our readers over the next couple of days.

Go to Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: Sept. 24, 2021 Read more
News

Does the ‘Missing Middle Housing Study’ Need a New Name?

By Jo DeVoe

For nearly one year, Arlington County has studied whether the zoning code should be rewritten to allow low-to-moderate density housing types like duplexes in more neighborhoods.

The initiative is dubbed the “Missing Middle Housing Study.” It refers to mid-sized housing types, such as duplexes, triplexes, quads and townhomes, which are denser than a single-family home but smaller than an apartment or condo building.

Go to Does the ‘Missing Middle Housing Study’ Need a New Name? Read more
Around Town

How Columbia Pike’s Past Has Guided Its Future Development

By Matt Blitz
Columbia Pike at sunset on Monday night (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

An earlier version of this feature article was published via email for members of our ARLnow Press Club, whose support makes more in-depth reporting like this possible. Join the Press Club here.

The past, present, and future of Columbia Pike is rather easy to see.

Go to How Columbia Pike’s Past Has Guided Its Future Development Read more
News

County Planners Are Overworked, But the Planning Commission Has an Idea to Help

By Jo DeVoe
Community Planning, Housing and Development Director Anthony Fusarelli speaks during the joint Planning Commission and County Board meeting (via Arlington County)

Arlington’s planning department is stretched too thin and cannot take on a bigger workload, its director told the County Board this week.

At full strength, the 30-person staff of the Department of Community, Planning and Housing Development shepherds a myriad development projects and permit applications through county processes, from cafés seeking to renew their outdoor dining permits to developers planning large-scale projects. It also helps to produce the lengthy planning documents that guide the future development of neighborhoods.

Go to County Planners Are Overworked, But the Planning Commission Has an Idea to Help Read more
News

Independent County Board Candidate Chasing Repeat of 2014 Upset

By Vernon Miles
Adam Theo, independent candidate for the Arlington County Board (courtesy photo)

In heavily-blue Arlington County, independent candidate Adam Theo faces an uphill battle to pry local voters away from the incumbent Democrats in favor of his libertarian platform.

Theo said his multi-year campaign strategy has a pretty simple tactic at its heart: showing local progressives they have more in common with him than with the current County Board members.

Go to Independent County Board Candidate Chasing Repeat of 2014 Upset Read more
News

County Board Candidates Talk Ranked-Choice Voting, Housing and Sustainability

By Jo DeVoe
A screenshot of the four candidates for the County Board (via Arlington Committee of 100/Facebook)

Ranked-choice voting is supported by all four candidates for County Board, according to their comments at an Arlington Committee of 100 candidate forum held last night (Wednesday).

The event was the first candidate forum of the fall general election season.

Go to County Board Candidates Talk Ranked-Choice Voting, Housing and Sustainability Read more
News

Why A Local Duplex Renovation Requires Planning Commission and County Board Approvals

By Jo DeVoe
The Garrison residence (courtesy of Les Garrison)

(Updated at 6:15 p.m.) Seven years ago, Les Garrison bought a two-family home in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood so that his son’s family could live in one half and the other could be rented out.

He had always intended to renovate the home near Crystal City, which consists of two apartments, each with two bedrooms and one bathroom. He also wants to modernize it, making it accessible to people with disabilities and adding solar panels.

Go to Why A Local Duplex Renovation Requires Planning Commission and County Board Approvals Read more
View More Stories