Missing Middle

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Flowers along a walking path in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Woman Turns 107 — “What’s the secret to living a long and healthy life? Just ask Vera Punke! Vera just turned 107-years-old and celebrated her big milestone with a birthday party Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia. ‘I tell you – I don’t feel any different than when I was 100!’ she told FOX 5.” [Fox 5]

Labor Day Weekend Closures — “Arlington residents will bid farewell to summer as the season unofficially ends with Labor Day weekend. As families hold backyard barbecues or head to the beach for some late summer fun, there will be various closures for the holiday. Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 5, when Arlington County government offices will be closed along with other services. Some other services like transit will be open with schedule changes.” [Patch, WMATA]

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News

New concept plan for Langston Blvd shows sweeping vision of greener corridor with taller buildings

By ARLnow.com
Slide from Langston Blvd concept plan (via Arlington County)

The new preliminary concept plan for Langston Blvd envisions the corridor’s transformation over several decades into a “Green Main Street.”

The extensive plan — which has been in the works for years — calls for land use changes along the former Lee Highway, with the aim of encouraging re-development over time, though the proposed zoning changes are not quite as drastic as what had been discussed last year.

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News

Morning Poll: Detached homes vs. townhomes and duplexes

By ARLnow.com
Real estate for sale sign in the Arlington Heights neighborhood (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

This Wall Street Journal article telling the story of the steep price of single-family homes in Arlington has attracted lots of local attention this week.

The crux of the story: members of the Millennial generation, many of whom first came to the area as apartment-dwelling singles, are increasingly starting families and looking to trade up to single-family homes, but a lack of supply has made it difficult for them to find something affordable in Arlington.

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Summer in the community garden (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)

New ‘Missing Middle’ Conversations — “Members of the Arlington County Board are hosting 11 community conversations on Missing Middle Housing. Participants will have the opportunity to learn, listen, reflect, and share perspectives with County Board members and neighbors. Sessions will be offered in person across the County, and virtually, with registration required. Community members are asked to register only to one session.” [Arlington County]

Murder Suspect Arrested in Arlington — “A Virginia man has been charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the killing Wednesday of a female acquaintance who was found stabbed and “actively on fire” in her Fairfax County apartment, police said Thursday… [Arlington resident Richard Montano, 47] was arrested Wednesday night at an Arlington gas station. O’Carroll said Montano ‘has had very minimal contacts with law enforcement in the past.'” [Washington Post]

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News

Report highlighted by NAACP supports ‘missing middle’ as a response to local legacy of redlining

By Mavis Chan
Townhomes in the Green Valley neighborhood (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at noon) A new report supports Arlington County’s consideration of residential zoning changes as a way to counteract past discriminatory practices. But critics of the changes could harm, not help, the local Black community.

The NAACP Arlington Branch hosted an online discussion last Wednesday (July 20) about the McGuireWoods report in light of local debate around the Missing Middle Housing Study proposal, which would allow small-scale multifamily housing in areas currently zoned only for single-family homes.

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Opinion

This month’s Mike Mount cartoon: Neighbors

By ARLnow.com
" I want to say yes, but my introvert self reminds me I already don't like the few neighbors I already have." (cartoon by Mike Mount)

This month’s highlighted cartoon by noted local satirist Mike Mount wades into the “missing middle” housing issue.

For all the talk on one side of the debate about parking, school capacity and neighborhood character, and on the other about welcoming new residents and providing more reasonably priced housing, there may be those with a more simplistic view, the cartoon suggests.

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rooftop sunset in Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)

SFH Prices Up 11 Percent — “Something may have to give, eventually, but, for now, average single-family-home sales prices in Arlington continue to spike, according to new data. The average sales price of the 108 existing single-family homes that went to closing across the county in June stood at just over $1.35 million, up 11 percent from the already red-hot market of June 2021.” [Sun Gazette]

CAIR Backs Arlington House Bill — “The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed its support for legislation that would rename a memorial currently dedicated to Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Arlington, Va.” [Press Release]

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
New signage on Crystal Drive warning drivers to not block vehicle or bike lanes (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Flyover This Morning — Updated at 9:15 a.m. — “The US Air Force reports 2 flyovers in the NCR consisting of 4 military aircrafts (in both flyovers) at Arlington National Cemetery today, July 14… at 9:55AM and 11:43AM.” [PoPville]

Arlington Again No. 1 ‘Digital County’ — “Arlington County continues to be a national leader in technology, once again being recognized as the No. 1 Digital County by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. The 2022 award marks the fifth time that Arlington has received the top honor in the 150,000-249,999-population category.” [Arlington County]

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News

County Board discusses “missing middle” housing proposal amid roiling community debate

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County Board “Missing Middle” work session (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) The Arlington County Board is eyeing December for a vote on residential zoning changes suggested by the county’s Missing Middle Housing Study.

But changes to the study’s draft framework — for allowing multi-family homes with up to 8 units on properties currently zoned only for single family homes — seem likely.

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Lightning over Cherrydale (photo courtesy Kennedy Combs)

‘Missing Middle’ Fight Heats Up — “The topic of housing wasn’t even on the agenda for lawmakers in Arlington County, but residents streamed into one recent meeting with a sea of posters to express their dueling views on the issue… That raucous meeting offered a taste of what promises to be one of the most contentious political battles in recent memory in Arlington: a proposal to legalize ‘missing middle’ housing — from townhouses to duplexes to eight-unit buildings — that many are treating as an existential debate over the future of this affluent, deep-blue Northern Virginia suburb.” [Washington Post]

Arlington Has Priciest Local Rent — New data shows that the average rent for one-bedroom apartments in Arlington is the highest in the region, after rising 5% month over month to $2,310/mo. [Zumper]

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