By Anne Bodine, VP of Development

In the mid-1970’s Arlington was one of the first places in the U.S. to adopt “Transit-Oriented Development;” increasing zoning and land use to allow major additions of housing, withing the two new rapid transit corridors for Metrorail. It worked out. Arlington grew, but in ways that kept the county semi-urban with low residential areas, while expanding along the corridors. A balance of commercial and residential space kept a pretty even keel to balance budgets. Since then, the county has added two new transit corridors, Columbia Pike and Langston Blvd., significantly increasing the carrying capacity for development. Budgets haven’t been as rosy, as commercial tenancy has declined in years since COVID-19. 

Inside the transit corridors, developers regularly “bargain” with the county, usually via staff, and neighborhoods, usually through civic associations, pursuant to the site planning process. Recently, however, areas that had never seen site planning are encountering them, including ours, via the Courthouse Clarendon amended sector plan, and special GLUPs (one-off changes to the land use on a site) that bring higher density in small areas, such as the Days Inn at Pershing and Rt. 50 in Lyon Park.

Now, however, the county is expanding site planning and higher density—and with some projects a departure from transit-corridor incentives—beyond these defined areas. The April 9 approval by the County Board of a 531-unit housing complex at S. Glebe Rd. and I-395, in Green Valley sets a precedent I find troubling. The vote defied wishes of African-American leaders, the Civic Association, neighbors, churches, the Arlington Civic Federation, among others, seemingly in a push to elevate housing production over other county goals. 

For example, the vote defied County goals on equity and housing affordability (most 2-bedroom units will not be affordable to the 42% of Green Valley residents who are Black or Hispanic). Fewer than 2% of the new units will be committed affordable units provided by the developer. I believe that number did not correspond to what was truly possible under current zoning and land use law and policy. The site plan process governing community benefits was also extremely warped as the county granted so many exemptions as to boosting the future yield on the property perhaps six to eight-fold. 

These critically important land use and zoning issues were not fully fleshed out—or done so only in a way they could not be challenged as the county attorney took the Board into a backroom during one of the Board meetings. That meant we may have left more affordable units on the table. The Board also failed to require a full VDOT analysis of the S. Glebe Rd. impacts (a road VDOT manages), allowing the developer to preempt traffic design here to maximize profit. While that is expected from for-profit entities, I believe in this case the County was not deeply committed to forging the best deal for a historic Black church next to the site, for Green Valley, or for the people who live here NOW. 

The development offers 91% 2-bedroom units or smaller, thus failing to deliver family-sized units Arlington needs. It adds to the surplus of small, expensive housing and will also be 100% rentals, meaning no opportunities for tenants to build generational wealth. And 98% of units will be at market rates where the County admits it has a surplus of supply.

The project will add 23% of existing housing stock in the census tract, but the only infrastructure and “community facility” improvements designed will mainly benefit the new tenants (a new access road, new green space) and not current residents or the church; some of the benefits may never be realized (a cut through to allow a second egress point for all the new traffic depends on owners of an adjacent site!). Minimal benefits were secured by AME Lomax Zion Church and Green Valley Civic Association, although one benefit, LEED design specifications, is significant and contributes to broad county goals. Several board members behaved as if they had no other choice. This sets awful precedents for site planning across Arlington; it guarantees further gentrification of one of Arlington’s most diverse neighborhoods. I hope this project will encourage you to get involved in long-term growth policy of our county and consider how we can also be better informed about these kinds of projects within our own Lyon Park.