Arlington Missing Middle Housing Q&A

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other nice areas that I have lived in they have had rules that your car can’t be parked on the street overnight. Couldn’t they do that here since so many are so afraid of the parking issues of increased housing density.

That’s common where I grew up. You had to notify police if you’d have cars on the street. But that won’t work here where zoning only requires one off street space, even when you build a 5BR mcmansion.

Why do you not want cars on the street? I’ve seen this in developments with HOAs usually bc they make streets to narrow for street parking. But here, we pay taxes and have public streets. Why is it okay to have street parking in S arlington or in areas around the orange corridor or near the hospital, but not in your neighborhood? That doesn’t make any sense to me. The county needs to revisit their parking requirements across the board because currently they are insufficient, but I’m not sure why we should ban people from parking on the street. What are you using the street for? If you want to ban street parking, move to a planned development in Loudoun county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other nice areas that I have lived in they have had rules that your car can’t be parked on the street overnight. Couldn’t they do that here since so many are so afraid of the parking issues of increased housing density.

That’s common where I grew up. You had to notify police if you’d have cars on the street. But that won’t work here where zoning only requires one off street space, even when you build a 5BR mcmansion.

Why do you not want cars on the street? I’ve seen this in developments with HOAs usually bc they make streets to narrow for street parking. But here, we pay taxes and have public streets. Why is it okay to have street parking in S arlington or in areas around the orange corridor or near the hospital, but not in your neighborhood? That doesn’t make any sense to me. The county needs to revisit their parking requirements across the board because currently they are insufficient, but I’m not sure why we should ban people from parking on the street. What are you using the street for? If you want to ban street parking, move to a planned development in Loudoun county

There’s a difference between storing your car on the street and using the street. And who said anything about having this apply to S Arlington only?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The YIMBY North Arlington people with power are pushing this for one reason-to keep low income housing out of Langston Blvd and nice North Arlington neighborhoods.

Prior to the MM push, there was a lot of pressure to build CAFs around Langston and other areas of North Arlington. Very few wanted multi family housing, much less poor people, up that far into North Arlington. So, they put their weight behind MM so that could avoid being seen as opposing CAFs, and still be good democrats.

Sorry folks, that is the truth. MM ensures that multi family housing stays under control, and is not low income. They know the financials for CAFs won’t work on such small lots that don’t expand footprints.

You’re making that up. Every YIMBY I know in North Arlington who’s pushing for missing middle also supports Plan Langston Blvd and wants CAFs as part of it. Because, as they’ll tell you, they want to make it easier for everyone to live here, low income workers included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The YIMBY North Arlington people with power are pushing this for one reason-to keep low income housing out of Langston Blvd and nice North Arlington neighborhoods.

Prior to the MM push, there was a lot of pressure to build CAFs around Langston and other areas of North Arlington. Very few wanted multi family housing, much less poor people, up that far into North Arlington. So, they put their weight behind MM so that could avoid being seen as opposing CAFs, and still be good democrats.

Sorry folks, that is the truth. MM ensures that multi family housing stays under control, and is not low income. They know the financials for CAFs won’t work on such small lots that don’t expand footprints.

You’re making that up. Every YIMBY I know in North Arlington who’s pushing for missing middle also supports Plan Langston Blvd and wants CAFs as part of it. Because, as they’ll tell you, they want to make it easier for everyone to live here, low income workers included.

Well, your YIMBY friends are not the ones driving the train. And, your YIMBY friends don’t realize that MM will push out CAFs on Langston Blvd. there will be a token CAF, maybe two, both of smaller scale and higher income (80 v 40ami) Rest will be MM. Your YIMBY friends are also the ones that want low income housing, but not next door, and they don’t want them in their schools (because they are overcrowded). No one cares if schools are overcrowded in south Arlington, more CAFs just keep going up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other nice areas that I have lived in they have had rules that your car can’t be parked on the street overnight. Couldn’t they do that here since so many are so afraid of the parking issues of increased housing density.

That’s common where I grew up. You had to notify police if you’d have cars on the street. But that won’t work here where zoning only requires one off street space, even when you build a 5BR mcmansion.

Why do you not want cars on the street? I’ve seen this in developments with HOAs usually bc they make streets to narrow for street parking. But here, we pay taxes and have public streets. Why is it okay to have street parking in S arlington or in areas around the orange corridor or near the hospital, but not in your neighborhood? That doesn’t make any sense to me. The county needs to revisit their parking requirements across the board because currently they are insufficient, but I’m not sure why we should ban people from parking on the street. What are you using the street for? If you want to ban street parking, move to a planned development in Loudoun county

Relax, cars will not be banned from parking on the street, except for RPP zones. The county should require more off street parking for SFHs in tandem with limitations on impervious surface area on a lot.

People overstate parking limitations in their neighborhood. My neighbors complain and yet there are plenty of spots available. What they really don’t want is someone parking in front of their house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any existing community covenants that would prevent this from happening in certain areas, for example in Bellevue forest?

Covenants don't trump county laws

Actually they do. A builder built two houses on lots in our neighborhood that were 5500 square feet because neighborhood covenants permit that. With other zoning, he would have needed variances. He could build the houses by right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The YIMBY North Arlington people with power are pushing this for one reason-to keep low income housing out of Langston Blvd and nice North Arlington neighborhoods.

Prior to the MM push, there was a lot of pressure to build CAFs around Langston and other areas of North Arlington. Very few wanted multi family housing, much less poor people, up that far into North Arlington. So, they put their weight behind MM so that could avoid being seen as opposing CAFs, and still be good democrats.

Sorry folks, that is the truth. MM ensures that multi family housing stays under control, and is not low income. They know the financials for CAFs won’t work on such small lots that don’t expand footprints.

You are right. A number of the YIMBYs who are pushing MM live close to Langston. Looking like good citizens, they now don’t get CAFs in the area and their properties become more valuable when they can sell for 3 to 8 units, depending on lot size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The YIMBY North Arlington people with power are pushing this for one reason-to keep low income housing out of Langston Blvd and nice North Arlington neighborhoods.

Prior to the MM push, there was a lot of pressure to build CAFs around Langston and other areas of North Arlington. Very few wanted multi family housing, much less poor people, up that far into North Arlington. So, they put their weight behind MM so that could avoid being seen as opposing CAFs, and still be good democrats.

Sorry folks, that is the truth. MM ensures that multi family housing stays under control, and is not low income. They know the financials for CAFs won’t work on such small lots that don’t expand footprints.

You’re making that up. Every YIMBY I know in North Arlington who’s pushing for missing middle also supports Plan Langston Blvd and wants CAFs as part of it. Because, as they’ll tell you, they want to make it easier for everyone to live here, low income workers included.

Believe them and I have a nice bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Even the Alliance for Housing Solutions is pushing this and has a strategy session this week to promote missing middle housing in North Arlington rather than the CAFs they usually support in South Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Alliance for housing solutions or others in the CAF lobby have NEVER wanted any CAFs on Langston. They know the property is more expensive and they want to have poor people concentrated in south Arlington so it is easier to coordinate services. I was actually present when they opposed having more individual CAF units in otherwise luxury apartment buildings in Rosslyn because it was more complicated to offer wrap around services.

They also oppose CAFs in north Arlington because they feel that poor folks will be isolated and not around other poor folks in the schools and neighborhood in general. So, keep all the poor folks together in south Arlington. Board agrees. Presto. More poor folks in south Arlington. MM in north Arlington. And the segregation continues and Dems can all pat themselves on the back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other nice areas that I have lived in they have had rules that your car can’t be parked on the street overnight. Couldn’t they do that here since so many are so afraid of the parking issues of increased housing density.

That’s common where I grew up. You had to notify police if you’d have cars on the street. But that won’t work here where zoning only requires one off street space, even when you build a 5BR mcmansion.

Why do you not want cars on the street? I’ve seen this in developments with HOAs usually bc they make streets to narrow for street parking. But here, we pay taxes and have public streets. Why is it okay to have street parking in S arlington or in areas around the orange corridor or near the hospital, but not in your neighborhood? That doesn’t make any sense to me. The county needs to revisit their parking requirements across the board because currently they are insufficient, but I’m not sure why we should ban people from parking on the street. What are you using the street for? If you want to ban street parking, move to a planned development in Loudoun county

Relax, cars will not be banned from parking on the street, except for RPP zones. The county should require more off street parking for SFHs in tandem with limitations on impervious surface area on a lot.

People overstate parking limitations in their neighborhood. My neighbors complain and yet there are plenty of spots available. What they really don’t want is someone parking in front of their house.

I live in a townhouse neighborhood in the target zone, and there really are no spaces after the infill of townhouses and apartments nearby. Forget parking in front of my house, maybe I can park 3 blocks away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alliance for housing solutions or others in the CAF lobby have NEVER wanted any CAFs on Langston. They know the property is more expensive and they want to have poor people concentrated in south Arlington so it is easier to coordinate services. I was actually present when they opposed having more individual CAF units in otherwise luxury apartment buildings in Rosslyn because it was more complicated to offer wrap around services.

They also oppose CAFs in north Arlington because they feel that poor folks will be isolated and not around other poor folks in the schools and neighborhood in general. So, keep all the poor folks together in south Arlington. Board agrees. Presto. More poor folks in south Arlington. MM in north Arlington. And the segregation continues and Dems can all pat themselves on the back.

What on earth are you talking about? AHS wrote to the county like two months ago pressing for more CAFs in Clarendon: “AHS concurs with the Staff Report and with the recommendation of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Housing that the Clarendon Sector Plan guidance include the co-location of committed affordable housing on the 10th Street Fire House #4 Site.” The letter goes on: “Affordable housing is sorely lacking in the Clarendon Sector Plan area. Currently, this area has only 3% of the CAFs that exist in the entire Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Including affordable housing at the 10th Street Site will help address Arlington’s goal to distribute committed affordable housing more equitably throughout the County.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The YIMBY North Arlington people with power are pushing this for one reason-to keep low income housing out of Langston Blvd and nice North Arlington neighborhoods.

Prior to the MM push, there was a lot of pressure to build CAFs around Langston and other areas of North Arlington. Very few wanted multi family housing, much less poor people, up that far into North Arlington. So, they put their weight behind MM so that could avoid being seen as opposing CAFs, and still be good democrats.

Sorry folks, that is the truth. MM ensures that multi family housing stays under control, and is not low income. They know the financials for CAFs won’t work on such small lots that don’t expand footprints.

You’re making that up. Every YIMBY I know in North Arlington who’s pushing for missing middle also supports Plan Langston Blvd and wants CAFs as part of it. Because, as they’ll tell you, they want to make it easier for everyone to live here, low income workers included.

Well, your YIMBY friends are not the ones driving the train. And, your YIMBY friends don’t realize that MM will push out CAFs on Langston Blvd. there will be a token CAF, maybe two, both of smaller scale and higher income (80 v 40ami) Rest will be MM. Your YIMBY friends are also the ones that want low income housing, but not next door, and they don’t want them in their schools (because they are overcrowded). No one cares if schools are overcrowded in south Arlington, more CAFs just keep going up.

How does this affect CAFs at all? It's an entirely different zoning type. Did you not read the proposal? It's pretty clear.

[Anonymous]

I'm late to the game paying attention to this Missing Middle proposal - how are things looking they'll shape up at this point?

We have a string of 15,000sf lots nearby (funny how 15,000sf sounds so much bigger than 1/3 acre) and I can't imagine a builder throwing up a poorly built 8-plex, adding 10+ cars to the street parking, and calling it a day.

I buy the argument you can increase density without ruining neighborhoods by allowing by-right duplex, and maybe even triplex, construction but allowing 6+ unit housing in any neighborhood? That seems extreme.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm late to the game paying attention to this Missing Middle proposal - how are things looking they'll shape up at this point?

We have a string of 15,000sf lots nearby (funny how 15,000sf sounds so much bigger than 1/3 acre) and I can't imagine a builder throwing up a poorly built 8-plex, adding 10+ cars to the street parking, and calling it a day.

I buy the argument you can increase density without ruining neighborhoods by allowing by-right duplex, and maybe even triplex, construction but allowing 6+ unit housing in any neighborhood? That seems extreme.

There will definitely be a zoning change in the fall, it’s just a question of degree. I would expect 6-8 plexes to be allowed on a 15,000 SF lot. Lots that size don’t exist in the metro-accessible neighborhoods and the Missing Middle proponents really want to add denser housing throughout Arlington. I wouldn’t expect the neighborhoods that have been spared thus far to get another pass. I think the train is too far down the tracks and all the County Board members have said housing affordability is a priority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots that size don’t exist in the metro-accessible neighborhoods and the Missing Middle proponents really want to add denser housing throughout Arlington. I wouldn’t expect the neighborhoods that have been spared thus far to get another pass. I think the train is too far down the tracks and all the County Board members have said housing affordability is a priority.

There are a fair number in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights - most are closer to 3/4 of a mile to the metro though and not right there.

What a bummer though. I hate the cheap McMansion build-to-the-edges-of-the-lot trend and 6-8 unit apartments are just going to make things 10x worse.