Arlington - the hypocrisy is shocking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, missing middle is itself a scam. A developer handout in disguise. It was never about “diversity.”

This. Investors are scooping up all these properties and turning them into rentals. This was never about teachers or minorities buying houses.

Heaven forbid! Not more rentals! I mean, we all know that the laws of supply and demand don't apply to real estate, especially the rental market.

This is the unintended consequence of government policies promoting home ownership (tax deductions, low interest rates, etc). Make more people "owners" and suddenly they are opposed to increased housing supply, because that reduces the value of their investment. Everyone wants to pull up the ladder once they climb it. It's just like they say about wilderness areas -- "A developer is someone who wants to build a cabin in the woods. An environmentalist is someone who already owns a cabin in the woods." It is the height of hypocrisy, and the least you all can do is be honest about it.

The issue is not with more rentals, but more rentals is not with the program was meant for. People were in support of it because they thought it was going to introduce a broader range of people into the housing market as OWNERS. Not as money makers for already rich investors.

[Anonymous]

That land should not be developed. A park is perfect. Especially with good markers explaining why no one has been living there.

We rent in south Arlington and I find y’all tedious. You don’t care if there is affordable housing, you just want to snipe at one another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like Arlington County is going to buy land in the northern part of the county that would be ideal for adding density, exactly what missing middle is for. This could add some much needed diversity to the northern part of the county and the land has significance to African Americans. Instead they are talking about making it a park for the rich white people in north Arlington. I cannot believe the hypocrisy. Pathetic Arlington. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/07/11/arlington-could-buy-a-property-within-what-was-once-a-secluded-black-settlement-for-100-years/

You do understand that the land is located in the Pimmit Water Shed and a resource protection area. The Walker brothers originally sold part of the land to a formerly enslaved man because it had no economic value to them. Unless the EPA greatly changes its requirements for resource protection areas and a major, expensive engineering feat is undertaken to divert water out of the Primmit Run Water Shed it would be extremely expensive to build on the land. As my mentor said: "the juice ain't worth the sqeeze." Parkland may be the best use for the land, particularly since more heat islands are being created in the county by dense development, such as Missing Middle Housing.

As you know the 94 acre Glencarlyn Park in South Arlington has similar features and it would be difficult to build housing in that area. It along with the Long Branch Nature Center provide greenspace for Arlington County.

If you want to see more affordable housing built, please support the Langston Blvd. Alliance that plans to build 6,000 housing units along Langston Blvd, much of it for people at the 60% AMI level. You do understand that most of the recent park development has also been in South Arlington, such as the new Jennie Dean park along Four Mile Run.

I am not a defender of Arlington's policies -- but in this case -- you have your panties in a twist for naught.

Only part of it is in the resource protection area and the rest can and should be developed. There are more than enough parks in that part of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like Arlington County is going to buy land in the northern part of the county that would be ideal for adding density, exactly what missing middle is for. This could add some much needed diversity to the northern part of the county and the land has significance to African Americans. Instead they are talking about making it a park for the rich white people in north Arlington. I cannot believe the hypocrisy. Pathetic Arlington. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/07/11/arlington-could-buy-a-property-within-what-was-once-a-secluded-black-settlement-for-100-years/

You do understand that the land is located in the Pimmit Water Shed and a resource protection area. The Walker brothers originally sold part of the land to a formerly enslaved man because it had no economic value to them. Unless the EPA greatly changes its requirements for resource protection areas and a major, expensive engineering feat is undertaken to divert water out of the Primmit Run Water Shed it would be extremely expensive to build on the land. As my mentor said: "the juice ain't worth the sqeeze." Parkland may be the best use for the land, particularly since more heat islands are being created in the county by dense development, such as Missing Middle Housing.

As you know the 94 acre Glencarlyn Park in South Arlington has similar features and it would be difficult to build housing in that area. It along with the Long Branch Nature Center provide greenspace for Arlington County.

If you want to see more affordable housing built, please support the Langston Blvd. Alliance that plans to build 6,000 housing units along Langston Blvd, much of it for people at the 60% AMI level. You do understand that most of the recent park development has also been in South Arlington, such as the new Jennie Dean park along Four Mile Run.

I am not a defender of Arlington's policies -- but in this case -- you have your panties in a twist for naught.

Only part of it is in the resource protection area and the rest can and should be developed. There are more than enough parks in that part of the county.

I live in south Arlington and would love to have more open space in my nook of the county but developing this tract of land in north Arlington will not create a park by me. This is a rare opportunity for the county and the board should purchase it for public use.

[Anonymous]

Arlington already has more than enough affordable rental units. Anyone who wants to live in them is welcome. They are often tagged with MS-13 graffiti and increasingly prone to gun violence.

Some of us worked really hard to become financially stable enough to buy a nice home… the biggest caviar dream imaginable when we were kids. This idea that I’m supposed to welcome the rot of public/subsidized/affordable housing into our neighborhoods and schools is offensive.

If all the lily white liberals whose parents paid for their college, law school, and house down payment want to assuage their guilt and prove how morally superior they are, they should do it in a way that doesn’t affect the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more parks. There are plenty of opportunities to add affordable housing along Langston.

Langston already has plenty of affordable garden apartments and apartment buildings from Rosslyn all the way to Falls Church. What more do you want?

Per the Affordable Housing Master Plan, the County wants to add 2000 units to Langston, which will comprise 11% of the total county share.

What are they going to tear down to build these units?

One of the communities being torn down is the Leckey Apartments behind the Lee Heights Shops. They will be replaced with a mid-rise that will provide twice as many units. There is plenty of undeveloped land on the north side of Langston Blvd including the used car places and worn out retail. There are many older complexes like the one at the end of N Cleveland St that should be razed and replaced with mid rises that will provide more units.

Plenty of space for those housing units.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like Arlington County is going to buy land in the northern part of the county that would be ideal for adding density, exactly what missing middle is for. This could add some much needed diversity to the northern part of the county and the land has significance to African Americans. Instead they are talking about making it a park for the rich white people in north Arlington. I cannot believe the hypocrisy. Pathetic Arlington. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/07/11/arlington-could-buy-a-property-within-what-was-once-a-secluded-black-settlement-for-100-years/

You do understand that the land is located in the Pimmit Water Shed and a resource protection area. The Walker brothers originally sold part of the land to a formerly enslaved man because it had no economic value to them. Unless the EPA greatly changes its requirements for resource protection areas and a major, expensive engineering feat is undertaken to divert water out of the Primmit Run Water Shed it would be extremely expensive to build on the land. As my mentor said: "the juice ain't worth the sqeeze." Parkland may be the best use for the land, particularly since more heat islands are being created in the county by dense development, such as Missing Middle Housing.

As you know the 94 acre Glencarlyn Park in South Arlington has similar features and it would be difficult to build housing in that area. It along with the Long Branch Nature Center provide greenspace for Arlington County.

If you want to see more affordable housing built, please support the Langston Blvd. Alliance that plans to build 6,000 housing units along Langston Blvd, much of it for people at the 60% AMI level. You do understand that most of the recent park development has also been in South Arlington, such as the new Jennie Dean park along Four Mile Run.

I am not a defender of Arlington's policies -- but in this case -- you have your panties in a twist for naught.

Only part of it is in the resource protection area and the rest can and should be developed. There are more than enough parks in that part of the county.

But it is all in the Pimmit Water Shed. How do you propose to divert the water?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more parks. There are plenty of opportunities to add affordable housing along Langston.

Langston already has plenty of affordable garden apartments and apartment buildings from Rosslyn all the way to Falls Church. What more do you want?

Per the Affordable Housing Master Plan, the County wants to add 2000 units to Langston, which will comprise 11% of the total county share.

What are they going to tear down to build these units?

One of the communities being torn down is the Leckey Apartments behind the Lee Heights Shops. They will be replaced with a mid-rise that will provide twice as many units. There is plenty of undeveloped land on the north side of Langston Blvd including the used car places and worn out retail. There are many older complexes like the one at the end of N Cleveland St that should be razed and replaced with mid rises that will provide more units.

Plenty of space for those housing units.

Check out Plan Langston Blvd. For this to really work, it’s my understanding that a number of properties would have to be consolidated to make space for mid- and high- rises (the building footprint, alleys to serve the buildings, loading areas, etc). People would have to be willing to sell and a lot of the current “highway-frontage” owners like their cash-cow strip malls. There would also be “neighborhood hubs” like where the current Lyon Village Shopping Center sits. If it were ever fully realized, there would be walkable neighborhoods all along the corridor and shuttles to get you up and down the corridor.

Idk how feasible it is but you should check out their online info. It’s a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington already has more than enough affordable rental units. Anyone who wants to live in them is welcome. They are often tagged with MS-13 graffiti and increasingly prone to gun violence.

Some of us worked really hard to become financially stable enough to buy a nice home… the biggest caviar dream imaginable when we were kids. This idea that I’m supposed to welcome the rot of public/subsidized/affordable housing into our neighborhoods and schools is offensive.

If all the lily white liberals whose parents paid for their college, law school, and house down payment want to assuage their guilt and prove how morally superior they are, they should do it in a way that doesn’t affect the rest of us.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Arlington is the most.left woke area of Virginia stop complaining about redistribution of wealth cause this is what you voted for. Make sure to support a reparations as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington already has more than enough affordable rental units. Anyone who wants to live in them is welcome. They are often tagged with MS-13 graffiti and increasingly prone to gun violence.

Some of us worked really hard to become financially stable enough to buy a nice home… the biggest caviar dream imaginable when we were kids. This idea that I’m supposed to welcome the rot of public/subsidized/affordable housing into our neighborhoods and schools is offensive.

If all the lily white liberals whose parents paid for their college, law school, and house down payment want to assuage their guilt and prove how morally superior they are, they should do it in a way that doesn’t affect the rest of us.

So angry.

[Anonymous]

Couldn’t the Madison Rec Center be repurposed for affordable housing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The county needs more parks. There are plenty of opportunities to add affordable housing along Langston.

Langston already has plenty of affordable garden apartments and apartment buildings from Rosslyn all the way to Falls Church. What more do you want?

Per the Affordable Housing Master Plan, the County wants to add 2000 units to Langston, which will comprise 11% of the total county share.

What are they going to tear down to build these units?

One of the communities being torn down is the Leckey Apartments behind the Lee Heights Shops. They will be replaced with a mid-rise that will provide twice as many units. There is plenty of undeveloped land on the north side of Langston Blvd including the used car places and worn out retail. There are many older complexes like the one at the end of N Cleveland St that should be razed and replaced with mid rises that will provide more units.

Plenty of space for those housing units.

Check out Plan Langston Blvd. For this to really work, it’s my understanding that a number of properties would have to be consolidated to make space for mid- and high- rises (the building footprint, alleys to serve the buildings, loading areas, etc). People would have to be willing to sell and a lot of the current “highway-frontage” owners like their cash-cow strip malls. There would also be “neighborhood hubs” like where the current Lyon Village Shopping Center sits. If it were ever fully realized, there would be walkable neighborhoods all along the corridor and shuttles to get you up and down the corridor.

Idk how feasible it is but you should check out their online info. It’s a lot.

The Lyon Village shopping center sits on Spout Run so building underground parking is nearly impossible. It might be helped by the Spout Run water management planned for the pawn shop site across the street.

The consolidations are becoming more possible as the current generation of owners are tiring of the work required to maintain the cash cows. The cash can make more money for them than worrying about putting new roofs on run down buildings and finding the next shady retail tenant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couldn’t the Madison Rec Center be repurposed for affordable housing?

Yes. So could the Lee Center, the Wilson Arts Center, and the Walter Reed Center
Why limit it to a center that provides county wide adult day care and one if the few rec centers north of Langston?

Oh wait—still trying to stick it to the people who have nice homes.

Progs are laughable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington already has more than enough affordable rental units. Anyone who wants to live in them is welcome. They are often tagged with MS-13 graffiti and increasingly prone to gun violence.

Some of us worked really hard to become financially stable enough to buy a nice home… the biggest caviar dream imaginable when we were kids. This idea that I’m supposed to welcome the rot of public/subsidized/affordable housing into our neighborhoods and schools is offensive.

If all the lily white liberals whose parents paid for their college, law school, and house down payment want to assuage their guilt and prove how morally superior they are, they should do it in a way that doesn’t affect the rest of us.

So angry.

And rightly so