Arlington Science Focus vs Innovation (former Key)

[Anonymous]

The area from Veitch to N Highland is all new single family homes that were recently torn down. They also have these recent townhomes that are shown as being rezoned as apartments. How is that going to happen? These plans aren't rooted in the reality of what currently exists.

I didn't realize that LV apartments were being rezoned to something higher. And I live on N Harvard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The area from Veitch to N Highland is all new single family homes that were recently torn down. They also have these recent townhomes that are shown as being rezoned as apartments. How is that going to happen? These plans aren't rooted in the reality of what currently exists.

I didn't realize that LV apartments were being rezoned to something higher. And I live on N Harvard!

None of this has happened yet, but you are right to be concerned. Whatever version of the proposal that is finally adopted will be a change to the General Land Use Plan (the GLUP) for this area that allows property owners to request a re-zoning that is in line with the GLUP. So a developer could assemble a bunch of parcels from the single family homes and townhouses in the hopes of picking off enough people to build an apartment building. Or the owners of the LV apartments could (and they will, if allowed) request to replace the current apartments with a higher building.

I would encourage you to subscribe for updates on this effort (bottom of the page at this link https://projects.arlingtonva.us/plans-studies/land-use/lee-highway/). Also, the LVCA keeps their page updated with the latest info. You should def make comments if you’re concerned.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Guessing that Innovation will end up as a solid above-average school. If it’s true that LV houses zoned for Innovation are sitting longer …. we’ll, that’s just classic.

This is a bit of a tangent, but the houses zoned to Innovation are still selling. One that was listed just north of 2.4M sold in July in 6 days. I can think of a few others that sold within a week or two since the spring. The houses sitting the longest lately are actually zoned to ASFS and they are within one block of Langston Blvd (formerly Lee Hwy) and this in the Plan Lee Hwy study area.

And the homes are in the 1.9-2.3 million range which traditionally moves slower in all zip codes, even DC.

Perhaps. There have been houses two blocks from Innovation that have been sitting for several weeks -- the comps on west lyon village (zoned for ASFS) went much more quickly (less than a week). Hard to tell if its just normal summer slow down or if its the school stuff or if its the Plan Lee Highway stuff.

What is Plan Lee Hwy stuff doing to Lyon Village?

There is a proposal to allow the block between 18th St and Lee Hwy (now Langston Blvd) to allow mid-rise apt buildings and other types of higher density housing. This would be the entire block closest to Lee/Langston, not just the parcels fronting Lee/Langston.

dp. isn't it being fought tooth and nail?

Yes, but it doesn't look like the county cares what anyone who currently lives there thinks. I think one of the people running the meetings even said "Its hard for me to take seriously the concerns of Lyon Village since the majority of us can't afford to live there" or something like that at one of the community meetings. They've walked back some of the more ridiculous parts of the proposal in terms of Lyon Village -- there's no longer proposed duplexes by Kirkwood (I think that area is a electrical substation or a water treatment facility right now, there are big "no trespassing" signs all over), and they aren't proposing knocking down the current apartments that are on kirkwood/lee highway to build higher height newer more expensive apartments. Eastern Lyon Village (the are right north of Innovation) is still proposed to become all apartment buildings. Not sure how they would reconcile that with all the recent construction in that area.

For some additional context, the Lee Highway (now Langston Blvd) Alliance is sponsored by Dittmar, some real estate firms, and other stakeholders who have a lot to gain from high density development. The proposal includes higher height apartments (7-10 stories or more) at the Lyon Village apartments (by the park) and at the Lyon Village Shopping Center. The owner of these properties is another sponsor of the Langston Blvd Alliance.

On the grounds of the shopping center?

The most recent proposal showed the shopping center redeveloped into commercial and a high-rise apartment building. The Lyon Village apartments (next to LV park were shown as higher density apartments, so the residents on N Harvard aren’t thrilled. Mid-rise apartments and other types of higher density housing were proposed from Veitch to N Highland.

Will the county be seizing sfhs and compensating owners?

[Anonymous]

I highly doubt this will happen in this exact form, but it sounds like, essentially, LV will be circled by apartments.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Guessing that Innovation will end up as a solid above-average school. If it’s true that LV houses zoned for Innovation are sitting longer …. we’ll, that’s just classic.

This is a bit of a tangent, but the houses zoned to Innovation are still selling. One that was listed just north of 2.4M sold in July in 6 days. I can think of a few others that sold within a week or two since the spring. The houses sitting the longest lately are actually zoned to ASFS and they are within one block of Langston Blvd (formerly Lee Hwy) and this in the Plan Lee Hwy study area.

And the homes are in the 1.9-2.3 million range which traditionally moves slower in all zip codes, even DC.

Perhaps. There have been houses two blocks from Innovation that have been sitting for several weeks -- the comps on west lyon village (zoned for ASFS) went much more quickly (less than a week). Hard to tell if its just normal summer slow down or if its the school stuff or if its the Plan Lee Highway stuff.

What is Plan Lee Hwy stuff doing to Lyon Village?

There is a proposal to allow the block between 18th St and Lee Hwy (now Langston Blvd) to allow mid-rise apt buildings and other types of higher density housing. This would be the entire block closest to Lee/Langston, not just the parcels fronting Lee/Langston.

dp. isn't it being fought tooth and nail?

Yes, but it doesn't look like the county cares what anyone who currently lives there thinks. I think one of the people running the meetings even said "Its hard for me to take seriously the concerns of Lyon Village since the majority of us can't afford to live there" or something like that at one of the community meetings. They've walked back some of the more ridiculous parts of the proposal in terms of Lyon Village -- there's no longer proposed duplexes by Kirkwood (I think that area is a electrical substation or a water treatment facility right now, there are big "no trespassing" signs all over), and they aren't proposing knocking down the current apartments that are on kirkwood/lee highway to build higher height newer more expensive apartments. Eastern Lyon Village (the are right north of Innovation) is still proposed to become all apartment buildings. Not sure how they would reconcile that with all the recent construction in that area.

For some additional context, the Lee Highway (now Langston Blvd) Alliance is sponsored by Dittmar, some real estate firms, and other stakeholders who have a lot to gain from high density development. The proposal includes higher height apartments (7-10 stories or more) at the Lyon Village apartments (by the park) and at the Lyon Village Shopping Center. The owner of these properties is another sponsor of the Langston Blvd Alliance.

On the grounds of the shopping center?

The most recent proposal showed the shopping center redeveloped into commercial and a high-rise apartment building. The Lyon Village apartments (next to LV park were shown as higher density apartments, so the residents on N Harvard aren’t thrilled. Mid-rise apartments and other types of higher density housing were proposed from Veitch to N Highland.

Will the county be seizing sfhs and compensating owners?

The current County Board members have stated that they do not intend to exercise the eminent domain power. However, the County still would of course retain that right and who knows what could happen down the road or with a different Board. I suppose it’s a possibility, although the County rarely (if ever) uses that power I think.

[Anonymous]

Why do we need more high rise apartments? Seriously. Aren't some buildings below occupancy as is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do we need more high rise apartments? Seriously. Aren't some buildings below occupancy as is?

The County has an Affordable Housing Master Plan with specific targets to meet by 2040. One of the geographic areas on the plan is the Lee Highway Corridor. The County has to provide an avenue for commercial developers to build high rises along the Lee Highway Corridor in order to get builder concessions to include affordable units. All of these things are related.

[Anonymous]

The Plan Lee Highway initiative would expand property rights by allowing property owners to build duplexes or small apartment buildings on their land, where now only McMansions are allowed. This is not about seizing single family homes. It's about giving more options, and allowing other types of housing to be built. Most families can't afford to own a home in Arlington unless it's a duplex or condo.

[Anonymous]

OP has this thread totally scared you off of LV? It’s a great place to live!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Plan Lee Highway initiative would expand property rights by allowing property owners to build duplexes or small apartment buildings on their land, where now only McMansions are allowed. This is not about seizing single family homes. It's about giving more options, and allowing other types of housing to be built. Most families can't afford to own a home in Arlington unless it's a duplex or condo.

Building owner-occupied plexes is not the primary purpose of this plan. If that happens, those types of units will be behind the mid- and high- rise (likely rental) buildings that are so large they will require lot consolidation for both the footprint of the building and the service roads that will have to be built behind the buildings. All of this is shown on the proposals. The current homeowners will not be in a position equal to the developers to negotiate when this process starts. Dittmar is not sponsoring the Lee Highway Alliance so a homeowner can build a duplex. I’m not saying your point is wrong, but I am saying it’s tangential.

[Anonymous]

These changes are years away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Plan Lee Highway initiative would expand property rights by allowing property owners to build duplexes or small apartment buildings on their land, where now only McMansions are allowed. This is not about seizing single family homes. It's about giving more options, and allowing other types of housing to be built. Most families can't afford to own a home in Arlington unless it's a duplex or condo.

Building owner-occupied plexes is not the primary purpose of this plan. If that happens, those types of units will be behind the mid- and high- rise (likely rental) buildings that are so large they will require lot consolidation for both the footprint of the building and the service roads that will have to be built behind the buildings. All of this is shown on the proposals. The current homeowners will not be in a position equal to the developers to negotiate when this process starts. Dittmar is not sponsoring the Lee Highway Alliance so a homeowner can build a duplex. I’m not saying your point is wrong, but I am saying it’s tangential.

Oh goody, more density and affordable housing. Its good thing our high schools aren't overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Plan Lee Highway initiative would expand property rights by allowing property owners to build duplexes or small apartment buildings on their land, where now only McMansions are allowed. This is not about seizing single family homes. It's about giving more options, and allowing other types of housing to be built. Most families can't afford to own a home in Arlington unless it's a duplex or condo.

The “expand property rights” canard fails to account for the fact that the next step is not to change zoning laws to favor multifamily over single family (look to everyone’s favorite example of Portland where they have limited the size of single family homes while allowing multi family to build bigger.

https://www.sightline.org/2020/08/11/on-wednesday-portland-will-pass-the-best-low-density-zoning-reform-in-us-history/

The county would also have the power to jack up the assessed value of your land since a parcel zoned for multifamily is probably worth more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Plan Lee Highway initiative would expand property rights by allowing property owners to build duplexes or small apartment buildings on their land, where now only McMansions are allowed. This is not about seizing single family homes. It's about giving more options, and allowing other types of housing to be built. Most families can't afford to own a home in Arlington unless it's a duplex or condo.

The “expand property rights” canard fails to account for the fact that the next step is not to change zoning laws to favor multifamily over single family (look to everyone’s favorite example of Portland where they have limited the size of single family homes while allowing multi family to build bigger.

https://www.sightline.org/2020/08/11/on-wednesday-portland-will-pass-the-best-low-density-zoning-reform-in-us-history/

The county would also have the power to jack up the assessed value of your land since a parcel zoned for multifamily is probably worth more.

Ehm if your lot gets rezoned it becomes more valuable. Probably a lot more valuable.