Arlington Missing Middle Housing Q&A

[Anonymous]

Another +1 Clement vote. I think she’s a nut, but Arl Dems are shoved so far up developers’ rear ends it’s ridiculous.

They want Arlington as dense as possible no matter what it means for quality of life, schools, infrastructure. Independent who usually votes Dem, but not this time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another +1 Clement vote. I think she’s a nut, but Arl Dems are shoved so far up developers’ rear ends it’s ridiculous.

They want Arlington as dense as possible no matter what it means for quality of life, schools, infrastructure. Independent who usually votes Dem, but not this time.

I don't think there's any downside to voting for her. If she was actually elected she can't pass anything on her own, but she would definitely ask the uncomfortable questions and make the whole process more unpleasant for Katie et al. I'm here for that.

[Anonymous]

I’m voting for Clement, too. I’m mostly a Democrat, but sometimes I lean independent. MMH is really not a solidly Democratic proposal. It isn’t helping diversity or affordable housing, though the Board initially tried to sell it this way. It’s really about density.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Missing Middle is the ultimate pro-developer policy. I wasn't aware that wanting to line the pockets of developers was a policy stance of Democrats?

How is missing middle more pro-developer than current policy? Isn’t the ability to tear down an old home and construct a mcmansion also pro-developer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m voting for Clement, too. I’m mostly a Democrat, but sometimes I lean independent. MMH is really not a solidly Democratic proposal. It isn’t helping diversity or affordable housing, though the Board initially tried to sell it this way. It’s really about density.

So you’d support MMH if the board required a certain percentage of MMH to be CAFs or sold to low income individuals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Missing Middle is the ultimate pro-developer policy. I wasn't aware that wanting to line the pockets of developers was a policy stance of Democrats?

How is missing middle more pro-developer than current policy? Isn’t the ability to tear down an old home and construct a mcmansion also pro-developer?

If you can build at about the same cost, but sell 3 units at $1m each instead of 1 at $2m, which makes a better profit? Remember that you as the developer do not have to incur any costs related to overcrowded schools, lack of park and recreation space, or additional vehicles parked on the street.

[Anonymous]

Another household voting for Clement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m voting for Clement, too. I’m mostly a Democrat, but sometimes I lean independent. MMH is really not a solidly Democratic proposal. It isn’t helping diversity or affordable housing, though the Board initially tried to sell it this way. It’s really about density.

So you’d support MMH if the board required a certain percentage of MMH to be CAFs or sold to low income individuals?

DP and no. I do not support upending SFH neighborhoods with multi-unit dwellings, regardless of whether they are luxury townhomes or CAFs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m voting for Audrey Clement. Yes, she’s kind of crazy, but I think the board and staff deserve to have to deal with her at this point. They clearly aren’t going to listen to other feedback.

Me too. Never thought I would. But this MM proposal is garbage.

I am curious if there was a Republican candidate who opposed missing middle, would you vote for them?

Btw I think anyone in Arlington who is opposing Missing Middle is showing their true colors. Republicans at heart. Democrats for show. I think that should be Arlington's new slogan!

You know that the people who will benefit most from Missing Middle housing are among the few Republicans living in Arlington. A very prominent family made a bundle when Arlington County paid them above market value for a large, dilapidated garden apartment complex in South Arlington. They love the way the ACB and the ACDC throw money around. If they even bother to vote, they will probably vote for Matt deFerranti because they are friends with his family and want to curry favor with his wealthy father-in-law and wife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another +1 Clement vote. I think she’s a nut, but Arl Dems are shoved so far up developers’ rear ends it’s ridiculous.

They want Arlington as dense as possible no matter what it means for quality of life, schools, infrastructure. Independent who usually votes Dem, but not this time.

The irony is that the girl who wrote the story in Washington Monthly about how she couldn't buy in Lyon Park at age 25 is the daughter of one of the biggest multifamily developers in Arlington. If MM passes, those developers can throw in a duplex here and there and call it MM just like they will throw a few CAFs into a building so that they can have more floors or transfer rights. If you think the ACDC has its nose up developer's arses now, when MM is approved, they will have to send up oxygen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Missing Middle is the ultimate pro-developer policy. I wasn't aware that wanting to line the pockets of developers was a policy stance of Democrats?

How is missing middle more pro-developer than current policy? Isn’t the ability to tear down an old home and construct a mcmansion also pro-developer?

That's right. But now the builder can tear down an old home and construction, generally, one new house by right. With Missing Middle housing, a large part of the County will be up-zoned so that builders can make more money building four townhouses on one 8,000 sq.ft.lot rather than one house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m voting for Clement, too. I’m mostly a Democrat, but sometimes I lean independent. MMH is really not a solidly Democratic proposal. It isn’t helping diversity or affordable housing, though the Board initially tried to sell it this way. It’s really about density.

So you’d support MMH if the board required a certain percentage of MMH to be CAFs or sold to low income individuals?

No, I will not support any MMH. It’s not good enough to throw a few token CAFs into what they say will only be 120 MMH properties or less per year. What does that equal? 12 units? The County Board has tried to sell this as helping minorities and affordable housing. It doesn’t. It literally helps people making a minimum of 100k a year. And we all know it takes more than a 100k to afford a million dollar triplex unit. While there is a good chance that it will contribute to gentrification.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m voting for Clement, too. I’m mostly a Democrat, but sometimes I lean independent. MMH is really not a solidly Democratic proposal. It isn’t helping diversity or affordable housing, though the Board initially tried to sell it this way. It’s really about density.

So you’d support MMH if the board required a certain percentage of MMH to be CAFs or sold to low income individuals?

No, I will not support any MMH. It’s not good enough to throw a few token CAFs into what they say will only be 120 MMH properties or less per year. What does that equal? 12 units? The County Board has tried to sell this as helping minorities and affordable housing. It doesn’t. It literally helps people making a minimum of 100k a year. And we all know it takes more than a 100k to afford a million dollar triplex unit. While there is a good chance that it will contribute to gentrification.

If the County had been honest about what MMH is rather than trying to wrap it in a mantle of affordable housing (as in a $1.3M townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 M single family home), diversity (the YIMBYs who are pushing it can buy properties throughout the County but want to have a $1,000,000 duplex in one of the five pre-dominantly white elementary schools in predominantly single family neighborhoods), and a "different type of housing."

Every type of housing they want exists in Arlington. There are blocks and blocks of duplexes but they are not sparkling new and in the neighborhoods they prefer. They have said that any residential property over 40 years old should be razed, and that the properties available do not suit their needs. The other people pushing it are the typical retired government women who never did anything of note in their lives (including raising children who can afford to live in Arlington), the non-profits like AHS, AHC, NAACP (even though the latter has been screwed over by gentrification), and cheerleading groups like the Chamber of Commerce. The YIMBY group is younger white people who believe all the urbanist stuff pushed by Greater, Greater Washington and sound like they are over educated for their dead end jobs, are trying to get a paying gig going in urban economics, or need to get elected to the County board cos they have no job (Adam Theo), or are trustafarians who need something to do other than cash checks from the grandparents.

They make fun of people who don't want to haul their kids around in cargo bikes, want to have a single family home rather than live communally for the rest of their lives, and -- the ultimate -- are racists!

[Anonymous]

I did not read the entire thread, but can someone please proved the details of Adam Theo (McCellan) criminal record?

[Anonymous]

I would definitely vote for a Republican candidate if there was one, as long as they are not a Trumpy election denier. Both parties have gone in crazy directions. Repubs are now MAGA crazies who literally undermine democracy and elections. Democrats are now "progressives" who espouse the defunding and the demeaning of law enforcement and literal socialism. What happened to normal NIMBYs like me who want to do the right thing... as long as it does not inconvenience us too much...yeah I know it sounds disgusting but the fact is that I used my life savings and worked three side hustles to save up the money to live in Arlington. I moved here from DC for trees, parks, parking, schools, and top notch municipal services. Sorry not sorry if it makes me a crappy liberal for recognizing that density is going to subtract from the quality of life that I worked damn hard to get. Zoning is exclusionary and I paid the premium to live in it.