Last week, after years of housing policy discussion, the Arlington County Board made the bold move of rezoning most of the county’s residential areas.
The unanimous final vote did not reflect just how contentious the issue was locally, with multiple groups and County Board candidates opposing the changes, holding rallies and blanketing the county with mailings.
On the other side of the issue, known broadly as “Missing Middle,” some proponents — while celebrating the action — said the rules around allowing smaller-scale multifamily housing in heretofore single-family-only neighborhoods are actually too restrictive. That includes a cap of 58 properties per year for five years.
There was also, perhaps, more of a middle ground to be found, with a lower maximum number of units (4 instead of 6) or even a provision for only allowing duplexes (2) and townhouses (3).
Without rehashing the entire debate in greater detail — you can read more via the links above — how do you feel about the vote?