Arlington County Manager Ron Carlee
on Infill Development Policy
From Ron Carlee, Arlington County Manager
I want to assure people that I will not consider making
recommendations that will kill reinvestment in our neighborhoods. That was
never ZORC's intent nor the County Board's directive. We really are looking
at how to control egregious development that is harmful to neighborhoods.
At this point, research is still in progress and there is no recommendation
from me to the Board. Also, people should see the Chairman's letter on the
County Board's web site. Thanks.
County Manager Commentary in the Arlington Sun Gazette
I would like to clarify recent public discussions on the issue of
residential lot coverage in Arlington County. Most importantly, I want to
stress that there are no recommendations before the County Board to amend
the zoning ordinance at this time. Any recommendations that may be developed
in the future will be widely circulated in the community for review and a
public hearing held before any consideration by the County Board.
Arlington County has become such a desirable place to live that people are
now willing to build houses on virtually every available vacant piece of
property. The high price of the property frequently results in builders
wanting to build the biggest house possible on a lot. This has even led to
houses being demolished to build bigger, new houses.
Much of the new development and redevelopment are appropriate and healthy
for the sustainability of a mature urban community; however, some of the
development has been significantly different than the scale and character of
the surrounding neighborhood. Thus, we began an effort to deal with
complaints from the community about the most egregious development � what
some people refer to as monster houses or "McMansions." Our challenge is to
define what is egregious development and how it can be limited while
permitting and even encouraging continued investment in our residential
neighborhoods. Through a community review process, issues already considered
relate to set backs and height. Coverage and pipe stem lots are now under
review.
At this point, I have concluded that we do not have adequate data on which
to base a recommendation on coverage. We need to have better data on actual
existing coverage in our different residential zones under the existing
ordinance. We then need to have a very clear understanding of the actual
rather than the hypothetical impacts of any alternatives we may consider.
Only after this work is completed will I bring forward recommendations for
community and County Board consideration.
The discussion that has occurred in the community has helped bring a greater
awareness to this issue. Our job as County staff is to develop well
researched alternatives that help us sustain the most desirable residential
communities in the Washington area. I expect it to take several months to
produce the quality product that is expected of us.
Ron Carlee
County Manager
2100 Clarendon Blvd - Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
Telephone 703-228-3120
Fax 703-228-3295
This page was last revised on: December 28, 2003.
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Arlington County Civic Federation
