Arlington's Missing Middle Plan Moves Forward After County Board Vote

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board voted unanimously Wednesday to move into the final phase of crafting its Missing Middle housing zoning changes, a decision that could radically revamp the county's existing single-family housing zoning policy.

The board’s approval starts a nearly two-month period when the Arlington County Planning Commission and County Board will hold more public hearings on the proposal and then work to develop a final version of the changes to the county's housing zoning policy for the board to vote on by the end of March.

The goal of the major zoning change, according to the county, is to increase and diversify Arlington’s housing supply and ultimately provide more housing options for residents to choose from, either as rentals or homes to purchase. The term "missing middle" refers to what supporters believe is a lack of townhouses, duplexes and other types of multifamily housing between single-family and apartments and condominiums in the county.

At Wednesday's meeting, Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey, who favors a robust Missing Middle proposal, said he was "deeply disappointed" with the advertised ordinance that will be considered over the next two months.

"I am disappointed that the limited nature of what will be offered today just doesn't give us the ability over the next two months to really do the best policy," he said.

Dorsey was referring to an amendment offered by Board Member Matt de Ferranti that would remove seven- and eight-unit dwellings from the Missing Middle proposal.

De Ferranti said he introduced the amendment based on conversations he had with a wide variety of Arlington residents over the past year. He won re-election to the board in 2022 after facing a strong challenge from independent candidate Audrey Clement, who opposes the Missing Middle proposal.

The amendment passed in a 3-2 vote Wednesday, with de Ferranti, Vice Chair Libby Garvey and Board Member Takis Karantonis voting in favor of the amendment and Dorsey and Board Member Katie Cristol opposing it.

However, Dorsey said he was not going to let his disappointment with de Ferranti's amendment stop him from voting to approve the advertising of the Missing Middle proposal.

In the Missing Middle proposal drafted by county staff, the expanded housing options would include two-family dwellings, such as duplexes and semidetached (two side-by-side units separated by a common wall); townhouses with three units (three side-by-side units separated by common walls); and multiple-family buildings with at least three and no more than six or eight dwelling units (triplexes, fourplexes, and other multiplexes). De Ferranti's amendment targeted the seven- to eight-unit multiple-family buildings.

Garvey emphasized at Wednesday's meeting that, despite the removal of seven- to eight-unit dwellings from the proposal, the board will be taking a "big step" in March if it votes to change the county's single-family home zoning policy.

"We should not wait to loosen the grip of single-family zoning," Gavey said. "And we are going to loosen that grip."

Cristol said she disagrees with Arlington residents who have complained that the policy proposal is "divisive."

"What this policy is is one that exposes the divisions in our community, exposes the chasm of opportunity and experience by those who are fortunate enough to have already bought in and by those who want that opportunity," Cristol said.

Groups opposed to the county's Missing Middle proposal blasted the board's vote on Wednesday to move the plan forward.

"The RTA [request to advertise] allows up to three townhouses and multi-family buildings with 2 to 6 units on single-family properties throughout Arlington," Arlingtonians for Upzoning Transparency said in a statement Wednesday night. "By allowing by-right development for builders, which is included in all of the RTA options, the County Board has ceded its authority to review MMH construction for neighborhood compatibility."

Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future, another group opposed to the proposed zoning changes, said the proposal is "hopelessly confusing and inconsistent."

“If County Board members vote to finally adopt this Missing Middle mess, it will permanently stain their legacies,” Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future spokesperson Peter Rousselot said in a statement. “The County Board has disregarded the testimony and findings of prominent realtors, architects, economists, land use attorneys, engineers, and other experts who all have explained why the Board’s Missing Middle plan won’t work in Arlington.”

The Missing Middle Housing Study was initiated in 2019 at the request of the County Board to investigate more housing options in Arlington’s lower density residential neighborhoods. The request followed recommendations from the county's 2015 Affordable Housing Master Plan and regional data from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments that cited the need to add 320,000 homes in the D.C. area between 2020 and 2030 to keep pace with forecasted growth.

The County Board will reconvene in March to consider adopting a final Missing Middle proposal.

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