To the editor: Did you choose your Arlington single-family-home neighborhood because of its tree-lined streets, yards, low density and light traffic? Well, the tranquility you sought is going to change in the near future, as it already has for some Arlingtonians.
Your land is now zoned multi-family, thanks to the County Board last year unanimously adopting Missing Middle/EHO (Expanded Housing Options), which did not require your approval and for which you could not vote up or down. County Board members approved this change despite, based on the county government’s own survey, 78 percent of those most affected (who owned or resided in single-family neighborhoods), were against it.
The upshot? You could find yourself living next door to a six-unit apartment complex with 18 bedrooms, 16 full bathrooms and some 8 to 12 or more cars (parked wherever they can find a spot). Even if the lot next to you is only 7,400 square feet. Think that’s too small? That’s what’s planned for 3802 14th St. North.
You might think that surely the county government would give you notice or seek comments on such plans, as is required for additions or decks an inch or two over the required setback from your property line? Think again, because with EHO, there is no notification or input required. Should the property near your home be sold to a developer, you won’t know.
If you learn that an EHO application has been filed for a nearby property, it won’t be available for your review. You will have to pay to obtain a copy of the application through a Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
If you do learn about an approved EHO application, act fast. The county government gives you only 30 calendar days to file an appeal – and charges you to do so. Meanwhile, developers pay nothing to file an EHO application.
What can you do? Ultimately, the way to fix this is to change the composition of the County Board, starting with your vote in the June 18 Democratic primary. Work to elect candidates who have taken a hard look at this EHO bait-and-switch scheme and agree it is a developer-driven initiative that is already raising housing costs, diminishing environmental quality and dismally failing to enhance diversity.
Daniel Creedon, Arlington