To the editor: Our longtime next-door neighbors in our quiet residential neighborhood in North Arlington unexpectedly sold their house to a developer. Under the new Expanded Housing Options (EHO) zoning policy adopted by the Arlington County Board in March 2023, the county government granted the developer a permit to build three townhouses on the lot.
The approved site plans provide for demolishing the current house, stripping the lot of all trees, bushes and other plantings, cutting the roots of nearby trees, excavating substantial soil, rock and rubble, and constructing three 3.5-story townhouses at the rear right of the lot.
Because the County Board gave rights to developers wanting to build multi-family housing, residents and property owners have no input in the application process, no matter how damaging a development will be to the use, enjoyment and value of our homes and neighborhoods. No notice to nearby neighbors is required, and comments by neighbors are excluded. The county government makes no effort to weed out “bad-actor” developers. The permit-issuance process is secretive and non-transparent.
Although I lived next door, I was required by the county government to submit a Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain a copy of the site plans. I then appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals the issuance of the permit because (i) most importantly, the EHO permitting process violates the due-process rights of residents; (ii) for us specifically, the site excavation will kill two magnificent 75-year-old willow oaks that provide extensive tree cover to the neighborhood; (iii) our backyard use and quality of life will be significantly impaired by the 40-foot-long, 34-foot-high townhouse wall that the developer wants to construct along our backyard, with a balcony overlooking our patio; and (iv) the townhouse wall and loss of tree cover will substantially reduce the fair-market value of our home.
The County Board’s EHO policy is massively flawed – it is definitely not the “Arlington Way.” It must be overturned, either by lawsuit or election of new board members.
Please vote in the ongoing Democratic primary (ending on June 18) for these candidates for the County Board: Natalie Roy (first choice), James DeVita (second choice)and Julie Farnam (third choice). These candidates agree with us that the county’s new zoning rules are not fair to Arlington homeowners and will have a damaging impact on our neighborhoods.
John Pomeroy, Arlington
