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Affordability. That is how rezoning of single-family home areas was sold to the people of Arlington and that is what many still believe will be achieved by this initiative. Since this rezoning took place, here are some examples of new, expanded housing built in Arlington and the costs associated with these housing units
· 820 Greenbrier Street S: Townhome (selling price ~$1M)
· 900 20th Street S: Duplex (selling price ~$1.6M)
· 2000 Clarendon Blvd.: Condo (selling price ~$800,000)
· J Sol, Ballston (rent $2,800/month one bedroom)
The market forces dictate the types of housing built and the prices that are changed for rent or for sale.
There are places that because of their location, access to employment, and transportation options, will always be desirable to live. New York City is one such example, as is Boston. Both places are densely populated and offer few single-family homes within the city limits. Yet both Boston and New York remain exceptionally expensive places to live. While I agree that we need to build more of the right kind of housing in the right locations, before we push through blanket land use policy changes, we should have a vision and plan for what we want the county to look like in the long-term. Otherwise, unfettered, unguided development will lead us to falling into looking like downtown Manhattan, something that most in Arlington do not want.
Equity. That is the other word used to sell rezoning to the people of Arlington. Removing the barriers to homeownership that existed in the early 1900s is not going to undo the injustice because the barriers today are not the same as they were then. Thus, despite the county’s rezoning, the barriers to equity are still very much in existence, and rezoning has the potential to cause gentrification displacement, further exacerbating inequity.
There is a balance that Arlington has yet to strike. Being opposed to blanket rezoning and caring about equity and affordability are not mutually exclusive and positing them as an either/or proposition is not helpful to the community. Rather than picking your YIMBY or NIMBY side, how do we come together with real, long-term solutions that benefit the community rather than continue to divide us?
As it is with many political issues, division is often driven by power and profit, quietly permeating the fabric of our community, with little regard for those who must live with the consequences. I’ve both rented and owned in Arlington. I’ve seen both sides and I profit from neither. I want to see real solutions, unadulterated by special interests and a drive for profit, that work best for the people of Arlington.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that this zoning debate may all be moot if the court rules against the county in the lawsuit Nordgren et al. v. County Board of Arlington et al., of which there is a possibility of that occurring.
We, therefore, need a plan that goes beyond the exhausted arguments of being for or against rezoning and expanded housing options. We must come up with different solutions that will achieve affordability and equity while also preserving the charm and character for which Arlington is known.
I propose:
- Incentivizing preservation of existing and development of new committed and market rate affordable units. This will meaningfully impact affordability for current and future low-income residents.
- Creating a program like DC’s Black Homeownership Strikeforce, which, among other things, provides a Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP). In 2023, it provided $21M for grants to assist with downpayments on new homes. I’d also like to see this program expanded to include new and first-generation immigrants in our community.
- Looking at places elsewhere in the United States that offer tax breaks to business owners who also live full-time in their jurisdiction. This would not only make Arlington more attractive to those who would like to live here, but it would also simultaneously help to address the high commercial real estate market vacancy rate we have.
- Allowing expanded use of Auxiliary Dwelling Units (ADUs). This would also generate income for individual homeowners to make living in Arlington more affordable.
- Expanding our definition of an apartment, like New York City and elsewhere. This would include Single Room Occupancy (SRO) spaces. This provides more flexibility, affordability, and makes more commercial spaces amendable for conversion to housing units.
- Converting commercial spaces to housing units. Though not all buildings can be converted to housing because they don’t have the infrastructure to support housing, some buildings can be converted while still other buildings could be rebuilt as housing.
- Working with state legislators to implement caps on rent increases and other rent stabilization initiatives, similar to what Montgomery County did recently.
We need to decide what we truly value as a community and then work together to see through policies and initiatives that achieve those goals. By focusing on what we collectively value—rather than on our differences—workable solutions become more apparent. I will lead these efforts if elected to County Board.
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