Arlington for Everyone: Tools for Maintaining and Creating Diverse Housing Options
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
NRECA, 4301 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, 22203
Arlington is rapidly changing. High housing costs, redevelopment, and demographic shifts are remaking our community. With all of these changes underway, what can be done to help ensure that Arlington can remain a place where people from all walks of life are welcome and can afford to live? This year’s AHS Leckey Forum will explore the idea of “Arlington for Everyone” and focus on two policy tools with immediate relevance: the preservation of at-risk “market affordable” garden apartments (MARKs), and the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) throughout the County.
For information about the discussion of MARKs and ADUs click here : Leckey 2017 Presentation. See handouts covering each topic below.
AHS Executive Director, Michelle Winters, opened the event with the debut of the new Arlington for Everyone campaign. The purpose of Arlington for Everyone is to spark a community dialogue about the role of housing affordability and housing options in creating and maintaining a diverse, sustainable, and economically vibrant community in Arlington. Attendees were encouraged to sign on to the campaign, share stories, spread the word, and support the initiative by contribution or hosting a dialogue.
Speaker Nina Janopaul of Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing spoke about Preserving Arlington’s Garden Apartments:
Nina discussed the importance and challenges of preserving what is left of Arlington’s market-affordable rental housing, including garden apartments and other lower-priced rental housing. APAH’s goal is to add or preserve a minimum of 800 affordable units in the next 5 years. She drew on lessons from her experience with the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods planning process, and APAH’s work on preserving properties such as Buchanan Gardens and their recent acquisitions in Westover.
Handout: Preserving Housing Affordability: Framework for a Housing Conservation District
Speaker Alice Hogan of the Arlington Housing Commission spoke on The Future of Accessory Dwellings in Arlington:
Alice discussed the role that accessory dwelling apartments could play in Arlington’s housing market, and present options under consideration for updates to the accessory dwelling ordinance, including the possibility of detached “backyard cottage” ADUs. She shared insights and lessons from her role as chair of the County’s Accessory Dwellings Working Group and as a long-time member of the Arlington Housing Commission.
Handout: ADU Regulations Update
To see the full progression of updates to the Accessory Dwelling regulations, including the current policies, visit our Accessory Dwelling page.
Find photos of the event on our flickr page.
We thank our generous event sponsors.
