EcoAction Arlington recently sent a letter to the County Board supporting, but describing its concerns, with proposed plans to change residential zoning throughout the County to allow small-scale 2 to 8 units residential buildings (aka Missing Middle) in lots currently zoned for single-family residences. Higher density housing is more environmentally friendly as it increases energy efficiency and walkability, reducing the need for long commutes in fossil fuel-powered vehicles, and preventing sprawl. This proposed change also addresses historical practices introduced to exclude racial minorities from living in large portions of Arlington. Our letter, however, expressed serious reservations that under current regulations and conditions, which are also applicable to construction of single-family homes, Missing Middle Housing could exacerbate tree canopy loss and stormwater runoff and urged the County to explore changes to zoning and land use ordinances and other policy options to mitigate potential impacts.
We highlight the correlation between significant multi-family zoned housing and lower-than-average tree canopy coverage in several civic associations throughout Arlington. These are the ten neighborhoods that EcoAction Arlington has targeted for our Tree Canopy Equity Program.
updated 1/31/2023 with the updated letter to the Arlington County Board
This content originally appeared in The EcoAdvocate newsletter produced by the EcoAction Arlington Advocacy Committee.