ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County’s zoning division has started receiving applications for Missing Middle-style housing, with developers seeking permission to build 6-plexes on lots along residential streets in Lyon Park and the Ballston area.
After launching its new Missing Middle Housing plan on Saturday, July 1, the county posted its first round of information on its “Expanded Housing Options (EHO) Permit Tracker” late Wednesday afternoon, showing that eight applications are currently under review.
Along with the multifamily dwellings, Arlington has received applications from developers for townhouse and semi-detached projects. All eight applications were received on July 1.
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The eight proposed projects are located in R-5 and R-6 zoned neighborhoods, EHO Watch, a new email newsletter published by local Realtor and former county board candidate Natalie Roy, reported Thursday.
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Previously known as Missing Middle, Arlington’s “densification program was rebranded as Expanded Housing Option (EHO) Development due to the goal no longer being about affordable housing or promoting diversity,” EHO Watch explained.
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Roy came in third in the June 20 Democratic primary for two seats opening on the Arlington County Board.
The expanded housing option permits will allow developers to build up to six housing units on certain residential lots if various conditions are met, including the same building height, setbacks and size as allowed for construction of single-family homes.
One of the two multifamily applications received by Arlington is for a 6-plex in the 1000 block of N. Daniel Street in Lyon Park, just off 10th Street N. The current house where the multifamily building would be built is a Cape Cod-style home, located next to a small apartment building.
In the other multifamily project application, developers are seeking permission to build a 6-plex in the 1200 block of N. Utah Street, a residential street with a mixture of older homes and newer, large houses. The multifamily project would be located three blocks west of Washington-Liberty High School and three blocks north of the Ballston Metro Station.
In another permit application under review, developers are seeking to build three townhouses in the 6400 block of 22nd Street N. in the East Falls Church neighborhood, about a 5-minute walk to the East Falls Church Metro Station in Arlington.
The home, located on a 6,496-square-foot lot, was last sold in June 2021 to a trust agreement for $927,000, according to Arlington County real estate tax information.
All the homes on 22nd Street N. extending from the 6400 block eastward to N. George Mason Drive near Virginia Hospital Center — about 1.5 miles — are single-family homes.
The other applications received by Arlington to build townhouses are located on lots in the 2000 block of N. Taylor Street in Cherrydale, the 2900 block of 2nd Road N. in Lyon Park and the 900 block of 22nd Street S. in Aurora Highlands.
In March, the Arlington County Board approved by-right construction of townhouses, duplexes and 4-6 unit buildings on lots across the county previously zoned only for single-family homes, effective July 1. For the first five years of the plan, an annual cap of 58 permits for Missing Middle housing units will be in place.
The 58 Missing Middle permits will be distributed by zoning district: seven permits for R-5; 30 permits for R-6; and 21 permits total for R-8, R-10 and R-20 housing. Lots sized 5,000 square feet, for example, are classified as R-5, and 6,000-square-feet lots are R-6.
EHO permit applications will be filed online through Permit Arlington. Currently, there is no fee for an EHO permit. A fee may be proposed in 2024, the county said.
RELATED: Arlington Begins Accepting Missing Middle Housing Permit Applications
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