ICYMI: New Arlington Missing Middle research brief is out: https://housing.arlingtonva.us/missingmiddle/research-compendium/

Thread: The data & history highlighted in this & other research is great to have. But I want to talk about my neighborhood a bit to show why I care about this. My family owns a detached single-family home in the Columbia Forest neighborhood in Arlington.

My block is currently bans apartments, duplexes, townhomes & other potentially more modest housing types, but due to proximity to the zoning boundary, there's actually some housing type diversity nearby....

There is a small townhome development on the far end of the immediately adjacent block. Not affordable per se, but similarly sized detached single family homes would be much costlier & these can't be McMansionized....

Our daughter goes to an in home daycare (single-family detached) about a 5 minute walk away, and that street includes mostly well-maintained duplexes that are less expensive than basically all comparable SFD homes & the (much newer) townhomes nearby

One block further out, there are three older condo complexes, 2 of which are high-rise. Older and smaller units, but some of the least expensive homeownership opportunities in the County.

In the other direction, near Columbia Pike, we have two committed-affordable housing developments (one high-rise, one garden style), and a couple mid-cost market rate rentals.

Finally, visible from the sidewalk in front of our house, you can see the Skyline Towers, a 26 story condo building. For the region, quite affordable. https://www.skylineplaza.org/ 

There are a couple other examples, but our home doesn't feel significantly different than other SFD exclusive neighborhoods. We have green space in our own yard and trees. If we chose to put up a different fence, we'd have total privacy (if we wanted it).

But our n'hood, while not inclusive enough, is more inclusive than most in Arlington in terms of socioeconomic diversity. It's because of housing type diversity. It's not zero sum. These other housing types support affordability, boost tax base, make local businesses more viable

We have more neighbors walking up and down the streets and it's a little less quiet (partially because of the high school up the street), but not noticeably so (other than on football Fridays). I actually like that aspect better. As for parking...

There are some crowded blocks, but others have dozens of open spaces at any point. It's more of a failure of our zoned parking system than overwhelming demand.

We were lucky to buy before the neighborhood really started booming. Home sales prices are increasing dramatically. Crime? We feel perfectly safe. Our biggest safety concern for ourselves and our two kids is speeding cars on George Mason Drive.

If apartment/attached home bans ended today, our neighborhood wouldn't radically change anytime soon. Too many homes are to new/too nice to make economic sense to tear down and redevelop as duplexes or quads.

The relatively few remaining older, outdated homes that are being "McMansionized" today might have another economically viable redevelopment path that doesn't lock out everyone but $200K+ earners.

My main point/takeaway is that housing type diversity is not a threat. Allowing at least some housing type diversity is a necessary (though generally not sufficient) condition for socioeconomic diversity in high-cost areas

If Arlingtonians think that extra people on the sidewalks, a modest change to the neighborhood aesthetic & an extra minute looking for parking for your 2nd car is too steep a price to pay, then I wish they'd own it & take their "all are welcome here" signs off their front yards.