Letter: Arlington needs to expand array of housing options
Editor: I first moved to Arlington in 2015 as a recent college graduate. I loved being in a quiet area so close to the intense energy of Washington. I will never forget the satisfaction of walking through my calm Pentagon City neighborhood to the library for the first time.
Since then, I realized that the possibility of living in such a wonderful place as Arlington is no longer a reality for many people. Spiking housing costs remain a major barrier to obtaining a good home in our community.
This issue stems primarily from zoning policies that have incentivized building large single-family homes that are not affordable for many Arlingtonians.
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To fix this issue, Arlington must revise its housing policies to foster the creation of “missing middle” housing. This loosely defined range of housing types can include anything from duplexes and triplexes to small-scale condos or apartment buildings. These types of housing keep rent and housing prices down when compared to large single-family homes.
Arlington is a beautiful community that I have been proud to live in. Let’s promote missing-middle housing so that a wider range of people can enjoy it.
Stephen D’Alessio, Arlington
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Originally published at https://www.insidenova.com on December 23, 2020.
