Arlington County Approves Expanding Ground-Floor Uses Along Columbia Pike

• November 15th 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Columbia Pike may be poised to develop into a more vibrant commercial corridor.

This weekend, the Arlington County Board approved updates to the county zoning code to make it easier to incorporate ground-floor uses along the Columbia Pike corridor. The changes are built, in part, off of a market study from 2019 as part of the larger goals to make the corridor less auto-oriented and more walkable.

Office space, museums, art galleries, shared commercial kitchens, and pet boarding are all by-right ground-floor uses under the new rules. Indoor beverage manufacturing and artisan makerspace are also by-right uses as long as at least 5% of the square footage is used as retail. Window transparency rules have also been amended to make it easier for medical and childcare tenants to occupy ground-floor space.

“Allowing a greater variety of ground floor uses on Columbia Pike is a win-win-win, for community building, economic growth, and racial equity,” County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said in a statement. “I’m proud that we can simultaneously enhance the Columbia Pike corridor and help level the playing field for historically disadvantaged small business owners.”

The zoning changes will go into effect after 60 days.

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This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/arlington-county-board-approves-expanding-by-right-ground-floor-uses-along-/18948.