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Arlington County Approves Missing Middle Zoning

  • March 22nd 2023

by UrbanTurf Staff

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DC's Missing Middle: Figure 1
Graphic of the "Missing Middle", ©Opticos Design. Click to enlarge.

The Arlington County Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve allowing Missing Middle housing in neighborhoods where single-family homes were only previously allowed. 

The term “missing middle” was coined by architect Daniel Parolek to describe the dearth of housing types — somewhere between single-family homes and mid-rise multi-family buildings — that would accommodate the needs of a large swath of the middle class. The approval on Wednesday will make it easier to build townhouses, duplexes and 4-6 unit buildings.

The arrival of missing middle housing to traditionally single-family home areas of the county will be gradual. Beginning July 1, the county will issue just 58 permits annually; that cap will be lifted in five years. New structures with five to six units will need to be on lots of at least 6,000 square feet.

Arlington is the first jurisdiction in the DC region to widely approve missing middle housing; Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon approved similar measures in recent years. 

See other articles related to: missing middle, missing middle housing

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/arlington_county_approves_missing_middle_zoning/20810.

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