Planning and Zoning Committee
COMMITTEE CHARGE
It shall be the duty of this committee to study, report, and make recommendations to the Federation on all applications for rezoning, site plans, and variances (as appropriate) in Arlington County. The committee shall also study, report, and make recommendations to the Federation on all changes to the zoning ordinances and land use plans so that appropriate and timely action may be taken by the Federation. It shall further study, report, and make recommendations to the Federation on all matters pertaining to long-range community planning and development, including current programs and new projects. The committee shall serve as liaison for the Federation with official bodies locally and in the surrounding jurisdictions. Because Planning and Zoning policy is closely tied with housing policy, it is expected to work closely with the Housing Committee.
CHAIR
Brian Harner, Co-Chair • email Brian
Next Meeting
- Wed 20 Mar 2023
- The second meeting of the reconstituted Planning and Zoning Committee was held February 20. The agenda included discussion about how Arlington’s Comprehensive Plan and General Land Use Plan are constructed, and how other communities have created their plans. We also discussed the values and goals participants think should be represented in the Comp Plan. Participants were asked to consider Arlington’s Comp Plan in terms of values and priorities.
The third meeting on March 20 will follow up on the Comprehensive Plan discussion and also feature planning data, density and growth. Good planning requires good data. We will ask what are the data-based planning frameworks that will assist in making good planning and zoning decisions. Potential issues for presentation and discussion will include density in terms of population and job growth; number of units per acre established in the GLUP; current number of units built in Arlington; demographics and schools.
Realizing that all of these issues are related, and the challenges presented are complex, the committee will continue with orientation sessions and general discussion over the next several months, allowing us to begin to sort through priorities and formulate a plan for addressing the most pressing issues. We also intend to establish working subcommittees in the near future for current county issues including the Special GLUP process and lot coverage.
Register in advance to join us on March 20 at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtcOuhqjMsGdL8NB5tC2vNxblzIuW0gXup.
The Planning and Zoning Committee will be meeting regularly in 2024 on the third Wednesday of each month. For more information, email the Chair.
Meeting Videos
- Meeting; 20 Mar 2024 VIDEO; 1h 20m 46s.
- Meeting; 20 Febr 2024 VIDEO; 1h 25m 48s.
Documents
- [Apr 2019] 1101 Lee Highway Resolution [PDF, 57 KiB].
- Background on County Short-Term Rentals Ordinance [Nov 2016]
- ‘AirBnB’ Survey [PDF, 255 KiB]
- Proposed Regulations [PDF, 604 KiB]
- Lee Highway Visioning Update [PDF, 1,4 MiB] [Jun 2016].
- Open Air Markets Presentation [PDF, 3,0 MiB] [May 2016].
- Presentation at ACCF Meeting [PDF, 481 KiB]. [May 2015]
- Background on County Sign Ordinance Revision [Nov 2011]
- Background on Sign Ordinance Revision [May 2011]
- Discussion framework
- Presentation by Deborah Albert explaining the process for revising the Sign Ordinance
- Sign-related issues presented as a series of straw votes — with vote totals
- Sign ordinance background and source material
- Changes to parking on narrow streets and background to the withdrawn resolution (see February 1 minutes) on community benefit.
- Background on current topic: Accessory Dwelling Units [2008]
- Letter asking the County to defer a vote on lot definitions
- Planning and Zoning Committee on Lot Restrictions
- Letter to the County Board on Rezoning 1101 Lee Highway
- Resolution on proposed zoning changes, April 2005
- Presentations, handouts, and survey results from the 4/23 Civic Federation Public Forum on Lot Coverage from Martha Moore’s server, including a summary in the English language of Arlington’s zoning rules and this note adding some details to that document. The summary won a Thumbs Up from the Arlington Sun Gazette. It is an exceptional piece of work and the first ever attempt to make our zoning regulations understandable.
- Here is the Federation’s resolution on lot coverage.
- The County has a database to check the status of your own property or others under the proposed zoning ordinance changes.