Arlingtonians have, by and large, come around to the idea of density along Metro corridors. It makes sense to cluster tall buildings with a mix of uses—residential, commercial, retail and municipal—around public transit. Doing so reduces car traffic and supports a subway system built with billions of taxpayer dollars.
The next wave of battles, predicts Michael Foster, principal of MTFA Architecture, will erupt over adding density to Metro-less corridors like Lee Highway and Columbia Pike—areas that currently look the way Clarendon did 20 years ago.
Foster, whose firm is based in Arlington, has perspective, having served on the Arlington Planning Commission, the Board of Code Appeals and various other county task forces. He says he loves living in a community with so many engaged people but feels the system fails on some fronts. The “Arlington Way” can lead citizens to fixate on minor issues without seeing the bigger picture.
“In most cases, for every NIMBY there’s a YIMBY—yes in my backyard,” he says. “But the YIMBYs tend not to come out in droves. Sometimes an emotional appeal by a special interest…can really alter the course of a project that would be overwhelmingly in the interest of the larger community.”
Also, he says, opponents aren’t always honest about the fears that truly are driving their protests. When MTFA undertook the design of the Views at Clarendon—a redevelopment project that stacked affordable housing on top of the Baptist Church of Clarendon (now called the Church at Clarendon)—neighbors complained about the project’s height and density, even though similarly scaled market-rate apartments nearby didn’t raise any hackles. A few neighbors even took their case to court, albeit unsuccessfully.
The building that was finally approved won design awards, Foster says, but it was more expensive to build and not an improvement on the original plan.
“A horse designed by a committee is a camel,” he says. “We have a lot of camels” in Arlington.
In the worst cases, projects mired in acrimony can end up so compromised and so delayed that they are no longer economically feasible. “It’s not uncommon for a small issue [like a bike path]” to delay a project at the last minute.”
Foster recalls the Arlington Planning Commission’s negotiations, years ago, over Turnberry Tower in Rosslyn. The group spent a year talking about a wall and a landscape element, he says, before it even panned back to look at building height and density.
There is a case for due diligence. Arlington Planning Commission chair Siegel stresses that big projects shouldn’t be rushed: “It’s very important to design right because it sets the foundation for economic growth. That brings people into the area, investment, development, better schools. It builds on itself.”
Public engagement is an important piece of that and a natural byproduct of an active and educated citizenry, adds Judah of the Tara-Leeway Heights Civic Association. “In Arlington, even if it takes five months to get through it, they will listen. They give a damn.” The big question, he continues, is, “How do we get the best perspective from the residents without short-changing the businesses trying to develop in an economically successful way?” Private developers would do well to get feedback from residents in concept meetings early on, he says, and the county should find ways to incentivize developers to include neighborhood voices.
As Arlington’s population continues to grow, density is manifest. Adding it will present a sizable challenge but not an insurmountable one.
It can be done thoughtfully, Foster contends. “Paris is much more dense than New York City. And yet no one complains about the density when the scale and detailing are beautiful. We have to be good stewards and support the services our people demand.”
Tamara Lytle has written about teardown properties, office vacancies, suicide prevention and other topics for Arlington Magazine.