Over seventy percent of developable land in Northern Virginia is zoned for single family housing (Barthel 2024). This practice dates back to 1938 when Arlington County banned row houses “to preserve its suburban identity” (O’Brien 2022). As Dan O’Brien details, this ban came at the same time racially restrictive covenants were enacted contributing to the “exclusionary ownership patterns that exist today” (O’Brien 2022). For example, the homeownership rate for Black or African American residents in Arlington is twenty-one percent (Arlington County 2022). Furthermore, rising population rates with limited housing development has led to a shortage throughout the county (O’Brien 2022). 

 

In early 2023, Arlington passed widely controversial “Missing Middle” zoning changes to combat the severe housing shortage in the county. Missing Middle zoning refers to development of small-scale multi-family units across the suburban county (Schweitzer 2021). Recently, a circuit judge appealed the ruling, essentially banning Missing Middle housing in the county (Armus 2024). This ruling was a win for homeowners who expressed discontent and fear over the plan. Signs in people’s yards read, “It's Not Affordable” and “Let Arlingtonians Decide.” These signs express the sentiment that increased development is a driving force of gentrification and rising prices. 

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Looking closely at Halls Hill, Arlington, a historically Black neighborhood, appealing Missing Middle zoning will negatively impact the area. The judge that appealed this ruling effectively denied the city ability to build more attainable housing for long-term, multi-generational residents. Building more housing, alongside other initiatives, will strongly benefit Halls Hill's long-term residents and preserve affordability. 

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The zoning in Halls Hill and throughout Arlington County is primarily for single-family homes, except for duplexes and apartment districts in select areas (Devoe 2022). Restricted under single-family zoning, developers tend to replace smaller homes with larger houses in order to make a profit. In Halls Hill, almost all new construction since 2018 has only replaced single-family homes with more expensive single-family homes (Devoe 2022). Despite the growing population in Arlington, 4.9% increase in ten years, Halls Hill has not increased the number of housing units available (Devoe 2021). 

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The current housing supply in Halls Hill does not meet demand, causing rising housing prices that have hit Black families the hardest. From 1991 to 2021, the neighborhood went from seventy percent to twenty-two percent Black (Barthel and Turner 2021). Many Black residents either chose to leave or were displaced by the increasing housing prices (Barthel and Turner 2021). It is important to note that residents in Halls Hill are worried about the affordability of new units and the impact on surrounding prices (DeVoe 2022). Missing Middle housing is not explicitly affordable housing, so some residents are concerned that even multi-family housing will be unattainable (DeVoe 2022). Due to the history of state-led housing discrimination and displacement, this worry is understandable. Additionally, some multi-unit buildings already built in specific areas of Halls Hill have yet to be affordable, adding to this worry. One duplex sold both units for $1.2 million (DeVoe 2022). 

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However, this duplex price shows the exact reason why Missing Middle zoning should be implemented. Developers want to make a profit when buying land. So, when land is expensive, they must sell each unit at a high price to preserve a profit. However, when developers can build more units, the price of each will decrease since they can still profit from the land. For example, if that duplex were a fourplex, each unit could sell for $600,000. However, If the duplex were another single-family home, it would have to sell for $2.4 million. 

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Furthermore, housing prices become more affordable in cities where increased demand is met with increased building, affordable or market-rate (Phillips et al. 2021). Conversely, in cities like Washington DC, with increased demand and less building, housing prices increase significantly, resulting in gentrification (Phillips et al. 2021). Therefore, increasing the supply in Arlington will, over time, decrease the price of housing overall by providing more attainable housing options for the increasing population. 

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Furthermore, Missing Middle zoning is not the only way to combat the housing crisis. In fact, Missing Middle can enhance other strategies to provide attainable housing, such as a Community Land Trust. The CLT model shifts development and ownership to the community and offers a concrete solution to rising housing prices by ensuring long-term affordability (King and Lowe 2018). In Halls Hill, a CLT can form more easily because of the relaxed zoning codes that allow for Missing Middle housing. For example, some CLTs utilize inclusionary zoning and density bonuses to maintain long term affordability by allowing market rate units to remain capable of generating revenue (LHS 2022). Under single-family zoning, sustaining a CLT and increasing the number of affordable units would be more challenging. 

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  In conclusion, single-family zoning is historically exclusionary to specific demographics dating back to the 1938 ban on rowhouses. The leader of the Arlington NAACP chapter asserts that approving Missing Middle was "the first time in almost a century the County Board took direct action to reverse exclusionary zoning in our county" (Barthel 2023). The judge has denied this impact. Residents in Halls Hill experienced a loss of place through zoning practices that prioritized expensive single-family homes over modest, affordable housing options (Barthel and Turner 2021). Missing Middle zoning is a step towards "revers[ing] exclusionary zoning" (Barthel 2023). The status quo is unsustainable, something must be done to address the current housing development patterns in Arlington county. 

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Bibliography

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Arlington Virginia Government. Ownership Housing and Barriers to Homeownership in Arlington County. Arlington, Virginia, Housing Arlington, Oct. 2022.

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Armus, Teo. "Circuit Judge Strikes Down Arlington's 'Missing Middle' Housing Plan." The Washington Post [Washington DC], 27 Sept. 2024.

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Barthel, Margaret. "Most Northern Virginia Land Is Reserved for Single-Family Detached Homes, Research Finds." VPM News.

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Barthel, Margaret, and Tyrone Turner. “Residents Remember a Thriving Black Community in Arlington’s Halls Hill” DCist, 21 Dec. 2021

 

DeVoe, Jo. “Redevelopment Has Changed the Fabric of Halls Hill. Do Residents Think ‘Missing Middle’ Would Help or Hurt?” ARL Now, 20 Oct. 2022. 

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DeVoe, Jo. “Arlington Planning Commission Gives Thumbs up to ‘Missing Middle’ Zoning Changes” ARL Now, 9 Mar. 2023. www.arlnow.com/2023/03/09/arlington-planning-commission-gives-thumbs-up-to-missing-middle-zoning-changes/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023. dcist.com/story/21/12/21/black-community-neighborhood-homecoming-halls-hill-arlington/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.

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DeVoe, Jo. “New Census Data Shows How Arlington Grew in 10 Years” ARL Now, 16 Aug. 2021,www.arlnow.com/2021/08/16/new-census-data-shows-how-arlington-grew-in-10-years/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.

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​​“Community Land Trusts - Local Housing Solutions.” Local Housing Solutions, 15 Nov. 2022, localhousingsolutions.org/housing-policy-library/community-land-trusts/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.

O'Brien, Dan. "A Divisive Arlington Housing Proposal Can Help Save the Climate and Our Wallets." Greater Greater Washington [Washington DC], 4 Nov. 2022.

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Phillips, Shane, et al. The Effect of Market-Rate Development on Neighborhood Rents. UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, Feb. 2021.

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Schweitzer, Ally. “Arlington’s ‘Missing Middle’ Housing Study, Explained” WAMU, WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio, 23 Nov. 2021, wamu.org/story/21/11/23/here-is-what-arlington-countys-middle-housing-study-means/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.