Can Arlington build homes and preserve green space?
Should we plant trees, or welcome new neighbors? Mitigate the problem of storm water, or alleviate the financial burden of the lowest-income earners in our community?
These issues are often hotly debated at Arlington’s community meetings with people of good will—with equally valid points—taking sides against their neighbors.
But what if a win for affordable housing could also be a win for the environment?
Arlington County’s October 28 virtual community conversation brought together a group of experts who broke down the issues around sustainability and development, offering a path forward for Arlington to stay true to its mission of inclusivity and diversity while creating a greener community.
Storm water management and loss of tree canopy are real and serious problems. Jason Papacosma, watershed programs manager for the Department of Environmental Services, said roughly 40 to 45 percent of Arlington is covered in impervious surfaces. This includes buildings, parking lots, and roads that don’t allow water to be absorbed into the ground and can cause flooding during hard rains. Flooding is particularly at the forefront of Arlingtonians’ minds given the flash floods that caused millions of dollars of damage just a few months ago.
Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation urban forest manager Vincent Verweij said there was a significant loss of tree canopy over the last decade, including about a 10 percent reduction in residential areas zoned for single-family homes. (About 86 percent of Arlington’s developable residential property is zoned single-family exclusive.)
Verweij noted that some tree loss is related to development, but can also be due to damage from pests, changes to weather patterns that cause drought and storms, and the natural aging of species like the Silver Maple.
At the same time, Arlington faces a housing shortage—and a crisis of affordability. (The economics of the housing affordability crunch are detailed in our blog The Economics of Housing in Arlington.)
Arlington County Board member Erik Gutshall said he’s heard many people express concerns that development equals environmental impact.
“Actually, very often it doesn’t,” he said. “We get more trees, more green space, and more ability to manage the runoff.”
That’s because all newly developed Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects in Arlington meet strict energy and environmental standards such as the EPA’s Energy Star program and Earthcraft Multifamily certification. They also adhere to state and local requirements for storm water management.
Case in point: The nonprofit AHC is re-developing The Berkeley, a 1960s building with 137 units and surface parking. When it reopens as The Apex in 2020, it will have 256 affordable units, 2,000 square feet less of impervious surface, and a 5,000 square foot green roof.
Elizabeth Gearin, vice-chair of the Arlington County Planning Commission, said the Heights Building being redeveloped at the current Wilson School location is another example of how forward-thinking design can increase green space. The school will consist of five rooftop terraces, allowing people and nature to come together in an urban setting.
“Compact, walkable neighborhoods do reduce energy per person,” Gutshall said. “Units are smaller, people take fewer single car trips per day, and we see less loss of trees than we do with single-family tear-downs on private lots.”
In addition to the loss of trees on private property, Papacosma said that current increase of impervious surfaces is also happening more in those neighborhoods because new homes are taking up larger portions of the lot.
Gutshall said Virginia’s “Dillon Rule” makes it difficult for the county to regulate what owners do with their single-family properties, though he believes the county board is willing to discuss ways to merge homeowner rights with regulations that preserve and promote sustainability.
The county does offer a free program to help design and build and renovate more sustainably. Papacosma says new homes built with the Green Home Choice program use 42 percent less energy than similarly sized, older homes.
And, according to Verweij, “For most projects over 2,500 square feet we require a certified arborist or landscape architect to prepare a plan to minimize impact as much as possible.” That doesn’t mean the county can tell people to reduce the size of the home, but they can ask them to limit the impact renovations will have on trees.
When all is said and done, it is possible to build or redevelop affordable housing while preserving and even expanding Arlington’s green spaces.
“People are happier and healthier when they have regular access to nature.”
Did you know?
Arlington County has a Tree Canopy Fund, which provides grants to help protect and plant trees on private property. You can also receive a free, native tree on the county’s annual tree giveaway.
The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance was adopted to protect our local streams and the Chesapeake Bay from pollution due to land use and development. Sensitive areas along streams throughout Arlington have been designated as Resource Protection Areas.
More to Explore
Via Verde, Bronx
This 20-story building offers 222 units of affordable housing. According to the website, “At the heart of the building is a dynamic garden and series of green roofs.”Bosco Verticale, Milan
These two residential towers are a vertical forest, hosting 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs, and 15,000 other plants. “The vegetal system of the Vertical Forest contributes to the construction of a microclimate, produces humidity, absorbs CO2 and dust particles, and produces oxygen.”
Biophilic Cities facilitates a global network of partner cities working collectively to pursue the vision of a natureful city within their unique and diverse environments and cultures. These partner cities are working in concert to conserve and celebrate nature in all its forms and the many important ways in which cities and their inhabitants benefit from the biodiversity and wild urban spaces present in cities.