Arlington County

Winner of the first EPA Smart Growth Award and the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s Capital Region Visionary Award, Arlington County is a national leader in transit-oriented development, affordable housing, transit, and street design. Today, Arlington boasts 50 million square feet of transit-oriented development in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor alone and has done so without increasing traffic. Nearly 40% of trips in this corridor are made by transit, walking, and bicycling.

The County continues to make major investments in transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and affordable housing with a focus on getting the details right and maintaining an inclusive community

Our Work in Arlington, VA


Plan Langston Boulevard

Arlington County is developing a comprehensive vision and policy framework for the future of Langston Boulevard, which is Route 29 and formerly known as Lee Highway. During the spring/summer 2021, the county held listening sessions and walking tours on the preliminary land use scenarios that offered different land use mixes that would enable diverse housing options, enhancements to open space and stormwater management, safer streets and better transit. Community feedback will help inform County staff what concerns and priorities to address as they move to the next phase of developing a Preliminary Concept Plan. Learn more >>>

Image: Arlington County website

Missing Middle Housing Study

Arlington County has initiated a Missing Middle Housing Study to explore how different housing types could help increase the County’s housing supply and diversify the range of housing choices. “Missing middle” refers to the range of housing types that fit between single-family detached homes and mid-to-high-rise apartment buildings. Having different types and sizes of homes helps provide more options at different price points. A phase I report that was just released summarizes the priorities and concerns identified by community feedback, which will be used to determine the housing types to study as part of Phase II. Learn more >>>

Image: Arlington County website

Latest Happening


Virginia to study HOT lanes inside the Beltway

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While HOT lanes in the peak hour merit study along with HOV in both directions and transit, HOT lanes may still lead to too many cars trying to fight their way into D.C. or the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. The focus should be on moving the most people at the peak hour, and transit offers the best opportunity to do that

Guest Commentary: The Fairfax-Arlington streetcar – What’s next?

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Boiled down to its basics, our region and each locality stand between two options –continue auto-dependent growth and try to expand highways and arterial roads to support that growth, or invest to a much greater extent in transit and transit-oriented communities with a focus on redevelopment of commercial corridors

Vihstadt victory could signal sea change in Arlington politics

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The shockwaves around the re-election of John Vihstadt to the Arlington County Board last night continue to reverberate today, with many around Arlington wondering if the county is about to undergo a major policy shift. “The streetcar is dead,” local political blogger and strategist Ben Tribbett told ARLnow.com last night

Arlington cancels Columbia Pike streetcar project

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"Arlington's proven smart growth track record had given us confidence in their analysis and ability to create a great transit corridor. The streetcar's ridership capacity was integral to the plan to use density bonuses to preserve thousands of units of affordable housing."

With streetcar dead, Arlington ponders: What’s next?

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Whatever happens on Columbia Pike, both sides agree that it needs to happen soon. In the next 30 years, county leaders say, 65 percent of Arlington's population growth will be along Columbia Pike and Route One -- the two areas where the streetcar lines have now been cancelled.