To the editor: In our Arlington neighborhood, we recently had a modest rambler brought down and replaced by a much larger home with an asking price of $2,999,999. This new home will not be affordable for Arlington teachers and other county employees, or for most people of color.
Since Arlington leaders say that one of the county’s most important goals is to maintain and provide more housing for middle- and lower-income people, such as county employees and other non-wealthy individuals and families, and to diversify our population, why would the county embrace a zoning code that allows affordable or somewhat-affordable homes to be destroyed and replaced by much larger houses that are not affordable for these people?
I wrote the County Board Jan. 24 asking that question. I received an e-mail telling me that my inquiry had been received.
When I had not received a substantive response by Feb. 24, I submitted another message: “Good day. Will I be receiving a reply to my Jan. 24 request?” I again received an e-mail telling me my submission had been received by the County Board.
As of March 20, I still had not received a substantive response from any member of the County Board.
There may be a perfectly good reason for the county’s policy that allows developers to replace affordable or near-affordable homes with larger homes that will not be affordable for the people the county’s leaders claim they are trying to help. But why can’t the County Board tell us what that reason is?
Bill Roos, Arlington
