Melwood Update
General Land Use Plan (GLUP) Review
Last December, Melwood applied to Arlington County for a study to amend the General Land Use Plan (GLUP) for its property at 23rd Street and S. Grant St., which in its earliest days was an elementary school built in 1929. Their preliminary proposal is to replace the current 2 stories with a five story building, in which they would continue their current programming and add approximately 104 units of affordable housing with a small number of units for the disabled.
The County’s first phase of review, Tier 1, did not review a specific development proposal, but the County Planning Commission has now decided that “the subject property is appropriate to consider for a new land use designation”. The review will now move to Tier 2 and Melwood will submit its specific development proposal.
Our sister civic association, Aurora Highlands, has expressed concerns that the proposed amendment would allow for a building that is too tall and massive for the surrounding neighborhood, and also has concerns about traffic and its impact on the adjacent park. It could also set a precedent for zoning changes on 23rd Street. (A member of the Transportation Commission voting for a Tier 2 review said that “23rd Street is an underdeveloped asset”).
ARCA will keep our members informed regarding further developments.
More information
LRPC Meeting Summary
Category: Uncategorized
