County Missing Middle Study. At the end of April, the county suddenly released its Missing Middle Housing proposal, which would essentially do away with current zoning in all R-5, R-6, R-10, and R-20 residential zoning districts. (Lyon Village is mostly R-6, with some R-5. The number refers to the minimum lot size, e.g., R-6 means minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet.) As we read the proposal, it would permit the construction of duplexes, triplexes, and larger buildings, up to 8 units, on virtually all, if not all, lots in single-family residential zoning districts in the county (including Country Club Hills). That is substantially all non-commercial property in the county.
The larger the lot, the more housing units could be squeezed in. Under this proposal, an empty single-family-zoned lot, such as one created by tearing down a house, would allow the lot owner or a developer to build two or more living units. The size of the structure would be subject to existing rules for single-family homes in terms of setbacks and height, coupled with reduced on-site parking requirements. The plan could turn streets into a hodgepodge of buildings, encourage much larger houses, exacerbate water runoff problems, threaten trees, and increase noise, parking, and street access problems.
The country refused to meet with us about this proposal, saying they plan to do only online engagement. We then invited Peter Rousselot, a former Lyon Village resident, LVCA officer, and member of Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future, which has been critical of similar proposals, to be our guest speaker at the May meeting. Peter will give us an overview of the proposal and then respond to questions from the audience. Details about the proposal: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Housing/Housing-Arlington/Tools/Missing-Middle
Election of Officers. At the May meeting, we also will elect officers of the Lyon Village Executive Committee, the governing board of the Lyon Village Citizens’ Association. The new term begins on September 1. If you would like to consider being an officer, please contact John Carten at GJCarten@verizon.net.
Just like other recent meetings, this will be a virtual meeting. You can use the following Zoom link to join the meeting: Meeting ID: 859 1781 7754 Passcode: 479 438 Please plan to join the meeting by 7:55 pm so we can start on time.