Arlington Co. powers up housing plans for pike

Friday, December 7, 2007
Washington Business Journal - by Joe Coombs Senior Staff Reporter
 
Arlington County's longtime plan to revitalize Columbia Pike is hitting its stride. Cranes are lined up at several job sites, and developers are showing increased interest.
 
That's why it is time to ensure that a wide range of residents can enjoy the corridor's rebirth, according to county officials. A housing policy will likely take shape in 2008 for Columbia Pike, and it may include requirements for affordable residences on new projects and other measures that provide homes for people with an array of incomes, said Chris Zimmerman, a member of the Arlington County Board.
 
Zimmerman, who lives in the Douglas Park neighborhood that abuts the Pike, said property values have skyrocketed in recent years along the corridor. The county needs to have a housing policy in place, he said, before additional development pressures make the area unaffordable for many residents.
 
"We have to be prepared for a long-term elevation in property value," Zimmerman said. "My wife and I rented here when we got married 27 years ago, and when we wanted to buy, Realtors wouldn't show us properties down here [because of their poor condition]. It was like that for years. All of a sudden, property values have tripled in the past six years."

Source: Washington Business Journal. View Article.

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