In November 2014, a total of twenty (20) demolition permits were applied for in Arlington County. All were for single-family homes. One was a re-application from June 2014. One permit was for the demolition of a construction site that has been inactive for months. There were no permits for commercial property.

North Arlington accounted for fifteen of the permits and South Arlington had four of the permits. Six of the properties are in National Register Historic Districts. Two of the homes are in the Lyon Park National Register Historic District (736 North Danville Street and 930 North Cleveland Street), with one each in the Penrose National Register Historic District (2408 1st Road South), Aurora Highlands National Register Historic District (2024 South Kent Street), Lyon Village National Register Historic District (3155 20th Street North, the demolition of the structure under construction), and Cherrydale National Register Historic District (1800 North Randolph Street).

At least fifteen of the 19 single-family demolition permits are for speculative developments.

Totals for 2014

Homes: 165
– 35 are located in National Register Historic Districts
– 110 are speculative developments (owned by developers)

Commercial buildings: 16

The looming demolition of these houses and buildings represents an incredible loss of history, architecture, time, energy, and materials. Many had the potential for renovation and additions or, at a bare minimum, reclamation/reuse of building materials. These buildings are often replaced with new construction that is out of scale and proportion to the community. Preservation Arlington urges citizens to adopt Local Historic District designations for their communities, with standards for design, height, and placement that could be customized to reflect community needs while still allowing reinvestment to occur.

Similarly, if you are a property owner and are contemplating a change to your property, Preservation Arlington encourages you to work with your architect or builder to consider how some or all of your house or building could be incorporated into a renovation, or the materials reused.