In January a total of fourteen demolition permits were applied for in Arlington County. One was for a garden style apartment building owned by AHC, an affordable housing provider in Arlington. The remaining thirteen were single family homes. All but one of the homes were in North Arlington. At least five of the homes were speculative developments.

Recent January numbers for comparison:
2020: 15
2019 21
2018 19
2017 9
2016 13
2015 22
2014 12.

Only three homes this month are located in the National Register Historic districts:

– 2610 16th Street North is in the Lyon Village National Register Historic District; – 612 22nd Street South is in the Aurora Highlands National Register Historic District; – 4534 15th Street North is in the Waverly Hills National Register Historic District.

Totals for 2021*
Homes: 13
– 3 are located in National Register Historic Districts
– 5 are speculative developments (owned by developers)
Garden Apartments: 1
Commercial Buildings: 0
Other Structures: 0
Civic Buildings: 0

• It remains unclear how to categorize demolition permits as the County is transitioning their permit system and demo permits have been under process review since December 1.

The pending demolition of these homes and buildings represents a 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.

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