The Arlington County Board on Dec. 16 approved a rezoning and Unified Commercial/Mixed‑Use Development (UCMUD) use permit to convert a vacant four‑story office at 3138 10th Street N. (Clarendon) into a five‑story Lockup self‑storage facility with ground‑floor retail.

Staff described the project as consistent with the Clarendon sector plan’s service‑commercial guidance and noted design steps to mimic a smaller residential building at the sidewalk, expand streetscape widths, add street trees, provide 18 parking spaces and three loading docks, and widen part of the public alley by 3 feet. To earn additional density the applicant agreed to a $1,000,000 contribution to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF). Planning and transportation commissions recommended approval; planning voted unanimously and asked staff to study expanding allowable storage uses countywide.

Residents in nearby Lion Park and Ashton Heights voiced opposition at hearings and before the Board, raising two central concerns: (1) apparent concentration of storage facilities in the Clarendon area (residents cited two nearby facilities), and (2) potential pedestrian and circulation impacts from loading and overflow parking on North Irving Street. Residents asked for a detailed loading‑management plan, cumulative impact analysis and stronger curb enforcement; staff and the applicant said the use generates comparatively low trip rates (even distribution throughout the day), that final loading and operations management plans are required as conditions of the permit, and that the applicant committed to an energy‑use performance benchmark and bird‑friendly glass.

Board members acknowledged neighborhood concerns but also noted the property is currently underused; several members said the proposed design, alley loading and the AHIF contribution were mitigating factors. The Board adopted the manager’s recommendation, approving the rezoning and use permit subject to the staff conditions discussed in the record. The motion passed unanimously.

Key figures and commitments recorded in the hearing include: a $1,000,000 AHIF contribution to obtain additional density; the applicant’s estimate of about $130,000 in incremental annual real‑estate tax revenue once stabilized; streetscape improvements to 14‑foot width along 10th Street; three required loading docks in the alley; and an energy use intensity performance benchmark tied to reporting.

The permit includes conditions requiring a final parking/operations management plan and ongoing compliance with the county’s green‑building/energy benchmarks.