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BZA defers Lion Village addition after members raise massing and non‑conforming garage concerns
Summary
Homeowners seeking to connect their house to an existing garage and add two stories were told to redesign: the BZA deferred the proposal to Sept. 16, 2026, citing concerns about creating a tall mass over a long‑standing nonconforming garage and a lack of comparable precedents in staff analysis.
The Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals deferred a controversial renovation request for 3135 17th Street North (Lion Village) to its September 16 meeting after prolonged discussion about massing, setbacks and an existing non‑conforming garage.
Owners Joshua and Charlotte Campbell requested multiple setback variances and a two‑story connection between the main house and an existing garage. Applicants told the board the goal was to add living space, move laundry out of a basement and avoid demolishing the existing garage. They said many neighbors had expressed support and that retaining the garage and tying the house to it preserved existing structure and neighborhood continuity.
Staff said the combined package of street, side and rear reliefs created a resulting mass and setback pattern the agency could not find in comparable examples in the neighborhood. Several board members singled out the proposal’s plan to build above the long‑standing non‑conforming garage as the primary difficulty: turning an existing non‑conforming element into a taller, two‑story, contiguous mass would, members said, produce a scale unlike nearby properties.
“Building over a non‑conforming garage and then creating a solid two‑story mass along that side really changes the massing of the street,” one board member observed, adding that absent the garage component the project might have been closer to a by‑right or approvable plan. Others suggested the case could be suitable for a variance process or a redesigned submission that reduces encroachments and better matches neighborhood setbacks.
Given the number of interrelated relief requests and the novelty of the garage‑over build, the board voted to defer the matter to September 16 to allow a redesign and renewed outreach; the motion for deferral passed unanimously. The applicants said they would use the extra time to consider design revisions and gather additional neighbor endorsements.
The deferral means the project will return to the BZA’s agenda after summer and provides applicants a clear list of concerns to address: reduce the garage‑over massing, re‑examine the side/rear encroachments, and submit revised drawings and fresh neighborhood outreach documentation.
