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Public commenter warns county against swapping lot‑coverage rules for impervious‑area approach
Summary
Anne Bodine of Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future urged the commission to scrutinize the county’s low‑residential study, arguing proposed impervious‑area thresholds (40/45/50%) could allow larger building footprints on small lots and worsen stormwater and tree‑canopy outcomes.
At the beginning of the meeting, public commenter Anne Bodine presented slides and raised objections to a staff proposal in the county’s low‑residential study that would replace zoning lot‑coverage limits with a stormwater‑driven impervious‑area approach.
Bodine said the county’s July 15 updates propose impervious‑area tiers ("lower, middle, upper are 40, 45, and 50") and warned that on undersized R‑6 lots a 3,000‑square‑foot threshold could effectively permit 100% impervious coverage. "On the face of it, increasing impervious areas is contrary to the whole purpose of this," she said, arguing the change could increase building footprints and reduce tree protection. She urged the commission and staff to examine how the measure affects building footprints and tree conservation before staff brings a briefing to the commission.
Chair Cindy Lewin thanked Bodine and noted county staff have requested time on the September agenda to brief the commission on the low‑residential study. Bodine’s presentation will be part of the record for that future briefing.
