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Resident warns Arlington commission that lot-coverage study could increase impervious area
Summary
A resident told the Forestry and Natural Resources Commission that staff scenarios in the low-residential lot-coverage study could allow more development and raise impervious surface, risking tree canopy loss and increased stormwater runoff.
Anne Bodine, a Line Park resident, used the commission's public-comment slot to urge commissioners to scrutinize the county's newly released low-residential lot-coverage study. Bodine said staff scenarios could expand development on lots smaller than the R-6 minimum, potentially adding "about 75 more acres" of developable land and increasing impervious surface in places where the county intends to reduce it.
Bodine singled out several elements she called "crazy ideas," including revising the minimum buildable rules for R-6 lots, removing a zoning lot-coverage limit, and setting an upper-limit rule that would allow 50% of minimum lot size as impervious surface (which she said would translate to "3,000 square feet in R6" and could produce near-100% impervious coverage on some lots). She urged commissioners to take time to review the technical details before staff briefs the commission in the fall.
Chair Carolyn said staff will share Bodine's slides with the commission; commissioners asked staff to address her and other public comments when the study returns for further review. The commission did not take any formal action on the study at the July 23 meeting; members asked staff to ensure the September briefing addresses specific questions raised by Bodine and another written commenter.
