No to Accessory Dwellings in Arlington, Virginia

UPDATE: The County Board held a public hearing on the accessory dwelling propsal on Sat., July 19, 2008. Dozens of citizens testified against the proposal. Later that day, the Board voted 4-1 to approve the AD plan. But in view of intense public opposition, the Board limited approvals to 28 new units per year. The Accessory Dwelling propsal is effective January 1, 2009. This petition will remain open and will again be submitted to the Arlington County Board on January 1, 2009. (This petition was created on July 7, 2008)

To:  Arlington County Board

We, the undersigned, are opposed to the legalization of Accessory Dwellings in Arlington, Virginia. The proposed change would negatively affect the residents of Arlington, Virginia. We are opposed for the following reasons:

DENSITY (OVERCROWDING)
INCREASE ENROLLMENT TO OVERCROWDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
DECLINE OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOME VALUES
END OF SINGLE-FAMILY ZONING IN ARLINGTON
HARD TO ENFORCE ACCESSORY DWELLING LAWS

Furthermore, increasing density is not the solution to affordable housing. The creation of Accessory Dwellings will change the physical appearance of neighborhoods. Accessory Dwellings are not invisible; they are very visible to neighbors, whether in the basement or a detached dwelling. It creates additional cars, noise, garbage generation and people. In addition, accessory dwellings have potential for significant opportunities of abuse.

If affordable housing is the goal, the County Board owes it to the residents to review all the different ways that these goals can be met and develop a comprehensive plan to accomplish them other than the demise of single-family homes in Arlington.

Therefore, be it resolved that the Arlington County Board not legalize Accessory Dwellings in Arlington, Virginia.

We, the residents of Arlington, require our County Board to be responsive to concerns regarding our quality of life.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The No to Accessory Dwellings in Arlington, Virginia Petition to Arlington County Board was created by and written by Mirelli Cabrera (mirelli1031@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.