About Us

Arlingtonians concerned about rapid growth and urbanization in mid-2019 formed an educational and advocacy group, Arlingtonians for our Sustainable Future (ASF) to engage the community and elected leaders of the county. 

ASF believes that before the county considers zoning changes to increase density, and as we adapt to a new identity as a hi-tech corridor, we should understand likely long-term impacts and modify growth policies best suited to a sustainable community. 

"Weigh in before you are squeezed out."

-Peter Rousselot, ASF

ASF Presentations:

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ASF has presented its views and requests for action to a number of groups active in the county, beginning with introductory presentations in October 2019.  In late 2019 and early 2020, ASF made presentations to county commissions, to civic associations and business and civic organizations.  Four members of ASF also presented in-depth reviews of the organization's key issues at ASF's first large public meeting at the Central Library on February 24, 2020.  (Presentations from this event, on Environment, Infrastructure, and Development and Missing Middle Housing are posted on our Key Issues pages).  After a brief interval due to Covid-19, ASF resumed (virtual) engagements with a few civic associations in July 2020 and will continue these through Fall 2020.  In September 2020, ASF presented its views on key issues, with an emphasis on Missing Middle Housing, to the Arlington County Board.  That presentation is included in our "official requests" section directly below.

Resources: 

• Presentation for ASF Public Meeting, What Do New Density Plans Mean for Me? Peter Rousselot, YouTube video, June 2021

• Presentation to Arlington View Civic Association, Peter Rousselot, YouTube video, February 2021

• Presentation to Lyon Park and Yorktown Civic Associations, Peter Rousselot, slides, January 2021

• Presentation and Q&A with Boulevard Manor Civic Association, Peter Rousselot, YouTube video, September 10, 2020

• September 2020 Presentation to Civic Associations, Peter Rousselot (slides)

• October 2019 Presentation to the Arlington County Civic Federation, Peter Rousselot, (slides)

• ​The Impact of Accelerated Development on Arlington's Schools, Environment and Budget, Peter Rousselot, YouTube video, October 3, 2019

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ASF Official Requests to (and replies from) Arlington County:

2020

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• ASF March 20, 2021 Request that the Board Reject Agenda Item #35, Bonus Density for Builders Providing 100% affordable Housing in Multi-Family Zones

(County Board reply can be viewed here)

• ASF January 5, 2021 Concerns about Objectivity of Missing Middle Survey

                                         Attachment to ASF Letter on Missing Middle Survey of Jan 5

,              March 16, 2021 - Arlington County Board Reply to ASF Concerns about Missing Middle Study

• ASF Dec 12, 2020 Request for Fiscal Planning Tools for County Development, County Board Meeting Public Comment (slide presentation for public comments by Charles Henkin)

  • Dec 17, 2020 ASF Follow-up Letter on Fiscal Planning Pursuant to Dec 12 Comments to the Board

  • January 24, 2021, Arlington County Board Reply to ASF Concerns on Fiscal Planning Tools

  • ASF Feb 1, 2021 Letter to Board Member Garvey to Follow Up on Fiscal Planning Presentation of Dec 2020

  • ASF June 2, 2021 Letter/email to Board Chair de Ferranti Following up on Fiscal Planning and Proffer System for Arlington County

  • ASF July 17, 2021 Public Comments to the Board Reiterating Request for Fiscal Planning Tools

  • ASF July 26, 2021 Follow-Up Letter to Acting County Attorney on Adoption Fiscal Planning Tools and Proffer System for Development

• ASF Dec 12, 2020 Request to Reject Amending Green Building Bonus Density, County Board Meeting Agenda Item #34 (written comments prepared for delivery by Jim Schulman)

• ASF Nov 14, 2020  Request for Fiscal Analysis for Merion Pike West Development, County Board Meeting Agenda Item #35  (slide presentation by Arlington Analytics Dr. Jon Huntley of Arlington Analytics)

• ASF Oct 17, 2020     Request to Reject Expansion of Affordable Home Ownership Program for Columbia Pike Form-Based Code to Higher Income Households, County Board Meeting Agenda Item #47 (video presentation by ASF's Anne Bodine)

• ASF Oct 16, 2020     Request to Reject Staff Expansion of Affordable Home Ownership Program for  Columbia Pike Form Based Code to Higher Income Households, County Board Meeting Agenda Item #47 (letter)

• ASF Sept 12, 2020   Concerns at the Launch of Missing Middle Housing Initiative, Arlington County Board Meeting (video presentation by ASF's Anne Bodine and Board reply)

• ASF Sept 8, 2020     Request to Revise Design of Donaldson Run Tributary B Restoration  

 Sep 11, 2020    Reply from Arlington County Manager on Donaldson Run Tributary B Restoration 

• ASF July 28, 2020    Request to Amend Missing Middle Process to Improve Community Engagement

Aug 27, 2020    Reply from Arlington County Board re Missing Middle and Community Engagement 

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• July 18, 2020    Request to Consider Affordability Constraints on Missing Middle Housing (video presentation by Dr. Audrey Clement and Board reply)

• ASF May 15, 2020    Request to Reject Amended SPRC and LRPC Covid Emergency Review Process

​May 15, 2020    Reply from Arlington Board on Continuity of Governance/Special Planning Process Amendments

• ASF April 24, 2020   Request to Halt Certain Land-Use Decisions During Pandemic

May 6, 2020      Reply from Arlington County Board on Land-Use Decisions During Pandemic

• ASF April 2, 2020     Request to Defer Missing Middle Study During Covid-19 Pandemic

May 6, 2020      Reply from Arlington County Board on Missing Middle Study Deferral

• ASF March 19, 2020 Request to Arlington County to Purchase Rouse Property on Wilson Blvd.

April 27, 2020    Replies from Arlington County Board on Rouse Property Purchase

ASF Official Requests to (and replies from) non-County Entities:

2020

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• ASF July 20, 2020   Informational Letter to the Trust for Public Land re Arlington County Parkland Ranking

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ASF Platform

We Have a Problem

Don’t let Arlington become the next Houston

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The County is moving to rapidly accelerate growth. Plans to eliminate single-family zoning and other zoning changes would transform Arlington from an urban village to a paved metropolis. Changes will leave us increasingly vulnerable to disastrous flooding and escalating taxes. Leaders have not fully informed us of the magnitude of these plans, quantified costs or addressed consequences.

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Spurred by July 2019 flooding, Arlingtonians for our Sustainable Future (ASF) organized to provide education and advocacy in our community.  We stand for informed citizen democracy.  Before enacting further zoning changes that will increase density, our community needs to understand and address consequences.

A sustainable future for Arlington must start with our watershed and the needs of our existing communities. Decisions must be based not on unproven assumptions, but on analysis, clear community understanding of costs and benefits of densification and a broad range of citizen preferences. 

Before adopting zoning changes that would increase density, the County should: 

1

Adopt a flooding and land use plan utilizing an accepted floodplain management tool, based on understanding of root flooding causes, their relationship to development, our watershed’s carrying capacity in the face of climate change and what we must do to prevent flooding in the future.

2

Adopt available community planning tools (such as the TischlerBise fiscal impact tool) to assess both costs and benefits of different development scenarios, including assessing fiscal impacts on our capital and operating budgets and infrastructure impacts (such as to storm water management).

3

Create a ten-year projected county operating budget to consider potential population and revenue scenarios.