PRESS RELEASE: Clarendon Presbyterian Church to Be Demolished for High Rise Apartments

Posted

October 9, 2023

Written By

Audrey Clement

October 9, 2023.

I’m Audrey Clement, the Independent candidate for County Board on November 7, and I oppose the countywide Missing Middle upzoning that County Board legislated earlier this year.

If Missing Middle is upzoning on steroids, then a new plan hatched to further densify Clarendon is upzoning on opiates.

The Clarendon Presbyterian Church at 1305 North Jackson Street has submitted a plan to the County that would rezone the .89 acre site on which its historic church is located from single family residential to apartments.

The church intends to collaborate with Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) to tear down the existing 100 year old building and replace it with a 92 unit high rise for LBGTQ seniors (p. 6). The high rise would also accommodate a church and other existing uses, including a child care center.

The problem with this plan, according to land use attorney Tad Lunger at a Lyon Village Civic Association meeting on October 2, is that even under Missing Middle zoning the site would be limited to 3 6 unit multiplexes or 18 units total. Thus it is way out of line with the Clarendon Sector Plan, which concentrates development south of 13th Street.

If, however, the County approves the church’s application for a “spot” amendment to the General Land Use Plan (GLUP), the sky is the limit. The deal will also set a precedent whereby every other church property in the County–85 in number–can be re-glupped for high rise development.

Some Lyon Village residents oppose the project due to its impacts on an already densified neighborhood. But the congregation itself stands to cash in on the project despite its dubious legality.

For example, Lunger pointed out that there is no legal set aside for LBGTQ housing, and elder housing, which is recognized under the Zoning Ordinance, requires at least a one acre site (p. 6-10).

If elected I will oppose re-glupping the site of Clarendon Presbyterian Church for high rise development. I also pledge to:

  • Seek immediate tax relief for residents and businesses.
  • Emphasize basic services like: streets, schools, libraries and public safety.
  • Reduce the office vacancy rate by lobbying federal agencies to relocate here.

If you share my agenda, then:

  • Support my candidacy,
  • Donate to my campaign, and
  • Help make the “Arlington Way” more than an empty phrase.