The Arlington County Board is set to reconsider the First Baptist Church of Clarendon’s application to build a 10-story apartment complex on its site at the corner of North Highland and North Hartford streets.
The board is reconsidering the plan because the Virginia Supreme Court ruling last year overturned an Arlington County decision to allow a high-rise to be built on a low-density church property in Clarendon.
The court ruled the county should have taken an extra step to rezone the property from low to medium density before changing the zoning to high density.
If the board approves the plan, the church is permitted to build a structure with 116 units, a majority of which will be affordable-housing units.
The board is set to hear the church’s request again despite a recommendation from the county zoning board to delay action on the plan.
The Arlington County Civic Federation — a group comprising representatives from civic groups from around the county — has also registered objections to the plan.
The loudest objections, however, have come from neighbors of the site.
Mary Renkey, a resident who lives near the location, filed the suit that got the board’s original decision overturned.
Members of the Lyon Village Citizen Organization, which represents residents of a nearby neighborhood, are also voicing strong opposition to the plan.
Joan Rohlfing, a member of the group, said the County Board should delay its decision to give the community more time to understand the impact of the plan.
She said if approved, the plan would set bad legal and zoning precedents, allowing the county to rezone residential property for commercial uses.
“There hasn’t been an open and transparent and participatory process,” Rohlfing said. “We have a real process objection.”
“Why are they so hellbent on pushing this through with no time to answer questions on it and without providing the public with a paper trail?” she asked.
If the board acts on the proposal as planned, it will likely pass. In the past, board Chairman Paul Ferguson has been the only member to oppose the proposal.
