On July 31, 2024, Arlington County previewed upcoming policy changes for adaptive reuse projects. The county’s current intent is to limit the policy to projects that change the principal use (such as office to residential) with minimal changes to the building exterior, the site and existing density.
The county will likely consider building repositioning (maintaining the existing use but making substantial improvements to the site and building) and redevelopment (changing the principal use and doing ground-up redevelopment) policies in 2025.
The county’s intent is to develop a streamlined entitlement process for adaptive reuse projects. As contemplated, adaptive reuse projects would be approved in a considerably shorter timeframe than a standard 4.1 site plan project under current county policy.
The county anticipates that the county board could adopt the new adaptive reuse policy in October/November with corresponding zoning amendments approved in late fall/winter 2024.
You can review the county’s presentation here and watch the associated video here.
To discuss the adaptive reuse policy and opportunities under existing and evolving policy guidance, please reach out to a member of the Real Estate and Land Use team.