Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of public policy issues and headlines from around the Northern Virginia Region, the Commonwealth, and Capitol Hill.
by Danielle Finley, Associate Director of Political Engagement
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: 1. Counties and states are ending single-family zoning. Homeowners are suing 2. Racial equity arguments raised in NAACP filing on Missing Middle lawsuit 3. County supervisors forward plan to eliminate by-right data center zoning 4. U.S. Expanding Crackdown On Foreign Real Estate Deals Near Military Bases 5. Virginia is America’s Top State for Business in 2024, with the nation’s best schools and solid infrastructure.
By TEA ARMUS, The Washington Post
With the future of single-family-only zoning in Arlington on the line, their lawsuit points to how the push-and-pull over this suburban vision for land use — long considered gospel in many communities — is moving from city halls and state legislatures to the courts. Arlington’s “missing middle” plan, which follows similar efforts in Minneapolis, California and Portland, Ore., was initially proposed to create denser housing options in this expensive locality. (The median home price in Arlington was about $760,000 over the past year.)
By DANIEL EGITTO, Arlington Now
As the much-anticipated Missing Middle trial began this week, the Arlington NAACP is arguing that the case has wide-ranging implications for racial equity. In a 55-page amicus brief filed in advance of opening statements on Monday, the local NAACP chapter argued that single-family zoning has racist origins and that undoing Missing Middle would be a step backward for racial progress.
“Plaintiffs claim that Arlington County’s decision to reform its exclusionary zoning scheme was arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable,” the organization wrote. “In light of the history and harms of Arlington’s prior zoning policies, and the benefits of making them less restrictive and more inclusive, the County’s decision is reasonable beyond any fair debate.”
By JESS KIRBY, Loudoun Times-Mirror
The data center capital of the world may enact new restrictions on data center development as soon as February 2025.
By KAYLA CARMICHEAL, Bis Now
Foreign real estate activity near military installations could be put under more scrutiny, according to a new proposal set forth by the Biden administration. The Proposal by the Treasury Department is intended to block land acquisitions from foreign investors that could be deemed a national security threat.
With the nation’s best education system and policies that give companies room — both literally and figuratively — to grow, Virginia is America’s Top State for Business in 2024. This is the Old Dominion’s sixth time at the top of CNBC’s rankings, and its third win in five years — a record unmatched by any other state since the study began in 2007. In a rare feat this year, Virginia finishes in the top half or better in each of the study’s 10 categories.