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Notes: Zoning for Housing opponents sue City of Alexandria over single-family zoning change

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🚨 You need to know

Anti-Zoning for Housing sign in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A group of opponents to the Zoning for Housing policy last year, which ended single-family housing zoning among other changes, has filed a lawsuit over the case.

The lawsuit was filed in the Alexandria Circuit Court and argues the city violated its charter and the Virginia Constitution by not showing the impact on the real estate market or city infrastructure. The lawsuit says the Zoning for Housing policy “fails to provide any insight, projections, or substance as to what the purchasing and rental market will look like after development.”

According to the lawsuit:

The Zoning Amendments make traditional single-family neighborhoods more accessible to developers, who are likely the ones that have benefited from those generational impacts.

If taken advantage of, the Zoning Amendments will undeniably allow for development that will achieve higher density through increased housing diversity in current low-density areas.

The lawsuit follows a similar one filed in Arlington over the Missing Middle zoning ordinances. Just last week, Arlington County lost a pretrial appeal in that case to have it thrown out.

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