Plan Langston Boulevard

Existing Conditions Analysis Report Economic Vitality

• The Langston Boulevard economy is diverse, with a wide range of neighborhood-serving business types.
• Roughly 25% of ground floor businesses offer a dining or food and beverage experience.
• Langston Boulevard has low vacancy and low turnover thanks to:
  • high traffic that exposes businesses to thousands of customers daily,
  • a mix of local-serving businesses and services, and
  • moderate rents.
• Because of high occupancy and lack of available space, there is little room to add new retail concepts in the short term. There is a need to create more space (through parcel assemblage, owner cooperation, etc.), particularly for destination centers.
• Residents along the corridor have a higher household median income, a higher share of owner-occupied housing, and a larger household size (compared to broader Arlington County).
• National and local trends that could influence the business mix and new opportunities along the corridor include:
  • advances in computers, automation, and artificial intelligence;
  • an increase in freelance workers;
  • the need for flexible spaces that can adapt to a variety of commercial needs;
  • a decline in retail jobs; and
  • a need for integrating shopping with other consumer experiences where food, culture, education and wellness are blended.
• Establishing creditworthiness for new businesses and proving new business models in a changing marketplace can create risk for building owners.
• Redevelopment along the corridor may create difficult conditions for existing smaller businesses. 

Arlington County, like many neighboring jurisdictions, has a shortage of housing—apartments, condos, detached homes, townhouses, and duplexes—for low- and middle-income community members due to high land values and construction costs. Under the current zoning, there is a limit on the housing types permitted along Langston Boulevard. In addition, did you know that rowhouses, such as those found in historic Glebewood and several other locations beyond Langston Boulevard, were banned for 30 years after the County amended the Zoning Ordinance in 1938 and found that rowhouses “detracted” from the single-family character of the County? That is one reason why this housing is less prevalent in the County today.

Expanding housing options enables equitable access for people of all races, ages, and income levels, including housing for residents who want to age in place, young families, and people with disabilities. New housing will provide better access to services for all populations, helping to reduce disparities and enhancing individual opportunity and wellbeing.  

Separate from Plan Langston Boulevard, Arlington County is conducting the Missing Middle Housing Study to explore how new housing types could help address the County’s shortfall in housing supply and gaps in housing choices. 

Embracing land use changes and new development increases housing supply, creates more housing choices, and improves affordability. More homes along the corridor will also provide the ridership needed to support investments in more frequent transit service, enhanced amenities, pedestrian improvements, and dedicated bicycle infrastructure. 

Aging in Place 

Many seniors indicate that they would prefer to age in place. The physical environment within the study area—including existing conditions that separate residential and commercial areas, the absence of adequate transportation services, and limited accessible housing—presents barriers to elder health and wellbeing. Paratransit service is key for older adults to stay autonomous and engaged in their community.  

Market-rate Affordable Housing Units (MARKs) and Committed Affordable Units (CAFs) 

The Affordable Housing Master Plan’s (AHMP) goal for Langston Boulevard is to achieve 2,500 affordable units (MARKs and CAFs with rents at or below 60% AMI) by 2040. MARKs are market-rate affordable housing units that have “naturally occurring” rents that are affordable to low- and moderate-income households by virtue of the age, location, condition, or amenities of the properties. There is no guarantee that these homes will remain affordable to lower-income households. As of FY 2021, there were 538 MARKs (at or below 60% AMI) along the corridor. COVID-19 caused an increase in MARKs due to rent rates decreasing. Rents are rebounding quickly, though, so it is likely that the number of MARKs will fall again this year. Some neighborhoods in the study area feature smaller homes, however, many have been torn down, renovated, and re-built with expensive large houses. In addition, some garden apartments have been torn down and replaced with new apartments—using existing by-right zoning standards—without community review or the inclusion of County- and community-desired features that could have been achieved had the projects gone through public review like we envision in the future, according to the Plan for Langston Boulevard. 

A few nonprofit affordable housing providers own properties along Langston Boulevard and have worked with the County to provide committed affordable units, or CAFs. CAFs are guaranteed to remain affordable for an extended period of time subject to both rent restrictions and income restrictions for tenants. CAFs can also be incorporated into market-rate developments creating a mixed-income living environment. As of FY 2021, there were 266 CAFs along the corridor. Senior housing at Hunter’s Part Apartments in Cherrydale accounts for 74 of these CAFs. Most of the other 188 CAFs are in garden apartment buildings that could be redeveloped, following new PLB guidance, to create even more affordable units in the corridor. 

In total, as of FY 2021, there were approximately 800 affordable units, including both MARKs and CAFs, along the corridor—nearly 30 percent of the County’s AHMP goal. Bridging the gap of approximately 1,700 affordable units to meet the goal is a big endeavor. 

The plan for Langston Boulevard will guide public and private investments, including the development of new residential, mixed-use, and infill residential development with the aim of addressing housing demand and diversifying housing opportunities for all ages and incomes. Specifically, the plan will: 

According to the 2016 Visioning Study Report, the plan for Langston Boulevard will encourage a range of housing choices to meet the needs of families, students, and older adults who wish to stay in place, as well as support living closer to transit, jobs, shopping, services, and universities. 

The housing recommendations in the report include:  

Goal: Transform Langston Boulevard and its neighborhoods into a walkable environment with context‐sensitive buildings 

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Winston Churchill 

In the past 100 years, building form has been influenced by the need to accommodate cars. Less emphasis has been placed on defining spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists, resulting in buildings and spaces that could be almost anywhere. The buildings we live and work in have an impact on our health and wellbeing. We should construct and manage them responsibly—using natural resources when possible, meeting energy goals, and contributing to effective stormwater management. 

The placement of buildings—their scale, orientation, and aesthetics; how vehicles move and park around them; and their relationship to each other—becomes an integral part of land use discussions. Establishing guidance for building form can help development fit into context, ensuring it engages with streets and creates a transition in scale, height, and character appropriate for the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. There is a wide array of building forms in the Plan Langston Boulevard study area, often defined by their parking configurations and requirements, which makes planning more difficult. Only certain parcels along Langston Boulevard are large enough to accommodate new development with appropriate building scale to meet mixed-use formats and contemporary building design for residential development, as well as building mass transitions, parking, and landscape buffers.  

The Plan envisions transforming Langston Boulevard into a main street—bringing buildings closer to the street and moving parking to the rear of the site or underground to create welcoming spaces for people to walk and bike. The plan for Langston Boulevard will: 

Community benefits and improvements cannot be provided by the public sector alone. It will take collaboration between landowners and the County to share responsibilities and establish a mutually beneficial outcome. 

Existing by-right development has not always been embraced by the community and has done little to meet Plan Langston Boulevard’s goals. Many parcels along the corridor are small, constrained, and frequently under individual ownership, making consolidation a challenge in the absence of development incentives. The County’s special exception process could achieve some improvements and benefits but has additional costs and an extensive public review process that can make it infeasible. In addition, smaller parcels mean some amenities and infrastructure improvements remain out of reach, which could result in less cohesive improvements from block to block.  

We are working to guide and achieve predictable development along Langston Boulevard. Changes will allow additional building height if landowners provide greater community benefits and improvements than would be provided through by-right development. Height and density above by-right zoning levels can incentivize property owners to assemble parcels where needed and invest in high-performance development that benefits the community and meets Plan Langston Boulevard’s goals. Consolidation of properties fronting the corridor can, for example, establish a cohesive streetscape with underground utilities, separated pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and additional open space. It can also deliver committed affordable units (CAFs), enhanced stormwater management, higher architectural quality, and energy efficient buildings.  

Results of By‐Right Development along Langston Boulevard 

According to the 2016 Visioning Study Report, the plan for Langston Boulevard will strengthen neighborhoods by emphasizing unique architectural character, public space activities, and sensitive transitions.

The building form recommendations in the report include:

• Encouraging high level activity and visual appeal at the ground level
• Defining levels of intensity and specific building height parameters along corridor
• Smoothing height transitions between commercial and residential uses
• Promoting distinct neighborhood character through architectural design
• Maintaining existing residential character in residential sections along corridor, as well as areas adjacent to residential neighborhoods
• Creating ample sidewalks, high-quality landscaping, and intuitive wayfinding
• Considering alternative parking solutions (e.g., on-street, rear, shared, public, structured) 

Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are travelling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders. The concept of Complete Streets encompasses many approaches to planning, designing, and operating roadways and rights of way with all users in mind to make the transportation network safer and more efficient. -U.S. Department of Transportation

2016 Visioning Study Report Building Form

Existing Conditions Analysis Report Building Form

Neighborhood Inspiration Report  Building Form

As reported in the Neighborhood Inspiration Report (see also the NIR Appendix), community desires include improved conditions for walking and biking, and improved and increased transit services. The community identified the following transportation- and connectivity-related priorities:

Area 1: Arlington East Falls Church

• Create wider sidewalks and safer crossings
• Add pedestrian cut-throughs that make east-west connections easier and the street network walkable
• Purposefully slow traffic to make the bridge over I-66 pedestrian and bike friendly
• Complete sidewalks in neighborhoods
• Add protected bike lanes, safer crossings, and reduce travel lanes
• Educate drivers about sharing the road with cyclists
• Add Capital Bikeshare stations
• Improve connections to W&OD trail for bicyclists
• Extend transit hours, increase frequency, and keep it reasonably priced
• Improve bus stop amenities and access
• Plan for both current and emerging modes of travel

Area 2: John M. Langston, Yorktown, Tara Leeway Heights, Leeway Overlee

• Make sidewalks accessible and consistent
• Improve safety and experience using lights, trees, benches, signage, lower speed limits, and four-way stops
• Use median strips for pedestrian stop points, beautification, and planting for stormwater
• Improve crossing safety through signalization, increased road markings, and new crossings
• Add parallel walking or biking routes to avoid the need to be on Langston Boulevard
• Request County control of Langston Boulevard
• Create policy that requires changes to driveways and streetscape
• Add protected bike lanes, bikeshare stations, and bike parking, and create connections to existing trails
• Increase ART service, improve bus stops, consider bus rapid transit, and improve access to transit hubs
• Reduce speed limits

Area 3: Waverly Hills, Donaldson Run, Old Dominion, Glebewood, Waycroft Woodlawn

• Improve pedestrian experience and safety by improving streetscapes, adding trees, improving lighting, reducing speed limits, reducing curb cuts and driveways, widening sidewalks, and burying power lines
• Rebalance space allocated to cars with space for bicyclists and pedestrians
• Increase separation between pedestrians and cars, particularly on routes to schools
• Add north/south connections to Custis Trail, bike parking at bus stops, and Capital Bikeshare
• Add protected bike lanes on, and bike paths parallel to, Langston Boulevard and Old Dominion Drive
• Provide additional crosswalks and make them safer and accessible for wheelchairs and scooters
• Improve bus stops, increase frequency of service, and add wayfinding for walkability from each stop
• Provide circulator services that connect to Metro and other key destinations
• Add dedicated bus lanes on major arterials

Area 4: Cherrydale Maywood

• Improve safety by creating continuous sidewalks in neighborhoods, safe routes, and crossings to Dorothy Hamm Middle School, lowering the speed limit, and using clearer road markings for different road uses
• Add protected bike lanes, improve bike path lighting, and widen sidewalks on local streets
• Install e-bike lockers at transit stops
• Plan for dockless bikes and scooters, including spaces for parking
• Increase bus frequency, give signal prioritization, and add dedicated lanes at peak travel times
• Consider flexible and adaptable buses, such as smaller buses that use less resources during off peak times

Area 5: North Highlands Lyon Village

• Prioritize sidewalk improvements on routes that connect to schools and parks
• Underground utilities and improve streetscape with more trees and other greenery
• Enhance safety by widening sidewalks, reducing speed, adding traffic calming measures, providing pedestrian islands, narrowing and removing lanes, and providing better signage, lighting, signaling, and intersection marking
• Complete gaps in the bike network, including improving connections to trails and green spaces along Spout Run and GW Parkway, and adding protected bike lanes, particularly from Veitch to Adams streets
• Consider demand and safety together (cyclists and pedestrians do not mix on commuter routes)
• Remove the slip lane at Spout Run Pkwy
• Create useful connections, easier transfers, more frequent bus service, fewer stops, and improve bus stop amenities
• Increase variety of transit offered, including circulators and mini-buses 

Land Use Scenario Analysis Building Form

Goal: Ensure that the Langston Boulevard community is connected to and well served by a diverse mix of public spaces and adequate schools and public facilities that balance community needs

An integrated network of public schools, facilities, and spaces promotes a community’s wellbeing and strengthens its economic viability.

Public spaces along Langston Boulevard will be created by preserving and maximizing existing spaces while guiding the development of new spaces—resulting in a balanced and efficient network that is both inclusive and sustainable. The Langston Boulevard community has asked for additional indoor and outdoor gathering places with flexible uses and better connectivity to destinations. A successful network of public spaces along the corridor will support recreation and leisure activities, environmental infrastructure, economic development, and social interaction while encouraging walking and biking to promote a healthy lifestyle.

The life of community is supported by social hubs, a walkable cluster of public facilities, parks, plazas, or other public spaces, and neighborhood shops and businesses. With guided development over time, the area surrounding the current Lee Heights Shops, near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Langston Boulevard, is one location where such social hubs could exist to provide new amenities to neighbors and businesses.

Planning for public schools, facilities, and spaces along Langston Boulevard, however, cannot be done in isolation. We must consider the entire array of County needs, access to facilities, and available resources. We must monitor growth along the corridor, while examining Countywide needs and opportunities to steward public resources and maintain flexibility over time to adapt to growth cycles and changing demographics in all planning corridors.

Public Space

The first priority of the 2019 Public Spaces Master Plan (PSMP) is adding at least 30 acres of new public space by 2029. The PSMP calls for the expansion of public spaces in corridors with adopted plans, which will eventually include Langston Boulevard, and the integration of biophilic elements to promote health and biodiversity.

To serve the growing population along the corridor, additional open spaces for recreation and social interaction will be needed. While there are already several public parks throughout the study area, a variety of spaces within walking distance are needed for both personal wellbeing and to strengthen the economic vitality of ground-floor commercial uses.

Proposed public spaces will be in strategic locations and achieved through redevelopment that meets planning goals. We envision different-sized spaces that function to support a variety of activities.

Public Schools

Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools (APS) will continue to monitor enrollment needs as redevelopment occurs along Langston Boulevard. APS, along with the County, will carefully study student enrollment from new housing to determine school needs, such as upgrades, new facilities, or other measures. Planning staff reports APS data on the estimated number of students from proposed housing when reviewing site plan applications to inform the decision-making process during Commission and County Board review.

As a standard, APS projects student enrollment for 10 years into the future. Enrollment projections are updated annually, and are based on resident births, enrollment trends, and anticipated student yield from future residential properties in approved development projects and 10-year housing forecasts.

APS uses many strategies to address school-capacity challenges, including the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and Arlington Facilities and Student Accommodation Plan (AFSAP), to determine the level, timing, and location of future school seat needs. For example, Cardinal Elementary School was a CIP-identified project that was constructed in the 2021-2022 School Year and added 747 permanent school seats.

Public Facilities

As the community grows, so does the need for community centers, libraries, government offices, and the public safety and human services facilities that serve residents, visitors, and businesses. Public facilities for core support services, such as County operations functions and the storage of critical equipment and materials needed to deliver consistent County services, are also needed.

Currently, there are three community centers—LAC (formerly the Lee Arts Center), Langston Brown, and Dawson Terrace--that serve as gathering spaces. Additional public facilities include historic Cherrydale Library, as well as Fire Station 8 in John M. Langston, Fire Station 6 in East Falls Church, and Fire Station 3 in Cherrydale.

There are many community needs to meet with relatively little available land for the renovation, expansion, or construction of public facilities. In the future, public facilities can be located within private development or as standalone buildings. Public facilities with flexible spaces that can be adapted to accommodate multiple programs and services and other future needs, as outlined in the PSMP, will be key.

The plan for Langston Boulevard will :

• Propose a network of interconnected new and existing public spaces, within a 5- to 10-minute walk of residential areas, to serve the growing population, create a sense of place, enable gatherings, and plant trees
• Identify public projects that could be included in the Capital Improvement Plan to manage growth and maintain facilities
• Identify locations for social hubs
• Identify areas to create or expand access to public parks, consistent with the policies of the PSMP
• Achieve different types of public spaces of varying scales and character to serve a range of age groups and activities
• Designate overland relief areas in new open spaces where runoff can be detained or slowed to reduce downstream flooding
• Use public spaces, along with historic buildings, public art, and other design elements, to create a sense of place and connect people to nearby significant historic and cultural resources
• Establish guidelines for achieving new open space at street level or on roof tops
• Identify future opportunities for public-private partnerships if new public facilities are needed
• Identify options for providing core County support services along the corridor 

According to the 2016 Visioning Study Report, the plan for Langston Boulevard will include additional public open spaces to support growth in mixed-use nodes and feature new community spaces that are integrated into a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly environment. Recommendations in the report include:

Public Spaces:

• Create walkable/bikeable network of new and existing neighborhood open spaces and social gathering places
• Refresh and connect existing destinations (e.g., recreation facilities, schools, natural areas)
• Provide art in public spaces
• Provide spaces for active and passive recreation serving a range of age groups and families
• Embrace streetscapes as an important element of public space

Public Schools and Facilities:

• Continue to pursue joint County/Community Studies of potential future use of Fire Station 8. (Note: The Fire Station 8 project has moved to the design phase. Learn more)
• Monitor growth to assess and adequately plan for future schools and other public facilities, including core support services. 

The County’s existing inventory of educational, recreational, and cultural assets (land and buildings) have been evaluated to explore opportunities for acquisition, expansion, renovation, redevelopment, consolidation, and co-location of uses. The Existing Conditions Analysis Report  shared that in the Langston Boulevard planning area:

• Public schools are close to or exceeding capacity and will continue to experience increases in enrollment as growth occurs both in and outside the study area. (Note: There is now more capacity within the schools in the Planning Study Area than there was when this report was created. Learn more.)
• Public facilities are interspersed along the corridor providing cultural, recreational, and public safety amenities.
• Public facilities are in various conditions and there is no flexible space available for other County operational needs, such as storage of equipment and materials.
• Public spaces are also interspersed throughout the corridor and complemented by privately owned, publicly accessible open spaces to form a network of minimally connected places where people can meet
• Public schools, facilities, and spaces are interconnected, but there are physical barriers—challenging street crossings, steep grade transitions, lack of sidewalks and bike lanes, poor wayfinding, and dead-end streets―hindering access.
• Langston Boulevard itself is the most significant barrier, separating neighborhoods from nearby public schools, facilities, and spaces. 

According to the 2016 Visioning Study Report, the plan for Langston Boulevard will help maintain a unique sense of place through the preservation of significant historic sites. The historic and cultural resources recommendations in the report include:

• Use cultural resources to inform the planning of destinations and amenities.
• Preserve and integrate historic buildings and sites into future development as a coordinated part of planning.
• Incorporate historic buildings or commemorative art into the design of new community open spaces.
• Preserve and celebrate historic and cultural resources and neighborhoods by organizing events, tours, and activities that educate about heritage.
• Identify architecture and other elements that comprise the character and make up the Langston Boulevard corridor. 

The Existing Conditions Analysis Report, released in November 2019, provided an initial overview of local, state, and national historic sites along the corridor. It also indicated that a Cultural Resources Survey was being conducted at the same time (Jan. 2019 – Feb. 2020) to identify resources that increase public understanding and appreciation for the corridor’s architectural and cultural history, and to provide preservation recommendations consistent with the Historic Preservation Master Plan and Historic Resources Index.

The ECA shared that:

• There are 12 historic resources (four individual properties and eight historic districts) listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) that are wholly or partially in the study area. Among these are the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department, Highland Park-Overlee Knolls Historic District, Stratford Junior High School, and Waverly Hills Historic District.
• There are 7 Local Historic Districts (6 individual properties and 1 district) that are wholly or partially in the study area. Among these are Calloway Church, Dawson-Bailey House, and Eastman-Fenwick House.
• The Cultural Resources Survey of 120 resources would research significant non-traditional resources such as places, people, events, and stories, in addition to buildings.
• The resources were selected from the sources and/or priorities listed below:
  • Historic Resource Inventory (HRI)
  • Legacy Businesses
  • African American Resources
  • Civil War Forts
  • Parks, Recreation, Public Spaces, and Community Facilities
  • Properties with frontage on Langston Boulevard
  • Modern Architecture 

Sustainability and Resilience

Goal: Transform Langston Boulevard into a “Green” corridor with street trees, increased landscaping and pervious surfaces, and environmentally sustainable and energy efficient buildings.

By 2050, Langston Boulevard will become a “Green Main Street” that is climate facing—focusing on environmentally sustainable, adaptive, and resilient forward-looking policies—with buildings and public spaces designed for the mitigation and management of long-term climate impacts.

Growth, demand, and climate change impose new and growing challenges to the desirability, function, and endurance of communities. There is an opportunity now to plan for future growth that is climate-facing and achieves diverse interconnected priorities, including green infrastructure, public space, nature-based solutions to support development, housing, placemaking, public transit, and an inclusive community. To increase environmental sustainability and resilience along the corridor and achieve the County’s carbon neutrality goal, we must manage stormwater effectively, promote mass transit and walkability, and reduce energy demand.

Flooding impacts have been felt Countywide and in many places along the corridor because of multiple high-intensity storms, large amounts of impervious surfaces generating stormwater runoff, and aging infrastructure. In recent weeks, the County Manager proposed a $3.9 billion, 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) covering FY 2023–FY 2032. This proposed CIP addresses many long-term needs in the community. Supported by fiscal resilience, a thoughtful approach was taken to address the challenges we face in a constantly changing world. This CIP includes important investments in climate resilience, stormwater management, and flood response. The proposed CIP investment for stormwater is $331 million, an increase of $298 million compared to FY 2019–2028 CIP. This CIP provides key investments to improve our stormwater management system following several intense storms and mitigating future flood risks. Two-thirds of the funding is for stormwater capacity increase as a mix of overland relief—a pathway for any excess water runoff that overwhelms the existing, below-grade infrastructure—and infrastructure capacity projects. The remaining one-third of funding will be for maintenance capital and water quality projects. Stormwater capacity will be increased to address flooding issues. Four primary watersheds across the County will have priority: Spout Run, Lubber Run, Crossman, and Torreyson. The planning study area drains through 13 different tributary watersheds, including these four. County Board work sessions with County Manager and staff, along with a public hearing with the Board will take place in June. The final CIP is expected to be adopted by the Board in July.

Although the County is making substantial investments in its stormwater systems through the CIP, collaboration between private landowners and the County through special exception development tools is critical to address stormwater challenges along the corridor in a more timely and effective manner and reach a safe outcome for the community. By-right development in these areas will not provide flood mitigation and protection or green infrastructure to reduce flooding and promote water quality. It will exacerbate flooding conditions and the community will forfeit the opportunity to correct the problems we have today. The plan for the corridor must promote opportunities for flood mitigation, flood protection in flood-prone areas, and green infrastructure to reduce flooding and promote water quality. As rainfall intensity and flooding events increase, redevelopment in areas at higher elevations that reduces impervious surfaces and manages stormwater is critical. In these areas, redevelopment of private land that provides a series of underground vaults and overland relief will help to hold and slow water, allowing it to pass safely without harming people and structures downstream. In other areas, storm sewers are under existing buildings and redevelopment could provide an opportunity to relocate and increase the size of the pipes to ensure adequate storm sewer capacity and access for ongoing maintenance.

According to the County’s Community Energy Plan (CEP), 39 percent of Arlington’s energy use is associated with transportation and 61 percent with buildings and the types of energy the power utility uses to operate the grid. Arlington’s policy for transportation is to increase the use of alternative and public transportation. Optimizing bus service to increase transit ridership, creating pedestrian- and bike-friendly connections along and to/from Langston Boulevard, and fitting in electric vehicle charging stations and electric buses will play a key role in advancing County energy-use goals.

To reach the County’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal, building energy demand must be reduced. The plan for the corridor must promote climate-facing building design, energy efficiency, and other LEED standards in design and construction. Energy and emissions reduction can be achieved through upgrades to existing buildings (e.g., insulation, solar panels, green roofs), reducing carbon emissions from the electric grid (i.e., cleaner energy), and retrofitting the public realm (e.g., trees, solar arrays, LED lighting, electric mobility). The expected reduction in impervious surface with future development could increase tree canopy in the core areas along the corridor. Green elements help to manage urban heat island effect, moderating ambient surface temperatures, improving air quality, and providing a healthier environment overall.

The plan for Langston Boulevard will:

• Incentivize active mobility and transit use to reduce emissions
• Identify flood vulnerable areas that need stormwater mitigation strategies, including where additional runoff retention and detention and overland relief are needed to reduce flood risk from stormwater flows
• Consider strategic guidelines for new construction in flood-vulnerable areas to reduce impervious surfaces and capture run-off on-site
• Ensure long-term reduction of flood impacts on public safety, property, and streets, trails, or other public infrastructure
• Ensure long-term protection of natural surface and groundwater assets
• Establish guidelines for increased planting areas and tree canopy coverage in redevelopment areas
• Establish streetscape design guidelines with biophilic elements
• Reduce urban heat island effects, resulting in healthier public environments and reduced public costs of operations and maintenance
• Establish measures for new construction and encourage increased development densities to help meet the Community Energy Plan goal of lowering per capita energy use and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions 

According to the 2016 Visioning Study Report, the plan for Langston Boulevard will “green” the corridor by incorporating street trees and improved landscaping in public spaces and sustainable design techniques in new construction.

The sustainability recommendations in the report include:

• Continuing to conduct educational forums on urban/sustainable design techniques
• Specifying standards for sustainable design in new construction (e.g., high-efficiency and/or high-productivity energy and water solutions, biophilic components, etc.). 

The plan for the corridor will assess strategies for potential energy, stormwater, and tree canopy improvements to achieve goals. The Existing Conditions Analysis Report shared that in the Langston Boulevard planning area:

• More than 61% of Arlington’s energy use is connected to building sector consumption. The remainder (39%) is associated with transportation. A combination of strategies will be needed to achieve the County’s ambitious energy emissions goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
• The core area currently lacks trees and has numerous surface parking lots (impervious surfaces) that create a significant amount of stormwater run-off along the corridor impacting properties downstream.
• Flooding is occurring outside of flood plains and is brought on by intense storms, structures built over former streams and aging infrastructure—in addition to run-off from impervious surfaces.
• Redevelopment will be important to meet community goals for sustainability (including energy, stormwater, and green infrastructure/trees). New developments can be built to perform better than existing conditions.
• County funding may be needed to help offset costs of stormwater management and flood risk reduction that requires expanded engineering and technical approaches (watershed-scale as well as localized infrastructure projects) and aligns with private investments.
• The public spaces and stormwater management systems should be evaluated as an interconnected network that together can work to minimize flooding impacts. 

Through several public feedback engagements with the Land Use Scenario Analysis, the community expressed that environmental sustainability and resiliency is a top corridor-wide objective.

Participants shared strong support for:

• Reducing downstream flood risk with stormwater improvements in all areas

Key areas of concern include:

• The environmental impact of new development, including adding impervious areas and stormwater runoff, and eliminating trees and green space
• Relying on development for stormwater improvements in exchange for bonus height and density
• The cost of stormwater improvements