Today County staff released the first EHO Annual Data Report for the 2024 Fiscal Year (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024), along with a spreadsheet of the raw data used in the analysis. At the December 17th recessed County Board meeting, Board members indicated that the program appeared to be meeting its intended goals of providing more housing supply and options. Unfortunately, the program has been halted by a judge’s decision, currently being appealed by Arlington County, to strike down the zoning amendment.

As summarized in an accompanying letter from CPHD Director Samia Byrd, the report includes several key takeaways from the FY 2024 data, including the following:

• 37 EHO zoning permits were approved in FY 2024: During the first year of implementation, 37 EHO zoning permits were approved. These zoning permits are a preliminary requirement in the development process and must be obtained before the review and issuance of a building permit and other associated permits that authorize construction. In FY 2024, two EHO permits received building permits, and no EHO projects were completed.

• A majority (57%) of approved EHO permits have two or three housing units: The most prevalent housing type permitted is townhouses with three units.

• Approved EHO permits are in 20 different civic associations: The 37 approved EHO permits are located across 20 civic associations, and 78% are within ¾ mile of a Metrorail station or ½ mile of the County’s premium transit network (Columbia Pike or Richmond Highway corridors).

• Average building footprints and heights for EHO permits are comparable to single detached permits: The average building height for EHO permits is 1.3 feet taller than a new single detached house, and the average building footprint covers 27% of the lot for both development types.

• On average, lot coverage is 2-6 percentage points higher for EHO permits than single detached permits: Lot coverage includes buildings, driveways, and parking, among other site features. The difference between EHO and single detached lot coverage is likely due to the greater number of parking spaces provided on EHO sites.

• Most EHO permits exceeded the minimum requirements for on-site parking: EHO permits located near Metro and premium bus transit are required to provide a minimum of 0.5 parking spaces per unit. Out of 29 permits that met this transit threshold, 79% provided more spaces than required, and 66% provided at least 1 space per unit.

• The average size of an individual EHO housing unit is 1,646 square feet: This unit size is larger than the typical square footage of a unit within a mid- or high-rise multifamily building, but more than three times smaller than the average new single detached house (5,259 square feet).

• Permitted EHO housing is predominantly three-bedroom units: Out of 145 EHO units approved in the FY 2024, 63 are three-bedroom (43%). The most common bedroom count for single detached permits is five-bedroom, followed by six-bedroom. No single detached permits were for three-bedroom units.