Most of these reports listed below are available in the County’s libraries or from the agencies responsible for their production.  Information on the development process, demographics and other general materials on Arlington County is available from the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.  The documents are all designed for and should be used by diverse stakeholders such as citizens, developers, staff and public officials in considering the future development of the County.

Comprehensive Plan
The Code of Virginia requires all governing bodies in the Commonwealth to have an adopted Comprehensive Plan.  The Comprehensive Plan was established in order that Arlington County may remain a safe, healthy, convenient and prosperous community and an attractive place in which to live, work and play, with stable or expanding values and potentialities for growth and continued economic health.  The purpose of the Comprehensive Plan is to guide the coordinated and harmonious development of Arlington County through the provision of high standards of public services and facilities.  Arlington’s Comprehensive Plan includes the following adopted elements by the County Board:

• Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance and Plan
• General Land Use Plan
• Historic Preservation Master Plan
• Master Transportation Plan (including eight subelements: Goals & Policies,
• Map, Bicycle, Pedestrian, Transportation Demand & System Management,
• Transit, Parking & Curbspace Management and Streets elements)
• Public Spaces Master Plan (including three subelements: Urban Forest Master Plan, Public Art Master Plan and Natural Resource Management Plan)
• Recycling Program Implementation Plan
• Sanitary Sewer System Master Plan
• Storm Water Master Plan
• Water Distribution System Master Plan

Supporting Documents to the Comprehensive Plan

The following documents and reports contain additional information relating to land use goals and planning policies in Arlington and provide support to the overall goals and objectives identified in the Comprehensive Plan.

Sector, Area and Revitalization Plans

Sector, Area, and Revitalization Plans are guiding documents, developed through a community process and adopted by the County Board, that generally provide a refined vision for future development, details numerous proposals for the improvement of streets and public spaces, includes urban design guidelines, and offers direction regarding private sector development at various levels of detail.  Sector Plans and Area Plans are similar.  However, the term “Sector Plan” has typically been reserved for the primary planning document that provides guidance for a Metro Station Area that is part of a larger planning area such as the Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor and the Jefferson Davis Metro Corridor.   Revitalization Plans typically emphasize the economic revitalization needs of an area and provides specific recommendations on economic and incentive tools for implementation.    

Sector Plans  

• Rosslyn Station Area Plan Addendum (1992)
• Courthouse Sector Plan Addendum (1990)
• Clarendon Sector Plan (2006)
• Virginia Square Sector Plan and Site Specific Guidelines (2002)
• Ballston Sector Plan (1980)
• Crystal City Sector Plan (2010)

Area Plans

• East Clarendon: Special Coordinated Mixed-Use District Plan (1994)
• East Falls Church Area Plan (2011)
• Fort Myer Heights North Plan (2008)
• North Quincy Street Plan (1995)
• Rosslyn to Courthouse Urban Design Study (2003)
• North Tract Plan Area Study (2004)

Revitalization Plans

• Columbia Pike Initiative - A Revitalization Plan, Update 2005 (2005)
• Lee Highway/Cherrydale Revitalization Plan (1994)
• Nauck Village Center Action Plan (2004)

Neighborhood Conservation Plans

With support from County staff, Neighborhood Conservation Plans are prepared and developed by organized citizen groups.  These plans generally address issues of neighborhood land use and zoning, traffic management, capital improvements, parks and community facilities, and recommend actions and policies to improve conditions.  Once accepted by the County Board, these plans serve as guides to the Board and staff when considering proposals for General Land Use Plan amendments, rezoning applications, site plans, use permits, variances and capital improvements.

• Alcova Heights (1999)
• Arlington-East Falls Church (1986)
• Arlington Forest (1991)
• Arlington Heights (2008)
• Arlington Ridge (1973)
• Arlington View (1964)
• Ashton Heights (2000)
• Aurora Highlands (2008)
• Ballston-Virginia Square (1984)
• Barcroft (2008)
• Bellevue Forest (2004)
• Bluemont (1999)
• Boulevard Manor (2009)
• Buckingham (2006)
• Cherrydale (2005)
• Claremont (1990)
• Clarendon-Courthouse (2007)
• Columbia Forest (2004)
• Columbia Heights (2000)
• Columbia Heights West (2000)
• Dominion Hills (2004)
• Donaldson Run (2000)
• Douglas Park (1998)
• Fairlington-Shirlington (1987)
• Foxcroft Heights (2009)
• Glencarlyn (1978)
• High View Park (1994)
• Highland Park-Overlee Knolls (2006)
• Leeway (2010)
• Lyon Park (1973)
• Lyon Village (1978)
• Madison Manor (2000)
• Maywood (1965)
• Nauck (1998)
• Old Dominion (2002)
• Old Glebe (2004)
• Penrose (2004)
• Radnor/Fort Myer Heights (2007)
• Rock Spring (2009)
• Tara-Leeway Heights (2005)
• Waverly Hills (1999)
• Waycroft-Woodlawn (1999)
• Westover Village (1991)
• Williamsburg (2000)
• Woodmont (1993
• Yorktown (2006)

Other Planning Documents

Below is a list of other supporting planning documents to the Comprehensive Plan that includes special studies, information tracking reports, compliance updates, and other types of special reports.

• 7-year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan
• Capital Improvement Program
• Arlington County Profile (March 2011)
• Quartetrly and Annual Development Tracking Reports (August 2011 and March 2011, respectively)
• Development in the Metro Corridors (September 2011)
• Five-Year Review of Arlington County's Comprehensive Plan
• 2010 Census Highlights Report (September 2011)
• Metro Station 2010 Census Profiles (August 2011)
• Planning Information Reports (PIR) on Cooperative Forecasts of Population, Households and Employment Reports (December 2010)
• Sector Plan Summaries (Ballston in 1991 and Courthouse in 2000)
• Industrial Land Use and Zoning Study (2000)
• Metropolitan Park Design Guidelines (2004)
• Pentagon Centre Site Guiding Principles (2008)
• Pentagon City Master Development Plan (1976)
• Pentagon City Planning Task Force Report (1997)
• Potomac Yard Design Guidelines (2000)
• 2005-2009 American Community Survey Reports (February-July 2011)
• Threshold of Opportunity: Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor Mid-Course Review (1989)
• Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor Retail Action Plan (2001)
• Rosslyn-Ballston Streetscape Standards (2003; updated 2007)
• Shirlington Design Book (2000)
• Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) Phase 1 - List and Goals and Policy Objectives (2011)

Regulatory Documents

Below is a list of documents used to implement the policies set forth in the Comprehensive Plan and its supporting plans and policies.

• Subdivision Ordinance
• Zoning Ordinance and Map

Historical Documents

The following list of planning documents has been superseded by more recent
versions of policies and guidelines for respective parts of the County and is listed here for historical context and information.

• Clarendon Sector Plan (1984)
• Clarendon Sector Plan Addendum (1990)
• Courthouse Sector Plan (1981)
• Rosslyn-Transit Station Area Study (1977)
• Virginia Square Sector Plan (1983)
• The Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor: Early Visions (1989)
• The Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor: Mid-Course Review (1989)