On July 17, 2021 the County Board voted to officially rename U.S. Route 29 (formerly known as Lee Highway) to Langston Boulevard within the boundaries of Arlington County. The planning study documents published before that date refer to the corridor as Lee Highway.
Given the character of Langston Boulevard and limited planning to date, there is a mounting desire within the community to improve the corridor and consider how future development can transform the character in a positive rather than a reactive manner. Building on visioning work by the community in 2016, the County is leading a community planning process for Langston Boulevard that takes a closer look at the long-term goals for this important corridor and its surrounding areas. The County has designed a multi-layered engagement approach that will include broad participation and many opportunities for input from residents, businesses, community groups and stakeholders.
2016 Visioning Study
A grassroots effort led by community leaders in north Arlington paved the way for a community-wide visioning process and the Langston Boulevard Visioning Study (May 2016). The vision, a culmination of a seven-month study, illustrates the the community’s main ideas and proposes key ingredients for the future of this important east-west corridor. This vision calls for Langston Boulevard to become a walkable, urban main street with a string of neighborhood activity centers between Rosslyn and East Falls Church, along with new transportation and housing options, better public spaces and more.
The process was a unique, joint effort between Arlington County and the Langston Boulevard Alliance (LBA) to achieve a vision that balanced a broad range of perspectives. The LBA is a coalition of 18 civic association leaders who have actively engaged communities along Langston Boulevard since 2012 to develop a community-based vision, and identify actions and strategies to achieve it. Outcomes from a four-day community visioning workshop, along with public reviews, informed the content of the final document which the LBA presented to the County Board on May 17, 2016.
Previously Adopted Plans
There have been two previous significant planning efforts in the Langston Boulevard Corridor Planning Area, the Cherrydale Revitalization Plan (1994) and the East Falls Church Area Plan (2011). Each of these plans establish a vision, goals, and specific recommendations for land use, streetscape, transportation, open space, and other planning elements and have been used to guide redevelopment projects. Specific districts on the General Land Use Plan for Cherrydale and East Falls Church provide high-level planning guidance for those areas. Cherrydale and East Falls Church will remain in the broader Langston Boulevard Study Area, to develop a cohesive vision and recommendations for network-wide elements, such as transportation and open space. The study will identify issues that may require a future analysis (including the potential review and refinement) of these adopted plans to align with the new policies presented in the Langston Boulevard Plan.