Arlington 2050 Initiative Advanced through Updated Comprehensive Plan

As a continuation of the County Board-led initiative launched in January 2024, the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development is advancing Arlington 2050: Guiding Our Path, Arlington County’s Comprehensive Plan Update project.  

A comprehensive plan is a long-range plan for livability and what the community wants to look like in the future. It is a tool that highlights values and priorities and guides decision making as the community grows.  

This exciting initiative will establish a new introductory chapter for the Comprehensive Plan, including people-centric Guiding Principles that align with community values and reflect how the 12 existing elements of Arlington’s Comprehensive Plan are connected and coordinated. 

The update will also consider emerging priorities or unaddressed issues, such as racial equity, climate change, public health, and economic resilience, and their connection to the Comprehensive Plan.  

“We are excited to continue this important effort to shape the future of Arlington County,” said Director of Community Planning, Housing and Development Samia Byrd. “Arlington’s Comprehensive Plan was established in 1960, and the overarching goals and objectives formed then have not changed. This update will reflect our values and aspirations, the evolving needs of our community, and provide a strategic vision for the County’s growth and development over the next 25 years. We encourage all residents to participate in shaping our shared future.” 

Community engagement will be a critical component of the planning process. The Comprehensive Plan Update project will offer broad, inclusive, and equitable public engagement. The community will have multiple opportunities to provide input throughout the project’s timeline.  

• In spring 2025, the planning team is holding a series of focus group meetings in partnership with community organizations to ensure that all community voices, especially those from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, are included in the planning process.  
•  In fall 2025, the planning team will host additional in-person and virtual community meetings and pop-up events to ensure broad access to engagement opportunities. 

Community members can share their input in an online feedback form through Sunday, June 1, 2025

Apply to Serve as a Community Liaison 

To help reach more Arlingtonians, especially those from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities, the planning team is also seeking to recruit up to six community liaisons who are bilingual or fluent in one or more of the top six languages spoken in Arlington (Spanish, Amharic, Mandarin Chinese, Mongolian, Arabic, or American Sign Language). As a paid volunteer opportunity, community liaisons will be expected to attend an orientation meeting, distribute Arlington County materials about the Comprehensive Plan Update project, and participate in several community engagement activities throughout 2025.  

Learn more and apply online.

For more information and to stay involved in the planning process, visit Arlington 2050: Guiding Our Path and subscribe to Planning + Building eNews.

About the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD)

CPHD’s mission is to support and guide how Arlington changes and grows physically, socially, culturally, and economically to create an environment that is vibrant, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable and which prioritizes public health and safety for all, now and in the future. CPHD is a collection of disciplines that together facilitate the emergence of a built environment for and about people. In addition to the Director’s Office, CPHD is organized into six divisions—Business Operations, Housing, Inspection Services, Neighborhood Services, Planning, and Zoning.