Audrey Clement Targets Housing, Zoning Policies In Arlington County Board Bid

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County Board candidate Audrey Clement says changing the county’s housing and zoning policies would be her top priority if elected, including ending the county’s Expanded Housing Options policy, commonly known as Missing Middle, and pursuing other approaches to affordable housing.

“My top priority is to stop Missing Middle up-zoning and replace it with a policy that actually promotes affordable housing,” Clement said in response to Patch’s candidate questionnaire.

Clement said she would favor rezoning neighborhoods based on floor-area-ratio rules, encourage office-to-residential conversions, invest in community land trusts and restore a partial tax credit for renovating multifamily properties. She also said she would require fiscal impact analyses for major development proposals and seek to limit annual county budget growth to the rate of inflation.

Clement, who holds a doctorate in political science from Temple University and has worked in information technology for more than 20 years, has not previously held elected or appointed political office. She is not endorsed by a political party.

Clement is running for the Arlington County Board seat against incumbent Matt de Ferranti and David Sisson in the Nov. 3 general election. Arlington will use ranked-choice voting in the County Board race.

Patch invited the candidates to share their backgrounds, priorities and views on issues facing Arlington through its campaign questionnaire. Clement’s responses follow below.

Name: Audrey Clement

Position sought: County Board

Age (as of Nov. 3, 2026): Decline to State

Campaign Website: https://AudreyClement.com

Have you been endorsed by a political party? If so, which one? If none, please say so.

No

Family:

N/A

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're a candidate in.

No

Education:

Ph.D. Political Science, Temple University

Occupation:

IT 20+ years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Political Office:

None

Why are you running for Arlington County Board?

I'm running to challenge 40+ years of local one party rule.

What would be your top priority in your first year on the County Board, and what would success look like?

My top priority is to stop Missing Middle up-zoning and replace it with a policy that actually promotes affordable housing.

What distinguishes your approach to governing from that of the other candidates?

Unlike me, the incumbent is a staunch supporter of Missing Middle up-zoning, who generally goes along to get along with other Board members.

Housing supply and zoning: As Arlington considers its next housing policies in 2026, what changes, if any, would you support to allow a wider range of homes in residential neighborhoods, such as duplexes and smaller multifamily buildings? Explain the benefits and drawbacks that would guide your position.

To promote diversified housing I will:

• Rezone neighborhood by neighborhood based on simple to understand floor area ratio (FAR) rules as recommended by the Laboratory for Architecture,
• Promote office to residential building conversions (O2R),
• Invest in community land trusts, and
• Restore the partial tax credit for renovation of multi-family dwellings, which County Board repealed in 2021.

The Laboratory for Architecture approach would rezone the county neighborhood by neighborhood rather than wholesale, using a floor area ratio approach to determine allowable density. Unlike the current Missing Middle ordinance, affordable housing would be incentivized by awarding bonus density to developers providing such units.

The downside to O2R conversions are cost, lack of affordability, and lack of demand due to the sheer volume of units to be converted.

Community land trusts (CLTs) are non-profits that own the land and sell the units on it to moderate income households. CLTs are needed because due to land scarcity and proximity to Metro, land values in Arlington County are so grossly inflated that anything built on it is priced out of reach of low and moderate income families.

Reinstating the tax credit for renovation of multi-family dwellings would provide private landlords, many of whose properties are rundown, with an incentive to renovate their buildings.

Affordable housing funding: Would you increase, maintain or reduce county funding for the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, and why? How would you divide limited resources among preserving existing affordable homes, building new ones and helping households with the lowest incomes? Identify a funding source or budget tradeoff and a measurable result you would seek during your term.

The infographic provided by the County Manager for his FY 2027 budget proposal indicated that the County planned to spend $98 million on housing initiatives of which $10.3 million was dedicated to AHIF. This amount approximated a looming budget deficit. Instead of cutting AHIF, which is a sacred cow, the Manager cynically proposed slashing some popular programs. He knew that the Board would jump in and raise taxes by 2 cents to cover the gap. That's what happened, and that is unsustainable going forward. It's time for the County to bite the bullet and acknowledge that its primary responsibility is to the taxpayers, not those in search of housing subsidies.

Redevelopment and displacement: As Arlington considers how older apartment properties can be renovated or redeveloped, what protections or incentives, if any, would you support to help existing tenants remain in the community? Explain how you would balance preserving lower-cost homes, improving housing conditions and making projects financially feasible.

A recent Propublica expose revealed that the federal government's principal subsidized housing program is redundant. It reported: "[T]o meet the affordability requirements [of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program], all the developers needed to do in most cases was put rents within reach of someone earning 60% of median income, an earnings threshold that equates to about $75,000 annually for a family of four." Since the regular real estate market already supplies this type of housing, the result is a glut of housing for moderate income households and no housing for the really poor.

In light of this market redundancy, I would stop throwing money at AHIF, which is a conduit for LIHTC credits, and incentivize landlords to renovate apartments by restoring the partial tax credit for renovation of multi-family dwellings, which County Board repealed in 2021. I would also scrap Missing Middle, which inflates housing costs by tearing down homes assessed at half the value of the Missing Middle units that replace them.

Development and public benefits: For proposals along corridors such as Langston Boulevard and Columbia Pike, when would you support additional building height or density, and when would you oppose it? Explain what affordable housing commitments and infrastructure improvements you would seek, how costs should be shared, and how residents and small businesses should help shape the decision.

The question is not what additional height or density I would propose for the Langston Boulevard and Columbia Pike corridors. The question is why the County adheres to the principle of densification for the sake of densification. This approach has resulted in outsized impacts in the form of increased congestion, runoff, flooding, overcrowded schools and loss of tree canopy.

The best way to promote sustainable growth is to require a fiscal impact analysis to assess both the costs and benefits of every major proposed development to assure that its net tax impact is positive. Unlike its sister jurisdictions Arlington County doesn't do this. Instead it focuses exclusively on the supposed benefits.

Fiscal Impact Analysis is a necessity not an option. Not only should a rigorous analysis of the demand for and cost of public services attributable to future development be available, it should be required for every major County facility and site plan development project.

The question isn’t whether Arlington County should do it. The question is why the County isn’t doing it already. All or most of the surrounding jurisdictions utilize some version of fiscal impact analysis. If elected, I will demand it and make its results available to the public.

Everyday affordability: Beyond housing, which costs would you prioritize addressing to make it easier for people to live and work in Arlington, such as child care, transportation, utilities or county taxes and fees? Identify two specific actions within the County Board's authority, who would benefit, and how you would pay for them or offset any lost revenue while maintaining essential services.

Two of the biggest expenses of County residents are transportation and annual tax and fee increases. To reduce transportation costs, I would initiate a program to get people out of their cars and on to transit. One way to do that is to eliminate fares as other area jurisdictions have done. This would require a hefty subsidy to Metro that the County probably can't afford due to other interest group demands. Another approach to increased ridership is an advertising campaign that emphasizes benefits of transit and the lack of Metro crowding due to remote work. To reduce annual tax and fee hikes, I would instruct the County Manager to come up with an annual budget that is at or below the rate of inflation.

Public safety: What are Arlington's most pressing public safety needs, and what evidence informs your assessment? Identify two actions you would pursue through the County Board's budget or policy decisions. Explain how you would balance policing and emergency response with prevention and behavioral health services, maintain accountability and community trust, and measure whether residents are safer.

Arlington's most pressing public safety need is traffic safety, specifically the safety hazards presented by micro-mobility devices. The Vision Zero program has made strides in reducing critical crashes on County streets, but its crash analysis dashboard shows a dramatic increase in severe bicycle crashes in 2025.

While micro-mobility devices, including e-bikes and e-motos are promoted in the 2026 Draft Multimodal Transportation Plan, there is no discussion of their hazards. This is most concerning, since Arlington bike trails are now all but overrun with micro-mobility devices traveling up to 20 mph that represent a hazard to other bikers and pedestrians. Another even more concerning development is the appearance on the trails of e-motos that typically weight 150 lbs.

Google AI reports that: “An impact from a 150 lb. bike going 20 mph on a pedestrian delivers a highly dangerous amount of kinetic energy, capable of causing severe trauma, broken bones, and potentially life-threatening injuries.”

If Vision Zero were serious about reducing critical bike crashes, it would recommend a reduction in the 20 mph speed limit for micro-mobility devices on County bike trails. So far this is a non-starter with County transportation wonks.

Another non-starter is the use of Flock cameras the purpose of which was to help detect crime, recover stolen vehicles, and locate missing persons. Flock cameras were banned in a closed session of County Board on September 15, 2026 with no public input. If I were on the Board, I would have asked the Arlington Police Department to report the number of stolen vehicle cases solved through the use of Flock cameras since 2025 before ordering the termination of its contract with Flock. Now that Flock cameras are gone, I would encourage people to upgrade their vehicle security measures and take transit especially in neighborhoods near I-66 and I-395.

What important issue has this questionnaire not addressed, and what would you do about it?

The most important issue facing Arlington County is the lack of a functioning democracy. For 40 years Arlington has been subject to one party rule, whereby all levers of local government are controlled by officials elected by a fraction of the voters in Democrat Party primaries. 22,836 voters voted for County Board in the August 4 Democrat primary or about 12 percent of the 185,682 registered voters. In a county that votes overwhelmingly Democrat in the General Election, 12 percent of the electorate determined the outcome of the 2026 County Board race. That may satisfy partisan voters, but it isn't what democracy looks like. It's what tyranny looks like.

Describe one accomplishment from your professional, civic or public service experience that demonstrates your ability to serve on the County Board. What was your role, and what was the result?

In 1993 I successfully defended a dissertation on the representativeness of voting blocs in U.S. Congress. In preparation for writing my dissertation, I spent the better part of year working on Capitol Hill as a congressional fellow, learning how to interact with legislative leaders, advocacy groups and people on the street. This is good background for anyone seeking a career in public service.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Keep your friends close to you, and your enemies even closer.

What personal experience or connection to Arlington would you like voters to know about that you have not already shared?

My favorite avocation is kayaking on the Potomac River between Key Bridge and Fletcher's Cove. About half way up that stretch of river on the Maryland side is a resident eagle who regularly attains amazing heights as he swoops over the river looking for prey. He's my kind of guy.

Also See ...

• Matt De Ferranti Puts Inclusive Economic Growth At Center Of Arlington County Board Bid
• Early Voting Begins For 2026 Election: What's On The Ballot In Arlington