Arlington Board Sparks Debate Over Preserving Nelly Custis School vs New Housing
Posted by Tanbir Sonia Marwah | March 23, 2026
Arlington County is facing one of those decisions that is easy to have an opinion about and genuinely hard to resolve.
On one side: a historic school building that has been part of this community since 1924. On the other: 105 affordable apartments that Arlington desperately needs. A closely divided vote by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board has put both priorities in direct conflict — and the outcome could shape how Arlington handles redevelopment for years to come.
This is not a simple story about tearing down an old building. And it is not a simple story about blocking housing. It is a real tension between two things that both matter — and a county that has to figure out which one matters more right now.
How We Got Here
The Nelly Custis School served the Aurora Highlands neighborhood from 1924 until 1978. Built in the Georgian Revival style, it was the kind of civic building that defined Northern Virginia communities in the early 20th century. After it closed as a school, the property became a training facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Additions were made in the 1960s and again in the 1990s, gradually changing the building’s original footprint and appearance.
Fast forward to February 2025. The Arlington County Board approved a plan to redevelop the 1.7-acre site at 750 23rd Street South into 105 affordable apartments with approximately 17,000 square feet of supportive service space. About one-third of those units would be reserved for residents with disabilities. The project had a clear purpose, a clear need, and County Board approval behind it.
Then came March 18, 2026.
The Vote That Changed Everything
The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board voted 7 to 4 to recommend partial historic designation for the Nelly Custis School site. That narrow margin was enough to pause the redevelopment and send the question to the Planning Commission and ultimately back to the County Board for a final decision.
What makes this particularly notable is that Arlington’s own historic preservation staff had already reviewed the property and concluded it did not meet the minimum threshold for historic designation. Under the county’s zoning ordinance, a site must satisfy at least two of eleven criteria to qualify. Staff said it did not. The HALRB majority disagreed — but just barely.
Even board members who voted in favor acknowledged how close the call was.
So now a project that had already been approved sits in limbo while the designation question works its way through another round of review and public hearings.
What the Redevelopment Would Actually Deliver
It is worth being specific about what is at stake here.
The proposed project would bring 105 affordable apartments to one of Arlington’s most well-positioned neighborhoods. Aurora Highlands sits close to major employment centers, transit options, and essential services. Sites like this — established neighborhoods with real infrastructure around them — are exactly where affordable housing has the greatest impact.
Roughly a third of the units would be reserved for residents with disabilities, a population that faces some of the steepest barriers to stable housing in this region.
In a county where affordability is one of the defining challenges for residents at every income level, a 105-unit affordable project is not a small thing. Delaying it has real consequences for real people waiting on housing options that are already scarce.
What Preservation Supporters Are Arguing
Those who support the historic designation are not simply trying to block housing. Their argument is rooted in something genuine.
Arlington has already lost a significant portion of its architectural history to redevelopment over the decades. The buildings that remain carry more weight precisely because there are fewer of them. The HALRB majority believes that beneath the later additions, the original 1924 and 1931 structure still holds enough historical significance to deserve protection.
The board’s recommendation is not to preserve the entire building. It focuses specifically on the earliest sections while excluding the 1960s and 1990s additions. The argument is that a partial preservation approach could honor the site’s history without completely eliminating the opportunity for new development on the rest of the property.
For preservation advocates, this is about making sure growth does not come at the permanent cost of the county’s remaining historic fabric.
What Redevelopment Supporters Are Arguing
Those on the other side have an equally clear position.
The building has been significantly altered. The 1960s and 1990s additions changed the structure considerably from its original form. If a building no longer reflects what it once was, the argument goes, the case for historic protection weakens considerably.
There is also a concern about precedent. If a property that county staff determined did not meet the threshold can still move forward in the designation process through a narrow board vote, what does that mean for future development projects across Arlington? Could neighbors use the historic designation process to delay or block projects they oppose on other grounds?
For redevelopment supporters, the housing crisis is urgent and tangible. Every month of delay is a month that 105 families are not in those apartments.
What Happens Next
The HALRB recommendation does not make the final call. That authority rests with the Arlington County Board.
The Planning Commission will review the recommendation first. Then the County Board will hold a public hearing and take a vote. Several factors suggest the Board may ultimately reject the designation — including their prior approval of the redevelopment plan, the property owner’s support for moving forward, and the county’s stated housing goals.
But none of that is guaranteed. The Board is now required to formally consider the designation, and that means a full public process with community input on both sides.
The timeline for a final decision has not been confirmed.
Why This Decision Matters Beyond One Building
The Nelly Custis School debate is really a preview of conversations Arlington is going to keep having.
This is a county with limited land, rising housing demand, and a genuine architectural history worth caring about. Those three things are going to keep intersecting. The decisions made here — about how much weight to give historic designation, about when preservation serves the public interest and when it does not, about who gets to slow down a housing project and on what grounds — will shape how developers, preservationists, and residents approach similar situations going forward.
If designation is granted, expect developers to think twice before proposing projects on sites with any potential historic footprint. That slows housing delivery in a market that cannot afford more slowdowns.
If designation is rejected, it signals that Arlington’s housing goals take priority over marginal preservation cases — and that the bar for pausing an already-approved affordable project needs to be higher than a 7 to 4 vote on a close call.
Either way, Arlington is watching.
Quick Answers to Common Questions
What did the HALRB vote decide? The board voted 7 to 4 to recommend partial historic designation for the Nelly Custis School, sending the question to the Planning Commission and County Board for final review.
What parts of the building would be preserved? The recommendation focuses on the original sections built in 1924 and 1931. The 1960s and 1990s additions would not be protected.
What is the redevelopment plan? 105 affordable apartments and approximately 17,000 square feet of supportive service space, with about one-third of units reserved for residents with disabilities.
Why is the project on hold? The redevelopment cannot move forward until the County Board makes a final decision on historic designation.
Did county staff support the designation? No. Arlington’s historic preservation staff determined the property did not meet the minimum threshold, but the HALRB majority disagreed.
Who owns the property? The site is associated with Melwood and Wesley Housing, both of which support moving forward with the affordable housing redevelopment.
What happens next? The Planning Commission reviews the recommendation, followed by a County Board hearing and final vote on whether to grant historic designation.
Could this affect future development in Arlington? Yes. The outcome is expected to influence how future redevelopment proposals on historically adjacent sites are handled across the county.
The Bottom Line
Arlington is a county that has always had to make hard choices about growth. This one is harder than most because both sides have a legitimate point.
Historic buildings tell us something important about where we came from. Affordable housing tells us something equally important about who we want to be going forward.
The question Arlington’s County Board now has to answer is not which of those things matters. It is which one matters more — right here, right now, on this 1.7-acre site in Aurora Highlands.
That answer is coming. And the whole county will be paying attention.
Tanbir Sonia Marwah | Luxury Real Estate & Lifestyle Advisory | Arlington & DC Metro Area
Ph: 703-945-9818. Email : Tanbirmarwah@kw.com