We just finished a basement remodel in our home at 3712 3rd Street South to put in a third bedroom and a full bathroom. In order to be considered a bedroom, the room must have an egress exit (way to exit the room in case of an emergency). We have installed this egress by way of a full size window. However, by Arlington County code, the outside edge of this window must be five feet from the property line. Unfortunately, due to the age of our home (built in 1940), such clearance does not exist, and the edge of our window well is approximately three and a half feet from our properly line. This in no way hinders an emergency exit from the home, so we are appealing the County's decision to allow this to be labeled a full bedroom with proper egress. Part of the appeals process includes getting neighbor support that this does not negatively impact the neighborhood. We believe this to have not only zero negative impact on the neighborhood, but many positive impacts including increased property values for our neighbors.

Please consider signing our petition in support of Appeals Application for Use Permit to Article 3, Section 3.2.6.A.3(a)(3) of the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance for Approval of an egress window at 3712 3rd Street South, Arlington, VA 22204.