Arlington County has named David Cristeal as its new Housing Director. Cristeal had been acting in the position since the retirement of Ken Aughenbaugh earlier this year.
Cristeal has served as the County’s Housing Development Supervisor for nine years. He is lauded for leading his team in enhancing and implementing affordable housing financing and planning tools, working with partners to leverage federal and state funding and making policy recommendations to address the county’s affordable housing challenges.
“The County conducted a nationwide search for this key position and had a strong pool of applicants,” said County Manager Barbara Donnellan in a press release. “We chose David because he has a solid track record of working successfully with Arlington community members and non-profit partners to plan and preserve affordable housing. We know he’s the right person to carry out Arlington’s aggressive affordable housing program.”
Cristeal spent time working with the community to develop affordable housing recommendations for the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan. He is also recognized for his efforts in helping the county preserve or build more than 2,300 affordable housing units between 2004 and 2012. His team provided recommendations for the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF) on 20 developments totaling $120 million.
“David’s experience with the financial tools we use to develop affordable housing really set him apart from the strong pool of applicants,” said Robert Brosnan, director of Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.
Prior to arriving in Arlington, Cristeal served as Housing Director and as Housing and Community Revitalization Director in Wake County, NC. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Geography and City Planning from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and a Master’s in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina.