affordable housing

Volunteer Opp: AHC Seeking Teen Tutors

By ARLnow.com

Students in Arlington Public Schools head back to the classrooms on Tuesday.  Not all of them are fully prepared for the school year, but you can help.

AHC Inc., an affordable housing developer, needs several dozen volunteers to tutor middle and high school teens. Tutors get paired with a student for the academic year and meet up once a week for 90 minutes at one of the program’s six locations. Several of the locations are Metro accessible.

More help is needed this year than in the past because the program has expanded the number of nights per week that tutoring is available to the teens.

The Teen Tutor orientation takes place on September 14 and 15. To get involved with the program, click here for the registration form. To request more information, contact Jennifer Cavaliere, [email protected] or 703-486-0626 x 154.

Video: More Changes Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City is changing, and thanks to the new Crystal City Sector Plan it will change dramatically over the next 40 years.

But what does the plan mean for residents? Why is there going to be a new streetcar line, an increase in density and more affordable housing?

The county-run Arlington Virginia Network has just released an interview with County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman that attempts to answer some of those questions.

Report: Redevelopment Threatens Affordable Housing on the Pike

By ARLnow.com

A new report on affordable housing in Northern Virginia suggests that the redevelopment of Columbia Pike will make it difficult to preserve affordable housing along the corridor.

The report, commissioned by the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, examined three major corridors where redevelopment is underway: Alexandria’s Beauregard corridor, Fairfax County’s Baileys Crossroads area and Arlington’s Columbia Pike corridor.

All three areas, the report says, are affordable thanks to a “lack of private investment, along with poor transportation options and infrastructure” — attributes that have made the areas undesirable to more affluent residents. Now that the Arlington County is actively encouraging economic development and planning a new streetcar line along Columbia Pike, however, the “type of households” seeking to live on the Pike will likely change, leading to “opportunities” for the owners of existing affordable apartment complexes to “reposition their properties… to attract higher-income residents.”

According to the report, there are currently 7,736 affordable, privately-owned rental units along Columbia Pike. Even with the county’s planned efforts to preserve affordable housing on the Pike, however, the report cites county projections that predict 23 percent fewer affordable units by 2040 — a loss of nearly 1,800 affordable rentals.

That loss is expected to be concentrated among the 3,344 market-rate rentals that are affordable to residents who make between 60 and 80 percent of the area’s median income (AMI). About half of the Pike’s 80 percent AMI units are projected to be lost by 2040, while the county focuses its efforts on preserving all of the 3,151 units affordable to those making 60 percent AMI or below. Meanwhile, the county is forecasting a 447 percent increase in market rate (non-affordable) units, or nearly 6,500 new units targeting more affluent renters.

The Alliance is recommending Arlington set “more aggressive targets” for affordable housing on the Pike while offering affordable housing financing that’s more lucrative than that offered by private developers. The Alliance also recommends using reduced property taxes as a “carrot” for preserving existing market-rate affordable apartments.

Ribbon Cutting for Affordable Development in Nauck

By ARLnow.com

Community leaders marked the grand opening of The Macedonian (2229 Shirlington Road), a new mixed-use affordable housing development in Nauck (Green Valley), with a ribbon cutting ceremony this morning.

The $12 million development consists of 19 one bedroom and 17 two-bedroom apartments, as well as 2,000 square feet of commercial space for the Bonder and Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation (BAJCDC) and a planned business incubator/shared work space. It was developed by AHC Inc. on land owned by the next-door Macedonia Baptist Church with county, state, federal, private and nonprofit financing.

While some of the attention surrounding the Macedonian is due to its environmentally-friendly features — it has a green roof and other energy-efficient accouterments, earning it the first EarthCraft Virginia certification for a multifamily development — the building’s real mission is the preservation and economic development of the diverse Nauck community against the pressures of higher rents and gentrification. The church, the county and BAJCDC have been fighting to keep Nauck affordable, and speakers today described the Macedonian as an important step in that continuing effort.

“There are more sheep to tend, there are more neighbors to help,” said David Bowers, Vice President of Enterprise Community Partners, which helped to fund the development. “Our work is not done.”

Attendees this morning included Rep. Jim Moran, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman, Rev. Dr. Leonard Hamlin of the Macedonia Baptist Church and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker — a former Arlington resident and friend of Rev. Hamlin.

Summer Camp Volunteers Needed

By ARLnow.com

A local non-profit is looking for energetic volunteers to help out with their summer camp program.

Affordable housing developer AHC Inc. hosts “educational and fun” summer camps for low-income youngsters “to help ensure they don’t drop behind over the summer months.” The camps — held at six community centers throughout Arlington — start on July 11 and run from noon to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, until Aug. 18.

AHC is seeking chaperones for its off-site swimming trips on Mondays and its field trips on Thursdays. They’re also looking for volunteers who can help with the art activities, literary activities and outdoor games that are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“Enthusiastic volunteers are critical to the program and mean so much to the young people we serve,” said AHC spokeswoman Celia Slater.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Jennifer Cavaliere at [email protected] or 703-486-0626 x154.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Where Are the GOP Candidates? — So far, Arlington Republicans have not been able to find a single candidate willing to run in any of this year’s six county government races. The last time a Republican was elected to the County Board was the late 1990s. [Sun Gazette]

Police Looking for Missing D.C. Man — Police are hoping for the public’s help in finding a missing D.C. man. Matthew Hill, 26, was reported missing on Tuesday. His last debit card transaction was recorded at noon on Tuesday at an Exxon gas station in Arlington. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is encouraged to call D.C. police. [WUSA]

APAH Receives Housing Award — The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing has been named “Developer of the Year” by the Housing Assocation of Nonprofit Developers. APAH received the award at a ceremony yesterday.

Arlington Gets Another AAA Rating — A third bond rating agency has given Arlington its highest vote of confidence. Moody’s affirmed Arlington’s AAA debt rating yesterday. This is the eleventh consecutive year that Arlington’s debt has received a AAA rating from all three rating agencies. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Board Approves $4 Million for Affordable Housing Purchase

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a $4 million loan that will help a local non-profit purchase a 134-unit affordable apartment complex.

The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) plans to use the loan to help purchase the Marbella Apartments (1301 N. Queen Street) in the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood.  APAH is in the process of securing about $10 million from the Virginia Housing Development Authority to complete the $13 million purchase.

The Marbella Apartments include 120 existing committed affordable units, but the restrictions that keep the units affordable are set to expire in 2018. With its purchase, APAH will keep the units affordable for at least another 60 years, and will convert the complex’s 14 market rate units to committed affordable units.

The complex was built on 3.5 acres of land in 1947. It was renovated by its current owner, the Silverwood Companies, between 1998 and 1999. APAH will not undertake any further remodeling for a minimum of 10 years, but may choose to build additional apartments on the property down the road.

“Current zoning allows for 78 additional affordable units, creating a future land banking opportunity,” APAH said in an information sheet about its planned purchase.

See more information on Arlington County’s web site.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Affordable Apartments Get Green Certification — The 36-unit Macedonian apartment complex in Green Valley has become the first EarthCraft-certified new multifamily building in Arlington and the most energy-efficient EarthCraft building in Northern Virginia. The affordable apartments, at 2229 Shirlington Road, received the green building certification thanks to a special central heating and cooling system, foam insulation and other high-efficiency components. The building is a partnership between affordable housing nonprofit AHC Inc. and the Macedonia Baptist Church. [AHC Inc.]

Jail to Host Mother’s Day Event — The Arlington Sheriff’s Office will be hosting its bi-annual Incarcerated Mother’s Holiday Program at the county lockup Monday night, one day after Mother’s Day. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., female inmates will get the chance to have a “contact visit” with their children within the jail. The event will feature a card exchange, dinner and bonding time. “The program is designed to strengthen and encourage mothers to have positive relationships with their minor children to help lessen the impact and effects of separation,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

New Site Fixes and Features — We made some fixes and added some features to the site overnight. Among the changes: the comment problem we described yesterday has been resolved, we’ve added new fields to your user profiles, and the forums are now operational. Note that there are still some bugs to be worked out with the forums and with user profiles, especially for Internet Explorer users. Please let us know what you think of the changes in the comments.

County Board Revises Affordable Housing Goals

By ARLnow.com

On Saturday, the County Board unanimously approved a series of affordable housing goals for 2015, with an eye toward preventing and ending homelessness.

The board formally set the goal of creating a comprehensive, year-round homeless shelter — a long-standing local priority that’s currently in the early stages of implementation. At the moment, Arlington County is only served by an emergency winter shelter. By building a new year-round shelter, the board hopes to cut the number of unsheltered homeless in the county by half.

The board also set the goal of finding permanent housing for 95 percent of all homeless families and elderly homeless individuals. Five years ago the board set essentially the same goal for 2010, but was only able to find housing for 44 percent of homeless families. Factors cited for the failure of meeting the 2010 goal included “poor credit history; limited number of slots in transitional programs; mental health and/or substance abuse issues; underemployment/ unemployment and lack of job skills or readiness.”

In terms of the county’s broader housing goals, the board voted to continue striving toward the creation of 400 new committed affordable housing units each year, with 25 percent of those units reserved for households in “serious housing need” (defined as those who earn below 40 percent of the local median income or who pay more than 40 percent of their income as rent).

“Arlington has been, and will continue to be, a regional leader in preserving and expanding the pool of committed affordable units as market rate units become increasingly unaffordable for working people,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement Saturday afternoon. “Today’s action by the Board further strengthens the County’s long-term efforts to ensure that Arlington remains a diverse community with homes affordable to persons with low-to-moderate incomes.”

Currently, 14 percent of rental units in the county — 6,000 units total — are committed affordable housing, and 67 percent of those units are in North Arlington (above Route 50). Most of the county’s dwindling stock of market rate affordable housing units, on the other hand, are in South Arlington.

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County Approves Affordable Housing Loan Despite Resident Objections

By ARLnow.com

When county officials talk about the need for affordable housing, they often cite the example of such housing allowing school teachers to live in the communities they teach in.

Why, then, did three self-identified teachers have to stand up before the county board last night to say that the affordable housing project the board was considering would result in them being forced from their already-affordable apartments? And why did the board unanimously approve a $6.38 million loan for the project anyway?

The answer is complex, but the practical implication is that because as single teachers they make just above the income limit for affordable housing, the board’s vote last night will most likely result in them being forced to move — perhaps even out of the county.

The loan in question will be made to the non-profit Community Preservation for Development Corporation, which specializes in affordable housing projects in the Washington region. CPDC will use the money to buy the 76-unit Howard Manner garden apartments, located at 2506 North 20th Road, just north of Clarendon. It’s one of the only market rate affordable housing complexes in the area.

What prompted more than a half dozen current residents to speak out last night was CPDC’s plan to renovate the 63-year-old apartments, convert most of the efficiencies into two-bedroom units, and impose income restrictions on residents.

“Howard Manor already is affordable housing,” one woman said. “The only thing you would achieve… is putting a salary cap on those who can live there.”

Another woman said that as a single mother working two jobs, she would be making too much to stay in her apartment, for which she currently pays $870 per month.

“I really appreciate the efforts to preserve affordable housing, but this is already affordable housing,” said one self-identified teacher, who added that residents had only just heard about the renovation plan. “We felt blindsided and I felt betrayed.”

Despite residents’ pleas, the board said, essentially, that converting the current market-rate affordable housing units to dedicated affordable housing is the lesser of two evils. Should CPDC’s plan be denied, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said, nothing would stop a developer from buying the property and building more expensive apartments. Development rights on the property would allow such a move without the board’s approval.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Happy Valentine’s Day — To celebrate, Caribou Coffee is offering a buy one, get one free coupon. [Shirlington Village Blogspot]

Fairfax Supervisor Slams Arlington on HOT Lanes — The animus for Arlington continues over at the Washington Post. In an opinion piece published online, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity says the Arlington County Board has “thumbed their noses at every motorist sitting in traffic on our region’s congested highways” by using “gutter-style tactics” to block HOT lanes and other projects. A pro-Arlington Letter to the Editor, however, says that “The Post needs to stop blaming Arlington County for congestion on I-395.”

Library Changes This Week — Arlington Public Libraries are transitioning to a new catalog system this week. As a result, a number of library programs and resources won’t be available for the next several days. [Library Blog]

House Bill Could Cost Arlington Schools $700K — The budget bill passed by the House of Delegates calls for steep cuts to education. Arlington would lose $681,534 under the bill. Fairfax County would fare worse, losing some $5.9 million. The state Senate’s budget bill, however, does not contain such cuts. [Washington Examiner]

Arlington Approves Pike Affordable Housing Project — The Arlington County Board approved a plan to build a 121-unit affordable housing complex near the western end of Columbia Pike. The apartments will be located next to the currently under-construction Arlington Mill Community Center. [Pike Wire]

Flickr pool photo by Michael T. Ruhl

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