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Office-to-residential conversion, new tenant-relocation guidelines on County Board agenda

By Scott McCaffrey

Approval of another office-to-residential conversion, amendments to tenant-relocation guidelines and possible changes to towing rates will highlight this month’s County Board meeting.

A public hearing on just one item will be held before adoption during this Saturday’s meeting. All 33 other items slated for action that day are on the Board’s consent agenda, but individual items could be pulled off public hearings on the recessed meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Items on the agenda include:

Latest office-to-residential conversion slated for approval: Board members are expected to approve a developer’s plan to convert the 13-story office building at 4100 Fairfax Drive to residential use.

The plan calls for 296 residential units while retaining ground-floor retail uses, including Bronson Bier Hall, and the building’s five-level underground garage.

County staff support the change in use. The Planning Commission voted 11-0 to recommend approving the application.

The building is located one block east of the Ballston Metro station. It was constructed in 2000 as part of a redevelopment plan for the block bounded by Fairfax Drive, 9th Street N., N. Stafford Street and N. Randolph Street.

The office building and an adjacent apartment building were completed, but an office building planned for the IHOP restaurant site on the parcel has yet to move forward.

New tenant-relocation guidelines set for approval: Board members are also expected to update tenant-relocation guidelines.

The proposal would change the amount of payment that displaced tenants receive, and add more information to be collected from tenants. Another change provides more flexibility for the county’s Tenant-Landlord Commission in overseeing the relocation process.

The Tenant-Landlord Commission, which has vetted proposed changes over the past year, supports the package.

Developers planning new projects are not required, but are strongly encouraged, to follow the local guidelines. In addition, projects involving federal funds are required to follow the Uniform Relocation Act to support those displaced.

The last version of the guidelines was approved in 2018.

Advertisement for changes to towing rates: Board members are slated to advertise, for a future public hearing, changes to allowable towing rates for vehicles removed for allegedly trespassing on private property.

Information on specifics of the proposal had not been placed on the agenda in advance of this article. A public hearing will precede setting the date for future consideration at the Oct. 18 meeting.

Income levels revised for free ambulance service: Board members are slated to increase the income levels that would qualify someone for free Arlington County Fire Department ambulance service.

County officials began charging for ambulance transport in 1999, and shortly after implementation, a maximum household income of $25,000 was set for a waiver of fees. That figure has not changed since.

Under the policy change, fees in future would not be charged to households earning less than the federal Section 8 median income, and would be adjusted as that figure changes. Maximum income levels would range from $34,450 for a single-person household to $64,900 for a household of eight or more individuals.

Ambulance-transport fees typically are not applicable to those with private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, as those programs reimburse the county government on a contract basis.

Funding set for N. Sycamore Street stormwater improvements: Board members are slated to award a contract worth up to $1.41 million for stormwater-infrastructure improvements at N. Sycamore Street and Langston Blvd.

The project would include installation of a parallel storm pipe and associated manholes next to an existing sewer line.

The existing and new sewer lines would convey runoff from approximately 170 acres in the upstream portion of the Crossman Run watershed to the south side of Langston Blvd.

The contract is slated to be awarded to Milani Construction LLC.

New fire agreement with Falls Church to be signed: Board members are expected to ratify an updated contract with the Falls Church city government and Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department.

The upgraded agreement would impact the terms of Arlington’s fire and ambulance services within the 2.2-square-mile city. It will run through 2030 with the option to renew through 2035.

Arlington officials expect the new agreement to bring in approximately $500,000 in additional annual revenue.

Arlington has staffed a fire station in Falls Church since the department’s establishment in 1940. The current station, located on the border of the jurisdictions in East Falls Church, serves residents of both localities.

Private school’s use permit to be renewed: Board members are expected to renew the use permit for the Sycamore School at 1550 Wilson Blvd for three years.

A year ago, Board members had authorized the school to operate with a maximum of 140 middle- and high-school students, an upper limit that will be continued.

After approval, the site plan no longer would require Board review, but would receive a staff review after the three-year term expires.

The school occupies the third floor of a Rosslyn office building.

Green Valley farmers market use permit to be renewed: Board members are expected to renew, for a year, the use permit for the Friday open-air farmers market at John Robinson Jr. Town Square in Green Valley.

The market debuted in April, with its 2025 season slated to run through early November. Staff identified no problems needing Board discussion prior to approval of the extension.

The market is operated by Community Association of Resources, Education, Enrichment & Economics (CARE) Inc.

Legislative priorities for 2026 General Assembly session to be revealed: At the Board’s recessed meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, staff will present the draft 2026 General Assembly legislative package.

There also will be a chance for the public to comment on the package, although typically the annual legislative documents draw little community feedback.

Apartment building proposed for old Red Lion hotel site nears finish line

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

A redevelopment project near Rosslyn is teed up for Arlington County Board approval this weekend.

Reston-based Orr Partners proposes to build an 8-story apartment building with up to 446 units on a 2.2-acre site in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood.

The site at 1501 Arlington Blvd is currently home to the Red Lion Hotel, formerly the Best Western Iwo Jima hotel, which opened in 1958, as well as the Ellis Arms and Williamsburg apartments, which were built in 1954. It is bounded by Fairfax Drive to the south and the Parc Rosslyn Apartments and Belvedere Condominiums to the north.

The proposed building would add 418 net new units while still coming 62 feet under the height maximum allowed in this area, county planner Adam Watson told the Planning Commission last week. Its construction would eliminate surface parking lots and result in underground utility lines, new streetscapes and accessibility improvements.

Orr took over never-realized plans to build a 10-story condo tower and a 12-story hotel on the site, which the County Board approved in 2019.

After going through the county’s public review process, Orr changed the building’s form and design in response to staff and commissioner comments, says Watson. The developer made changes to the building at the corner of N. Pierce Street and Fairfax Drive to improve circulation on the sidewalk below, near a planned bicycle storage room.

It also added visual interest to gates along Fairfax Drive at the pedestrian level, intended to screen transformers from view and made design changes to give the lobby more prominence, he said.

Orr will replace existing market-rate affordable units with 24 on-site committed affordable units set aside for households earning up to 60% of the area median income. The units — seven 1-bedroom, 16 2-bedroom and one 3-bedroom — add up to 42 bedrooms, the same as currently exists.

Members of the Planning Commission urged the developer to consider trading some of the proposed 1-bedroom units for 3-bedroom ones.

“This would be a really great opportunity, as we rarely see 3-bedroom held market-rate affordable units that come before us,” said commission Chair Sara Steinberger last week. “You found one [3-bedroom unit]: I’m asking you guys to see what you can do to find one or two more. I do see some consensus in this body that that’s something that we would appreciate.”

Ryan Orr, the senior vice president of development, said his company is “happy to explore adding more 3-bedrooms in lieu of one or twos,” noting this would require “a holistic look” at the floor plans.

Representatives from the nearby Belvedere Condominiums owners association and the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights Civic Association expressed concern that the project will displace existing tenants of the market-rate affordable units.

Company chairman David Orr said he has heard these concerns from these neighbors since the kickoff of the project review process.

“We took that to heart. My son has met with every resident there — two didn’t open their doors — and we talked to them about their plans,” he said. “Some have had personal issues. Some are delinquent. We are not enforcing the leases and we are working with them in every way to bring them back to community.”

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Residents could start moving into two nearly complete apartment towers in Crystal City next month

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

Two new apartment buildings in Crystal City are almost ready for residents to move in.

Construction started on the two residential towers at 1900 Crystal Drive in 2021, nearly one year to the day after JBG Smith received approval to redevelop the aging office building previously there.

Now, JBG Smith tells ARLnow it expects residents can starting moving into the buildings — a 3-minute walk from Amazon’s second headquarters — this February. The developer has already begun receiving partial certificates of occupancy for certain floors of one tower, dubbed “The Grace.”

JBG Smith said it expects to wrap up construction by the third quarter of 2024.

The 583,000-square-foot north tower, The Grace, and a 567,500-square-foot south tower, called “Reva,” are each 300 feet tall and, across them, have 808 rental units and about 40,000 square feet of street-level retail. A pedestrian-friendly street bisecting the towers will connect 18th and 20th Streets S. and a not-yet-built park.

The Crystal City Sector Plan envisions this park space as the largest in Crystal City, at about 74,000 square feet. The plan says it “would allow for a wide variety of uses, such as passive recreation, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, cafes, some temporary kiosk retail, and evening outdoor movies” among other uses, says Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Jerry Solomon.

JBG Smith granted to the county a public park easement of approximately 45,000 square feet to establish this open space, dubbed “Center Park.” The county received the easement understanding that the rest of the proposed public space would come as part of a future development, Solomon said.

JBG Smith also contributed $300,000 for the park’s master planning, a community engagement process where people will weigh in on programmed elements and other features.

“The current [Capital Improvement Plan] envisions the design of Center Park to begin in FY 2025 with construction to begin some time in FY 2027,” she said in an email. “In July 2024, the County Board will be considering the FY 2025-2034 CIP which may contain changes to the potential timelines and funding for public space development within the Crystal City corridor.”

While residents of The Grace and Reva can start moving in February, it is looking like a summer opening for at least some of the six announced businesses move into the ground floor retail spaces.

Per window dressings and Arlington County permits, 1900 Crystal Drive will be home to new outposts of Tatte Bakery & Cafe, a the ice cream shop Van Leeuwen, D.C.’s Chinese-French fusion restaurant Bar Chinois and Cuban café and bar Colada Shop, a nail salon called nailsaloon, and New York City-based botox spa Peachy.

Nailsaloon recently opened a location in Chevy Chase and aims to move into Crystal City this summer, a spokeswoman said.

Colada Shop is also targeting a summer opening, a company spokeswoman said.

The other businesses did not respond to requests for more information about when they might open.

JBG Smith says it still has some retail space to fill, so additional announcements may be coming.

Redevelopment plans filed for two hotels in Green Valley to be replaced with apartments

By Jo DeVoe
1/9

New plans have been filed to redevelop two hotels in Green Valley with apartments.

The project would replace Hotel Pentagon — previously a Best Western that saw some prostitution-related run-ins with law enforcement — and the Comfort Inn Pentagon with a 521-unit, 602,000-square-foot apartment complex.

Both hotels are located at the intersection of 24th Road S. and S. Glebe Road, with I-395, the Lomax AME Zion Church, some auto body shops and two apartment complexes all nearby.

The plans were filed by Capital First Investments and Capital Second Investments, which own the parcels at 2480 S. Glebe Road, and CC Rock Arlington Owner LLC, incorporated in Delaware. The Washington Business Journal first reported the filing, attributed to this LLC, last week.

This LLC is tied to a North Carolina-based developer, Crescent Communities, which also invests in real estate and operates mixed-use communities. It has offices in D.C. as well as outposts in several western and southern states. Reached by ARLnow, the company declined to comment.

In filing this new application, the owners and developer have taken the next step forward in the county site plan application process. ARLnow reported this January that preliminary plans had been filed — an optional step some take to discuss the project with and solicit early feedback from county planners.

The number and mix of units has changed since this early filing, which floated a 467-unit apartment complex and 36 stacked townhouses. The apartment building will have 20 additional units, and there will be four four-story buildings with a total of 34 apartments.

The apartment building will include a mix of 1- and 2-bedroom units, some of which will also have dens, and two 3-bedroom units. The plans call for 580 vehicle parking spots and 222 bicycle parking spots — more than the minimum 546 and 219 spots, respectively, required by zoning codes.

The developer also proposes a series of site upgrades, including “enhanced sidewalk and streetscape design, new landscaping, and activation of the ground-floor façades,” a letter accompanying the application says.

“The proposed development will achieve the goals of the Four Mile Run Area Plan by implementing new residential buildings as well as a variety of site improvements in the Four Mile Run neighborhood,” it continues.

The Green Valley Civic Association has had one meeting with the developer and is still trying to schedule a follow-up, association president Portia Clark tells ARLnow.

“We looked at some of their preliminary plans,” she said. “We also wanted them to meet with the church next door, with the cemetery, which will be very close to the development. There were some issues with the naming. They were going to name it Arlington Ridge and we’re not Arlington Ridge — we’re next to it.”

Clark says she would like to see the plans presented to the community at the civic association’s upcoming January meeting.

Police: Man kicks officers after breaking into woman’s apartment in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 30-year-old man is facing a number of charges after an alleged break-in Monday in the Ballston area.

It happened around 4:15 p.m. yesterday on the 700 block of N. Glebe Road, home to a relatively new apartment building.

Police say the man entered a woman’s apartment but left after she confronted him. Officers then located the suspect in the building and took him into custody, after which he kicked two of the officers, Arlington County police said.

More, below, from an ACPD crime report.

Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside her home when the male suspect allegedly made entry into the unit. The victim verbally confronted the suspect who subsequently exited the residence.  Responding officers located the suspect in the residential building and took him into custody. During a search of his person incident to arrest, a knife was recovered. While in custody, the suspect was noncompliant and kicked two officers. [The suspect], 30, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Assault on Police (x2), Unlawful Entry, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Obstruction of Justice. He was held without bond.

County ratifies financing plan for Barcroft Apartments redevelopment despite push from advocates for deeper affordability

By Jo DeVoe
The Barcroft Apartments on Columbia Pike (via Arlington County)

Arlington County Board members and advocates were split this weekend on how many units at the Barcroft Apartments should be set aside for Arlington’s lowest-income earners.

Two years ago, the county and Amazon loaned $150 million and $160 million, respectively, to developer Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners to purchase the aging garden apartment complex, located on 60 acres near the corner of S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive.

The purchase agreement stipulated all 1,335 units would be affordable to households earning up to 60% of the area median income, or AMI, for 99 years, in an effort to avoid displacing the 1,100 resident families who lived there.

After community members advocated for deeper affordability, Jair Lynch developed a financing plan that further commits the county and property owner to keep at least 134 units for households earning up to 30% AMI. This would be the county’s largest commitment of 30% AMI units to date, among the properties in its affordable housing stock, according to a county report.

Board members celebrated the plan, which outlines how Jair Lynch will refinance the county’s loan to cover various renovation and redevelopment phases and try to achieve savings for the county in the long run. During remarks when they approved the plan, members said it documents how this project can be financially viable, despite cripplingly high interest rates.

“There are so many good things that are happening here,” County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said. “The areas where people want improvements are absolutely doable because the partners involved are committed not only to making this a financially viable experience but a good experience.”

He said that Saturday’s discussion was not the time or place to add in a new affordability commitment.

Advocates wanted to see a total of 255 units set aside for 30% AMI households — a single person earning $31,65o or a family of four bringing in $45,210. That number reflects that 255 households at the Barcroft Apartments that reported earning up to 30% AMI in 2021, when Jair Lynch purchased the complex, according to the Arlington Community Foundation.

“Deeper affordability should not expire when the current residents move on,” Arlington Community Foundation Director of Grants and Initiatives Anne Vor der Bruegge said. “We acknowledge the sobering financial dynamics at play and the need to protect the viability of this deal, however, we believe that our goal can ultimately be accomplished using land use and other tools that have not yet been explored.”

Interim County Board member Tannia Talento was not so sure.

“When we look at other committed affordable properties in Arlington that are not able to maintain a good quality of maintenance for their buildings, I just cannot in good mind say, ‘Let’s deepen affordability and we’ll figure it out later,” she said. “I just can’t do it.”

Should market conditions improve or Jair Lynch finds other funding sources, the county and the developer will revisit this minimum commitment, which will hold if market conditions worsen instead, per the report.

“Part of the financing plan is utilizing these potential savings to pay down the County’s debt while still meeting County goals,” a report says. “These anticipated savings are important due to the significant increase in the cost of capital to the County because interest rates have jumped dramatically since the 2021 acquisition.”

Debt service on the county’s short-term line of credit is currently $9 million annually for interest alone — more than four times what was projected in 2021 for the 2023 fiscal year, the report says. The county says this puts a strain on its Affordable Housing Investment Fund, or AHIF, and its ability to take on new projects.

“That is an understatement, considering AHIFs total appropriation for FY 2024 is $20.5 million,” said former independent County Board candidate Audrey Clement, the lone speaker this weekend opposed to the project.

She also said the costs are too high for the first renovation phase.

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Additional apartments, townhomes mulled for Shirlington multifamily building

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

New apartments might one day be built on open space surrounding the Shirlington House apartments.

Arlington-based Snell Properties, which owns the property at 4201 31st Street S., filed conceptual plans with Arlington County last month, seeking staff feedback on a variety of topics.

This is an early step applicants can take before filing an official site plan application to pursue development. It does not guarantee the project — as currently envisioned — will move forward. Rather, it is a way developers can consult county staff and evaluate options.

Since January, Snell Properties has separately had informal discussions and communications with Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development staff, per its application.

The applicant proposes to build one 64-unit apartment building with a mix of studio, 1- and 2-bedroom units on a hilly open space between the existing 436-unit apartment building and the Citizen at Shirlington Village complex.

Open space near the Shirlington House and how Snell Properties envisions adding an apartment building there (via Google Maps and Arlington County)

It also proposes seven “street liner” buildings along 31st Street S. — between Shirlington village and the Fairlington neighborhood — which would create 14 2-story, 3-bedroom units, the application says. One purpose of the conceptual site plan is to ask county staff whether adding these “street liner” buildings is feasible.

Three-bedroom units are in high demand and Planning Commission members have frequently requested or discussed these “family-sized” dwellings during recent reviews of development proposals.

31st Street S., where ‘street liner’ buildings could go and how they would fit into the sloping on the site (via Google Maps and Arlington County)

The new units would be served by excess parking available in the Shirlington House surface lot and below-grade parking garage. The existing apartment building will remain as-is, according to the application.

Arlington County granted permission to build 437 units on the site in the 1980s. To get more units, Snell has to make the case it can mitigate the potential effects of adding density through community improvements.

Snell suggested “possible onsite affordable dwelling units.” Developers can also make transportation upgrades — such as adding bicycle lanes — to offset a potential uptick in car trips from the new development, or make cash contributions to affordable housing and public art funds.

Goodwill redevelopment plans receive largely positive feedback, mixed with some concerns

By Jo DeVoe
1/5

Plans to redevelop the Goodwill near Route 50 — with affordable housing, childcare and a new store and donation center — have received a relatively warm reception, per a recent survey.

Goodwill and AHC Inc. propose to replace the existing Goodwill Retail and Donation Center in the Alcova Heights neighborhood with a 6-story apartment building with 128 units of affordable housing, a new store and donation center and a 3,300-square-foot childcare facility.

The redevelopment at 10 S. Glebe Road would have 168 total parking spaces, including 50 for customers and four for childcare.

The plans are early in the Arlington County approval process. Now that the recent feedback opportunity is complete, there will be two site plan review committee meetings, not yet scheduled, followed by Planning Commission and Arlington County Board hearings.

A majority of respondents, including community members, planning commissioners and other county commission members, welcome the addition of childcare and affordable housing to the site. Most of the 167 respondents said the density and land use “appropriate,” with several suggesting even more units could be added.

“I love this!” wrote one. “The more childcare facilities and housing the better!”

Another noted that about three-quarters of the units would be family-sized 2- and 3-bedroom units, which are in short supply in Arlington.

“Likewise, Arlington is in desperate need of additional childcare facilities like this,” the person continued. “The playground and green space proposed would benefit the entire neighborhood. This corner abuts office, commercial, and multifamily site, so additional density here should not be a problem.”

Not everyone is pleased with the increased density, however. Some objected to locating housing and childcare so close to busy Arlington Blvd, predicting even more congestion.

“The building is much [too] close to Route 50 and the residents are not connected to the surrounding community,” wrote one commenter. “They will be isolated. For all its progressive bona fides, it looks like Arlington is opting for the warehousing of the poor.”

“I question whether this site can handle this sort of expansive growth,” said another. “Traffic in this area is already horrendous and has been getting worse. This new site use will only increase that.”

For self-identified county commissioners who responded to the survey, the devil will be in the details, with concerns about insufficient landscaping, greenspace and traffic.

“Installing Right- as well as Left-turn traffic lights for South- and North-bound traffic across S. Glebe Rd. at the entrance to and exit from the proposed building site would make it more convenient and safer for motorists and pedestrians who will use S. Glebe Rd. close to its intersection with Arlington Boulevard,” recommended one.

The county says the developer conducted a traffic analysis that looked at three signalized and three stop-controlled intersections around the site. It found that the overall operations are and will be “at an acceptable Level of Service” if the development moves forward, per a staff report.

As for donation traffic, donors would enter and exit a drive-thru line from S. Glebe Road, similar to the configuration used today. The difference is that the new one would take drivers inside the building and up a level.

The current line sees backups onto S. Glebe Road during busy donation seasons, according to some commenters and a county report. The report did not indicate whether the plans would address this, noting that traffic volumes were manageable most of the year.

The designs received several compliments, including that it was “genius” and “light years better than the existing circulation plan.”

Goodwill donation queuing crosses two levels (via Arlington County)

Final building in the Red Top Cab redevelopment in Clarendon wraps up months ahead of schedule

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

The third and final building in the long-awaited Red Top Cab redevelopment in Clarendon is complete — ahead of schedule.

The building comprises the second of two phases for the “Clarendon West” project by Arlington-based Shooshan Company and its partner, Trammell Crow Residential, or TCR. The Arlington County Board approved the overall project, replacing the old Red Top Cab headquarters and dispatch center, and two small commercial buildings, in 2015.

The new building has been christened by its ownership with a regal name.

“Alexan Fitzroy is TCR’s second Class A high-rise in Clarendon, which underscores our commitment to building high-quality housing in the [Rosslyn-Ballston] corridor,” TCR Mid-Atlantic Region Managing Director Matt Hard said. “We are excited to get leasing underway and could not be more thrilled with the collaboration and performance of our design and construction team members.”

The 269-unit LEED Gold-certified building is at the corner of Washington Blvd and 13th Street N. When construction kicked off at the start of 2022, the building was projected to open either late this year or early next year.

Work progressed quickly, says TCR Vice President of Development Adam Stone, because both phases used the same general contractor, architecture firm, civil engineers, landscape architects and interior designers.

This “allowed us to complete the second phase more efficiently,” he tells ARLnow, adding that the team avoided significant unforeseen issues and setbacks during construction.

“Overall, the majority of the credit is due to the great team that has been working with us for over five years now between both phases,” he said.

The apartment building was about 15% pre-leased when it opened last week and leasing activity has increased since the start of in-person tours, says Stone.

He highlighted the slate of amenities for new and potential residents.

Inside, there are two lounge areas with bars — one with billiards — as well as work remotely from conference spaces, Zoom rooms and private meeting rooms. For wellness, the building has a fitness center and pet spa.

Outside, both the main level and the rooftop have fire pits, grills and places for outdoor dining seating, while the rooftop also has a pool.

As part of the project, the developer completed a new sidewalk around the building and extended 12th Street N. from N. Irving Street to Washington Blvd.

Nearby, Arlington County redesigned the intersection of Washington Blvd and 13th Street N. and made other public improvements recommended by the Clarendon Sector Plan. The county turned the triangular-shaped intersection into a more conventional “T” intersection, moved utilities underground, revamped sidewalks and made accessibility upgrades. It is also providing public open space for a future park at the intersection.

“The project is near completion with landscaping scheduled for Nov. 14,” Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien said.

The first phase, comprised of two buildings with a total of 333 apartment units on N. Hudson Street and 13th Street N., was completed in the spring 0f 2021. Construction broke ground on the pair of buildings in March of 2019 and the complex, dubbed The Earl Apartments, was sold to another property owner last July.

TCR does not have plans to sell the Alexan Fitzroy at this time, Stone said.

Clarendon church and APAH float plans to build affordable senior housing

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

(Updated at 12 p.m. on 10/10/23) A church in Clarendon could be redeveloped with senior housing, pending the outcome of a forthcoming county land-use study.

Over the last year, Clarendon Presbyterian Church and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, or APAH, have been developing plans to tear down the 75-year-old church at 1305 N. Jackson Street and build a 92-unit affordable apartment building for seniors 55 or 62 and older.

The church would move into a new 8,000-square-foot space in the building, with design elements and programming specifically geared toward LGBTQ seniors, says Pastor Alice Tewell. The Clarendon Child Care Center — which a parent co-op board runs from the church — would also move in and have space for up to 58 children. It has that capacity now but currently serves 40.

The process is in its early stages. This summer, Clarendon Presbyterian and APAH asked the county to embark on a special General Land Use Plan (GLUP) study to determine if the property can be redesignated from “semi-public” to “low-medium residential.”

The county granted the request and scheduled a “Tier 1” review to begin later this fall, though no meetings have been scheduled. In this stage, the Long Range Planning Committee would review whether it is appropriate to consider the property for a new land use designation.

Removing the “semi-public” designation would lay the groundwork for this project, located a 5-minute walk from the Clarendon Metro station. The project would require rezoning, too, as the site is zoned for single-family homes — and now 2-6 unit homes, with the approval of ‘Missing Middle’ changes.

The church is located next to older garden style apartments and new, market-rate apartments.

If the Arlington County Board approves the designation change, the church and APAH would then file a site plan application subject to public review. It will be a few years before the duo has the approvals they need to obtain financing from federal tax credits and commercial, local and state loans, says Tewell.

Should all this happen on schedule, the church could open its new doors in 2029 or 2030 after a two-year construction period. That means a few more years in a church building that is too big and too old to serve the congregation and community effectively, according to the pastor.

“Our current building of nearly 75 years — built for 450 people and now serving a congregation of less than 80 — is literally falling apart with massive annual repair costs, and we will soon no longer have the resources to maintain it and continue serving the Clarendon community unless we redevelop and create a new and much smaller worship space for the congregation,” Tewell said.

The congregation identified the need to redevelop in 2021 and a year later voted to work with APAH, she said.

During this time, the church sunk more than $100,000 into HVAC, electric and plumbing maintenance, according to a letter to Arlington County. The letter foretells the church moving, possibly from Arlington, in five to 10 years if the expenses continue to mount with no redevelopment option.

Should the church leave, it says, childcare, community programming and monthly food and toiletry drives would go with it, and would be “a sore loss for the entire Arlington community.”

But not everyone is on board. A petition to “save” the church and “preserve our residential neighborhood” has north of 640 signatures to date.

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August fire forces 68 residents to vacate a Crystal City apartment building

By Jo DeVoe
Crystal Plaza Apartments (via Google Maps)
Crystal Plaza Apartments (via Google Maps)

Sixty-eight residents of an apartment building in Crystal City were told this week that they have 14 days to leave due to damage from a fire in the boiler room last month.

One resident tells ARLnow the news leaves affected tenants scrambling for last-minute housing options. He says those told to vacate include an octogenarian who has lived in her apartment for three decades and “is unsure of where to go.” 

“To say that this has caused turmoil and distress would be an understatement,” the resident said. “Finding alternative housing, coordinating a move, and dealing with the various challenges that come with such a sudden eviction is a monumental task in itself.”

On Aug. 21, a fire broke out in the boiler room of the southern wing of the Crystal Plaza Apartments at 2111 Richmond Hwy. Industrial hygienists, air quality specialists and engineers, among other specialists, assessed the impacts to every apartment, according to a letter shared with ARLnow.

They determined some apartments need new flooring, cabinetry, walls and systems to remove all residual soot and other pollutants — work that would require tenants to vacate, the letter said. The notice gave them 14 days, the minimum required by Virginia law, to leave.

The notices were dated Sept. 14, after owner Dweck Properties learned from an industrial hygienist that these apartments would need a more comprehensive assessment and, possibly, extensive remediation work, a Dweck spokesperson tells ARLnow.

These additional assessments are contingent on apartments being vacant, the spokesperson added. They would determine the scope and cost of work as well as how long it could take. 

“This notice was needed to ensure we could access units for repair if required,” the spokesperson said. “We are now working with each resident on their transition — identifying alternative apartments, understanding each of their timing needs, and assisting them in any way we can.” 

Before this notice, the resident says a community-wide notice went out a few days after the inspections, describing which apartments suffered the most damage and required immediate work.

“Our apartment was not included in this list,” the resident said. “It is essential to emphasize that since the fire, we had received no communication or updates regarding our situation.”

The Dweck spokesperson did not say whether residents also received the community-wide notice. 

Notice to vacate from Dweck Properties (courtesy photo)

In its letter, Dweck was apologetic and offered to cover $2,000 in moving expenses per unit. 

“The fire incident has had a wide-ranging impact, and we are so very sorry for the disruption it has caused,” the letter said. 

Since the letters went out, Dweck tells ARLnow it has taken more steps to ease these transitions. In meetings convened Monday and Tuesday, Dweck told residents it would also cover insurance deductibles up to $500 and reimburse residents for rent paid from the time of the incident to the time they move out.

“While some of this work requires units to be vacant, our inspection team is revisiting all of these 68 apartments this week to see if there is any possibility of performing remediation while the apartments are occupied — in apartments that potentially require less work,” the company spokesperson said. 

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