Smoke rising above Crystal City from The Buchanan apartment fire (photo courtesy Will Wiard)
(Updated at 10:35 p.m.) A “large amount” of residents have been displaced after a fire at The Buchanan apartment building in Crystal City.
The fire on the 300 block of 23rd Street S. was reported around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Arlington County Fire Department said crews “found a fire in a 3rd floor apartment with significant smoke conditions.”
Smoke from the blaze could be seen from a distance, rising above Crystal City. Police closed 23rd Street for more than two hours while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames and remove smoke from the building.
One person was injured and taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay, according to ACFD. No firefighters were hurt. There’s no word yet on how the fire started nor for how long residents of the building may be displaced.
More via social media:
#Update – Crews arrived on location and found a fire in a 3rd floor apartment with significant smoke conditions. Majority of the fire is extinguished, crews are working on salvage and overhaul operations. pic.twitter.com/bJOVsls0F7
#Final – Property management is coordinating with the fire prevention office to determine which units can be occupied. 1 civilian was transported from the scene with NLT injuries. 0 firefighters injured.We thank the residents for their patience during this prolonged incident.
Langston Blvd Plan Meets Resistance — “Following this May’s release of area planning maps and a presentation on density from consultant AECOM, a furious screed was published by Lyon Village Civic Association president John Carten. Though the process is still in the community engagement phase that precedes concrete recommendations, the hint of possible changes in the General Land Use Plan prompted the Lyon Village group to predict a parade of horribles.” [Falls Church News-Press]
New Clarendon Apartment Building Sold — “Trammell Crow Residential has sold the Alexan Earl, a 333-unit multifamily building at 1122 N. Hudson St., to Lincoln Property Co. for $192 million… The Earl represents the first phase of the long-planned Red Top Cab redevelopment… Shooshan continues to plan for the second phase, a roughly 250-unit building fronting Washington Boulevard at the intersection with 13th Street North. It expects to start demolition this fall.” [Washington Business Journal]
Online Fundraiser for Fallen Officer –” The family of George Gonzalez started a memorial fund Sunday for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer who was fatally wounded Tuesday on the platform of the Pentagon Transit Center… By 3 p.m. on Monday, the GoFundMe campaign had already raised $15,000, outstripping its original goal of $1,000.” [Patch, GoFundMe]
Local BBQ Joint Competing in ‘World Championship’ — “Arlington’s Smokecraft Modern Barbecue… has been invited to compete in the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. Taking place in Lynchburg, TN on on October 8th and 9th, ‘The Jack’ as it is known, is widely considered the world’s most prestigious barbecue competition.” [Press Release]
Va. AG Continues to Fight Robocalls — “Attorney General Mark R. Herring today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight back against the scourge of illegal robocalls by moving up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID technology. Attorney General Herring joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general have in submitting comments to the FCC.” [Press Release]
Pentagon to Require Vaccinations — “The Pentagon will require members of the military to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo on Monday. About 64% of active duty military members are fully vaccinated, a low enough rate to pose concern for potential outbreaks and international deployment.” [Axios]
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
Pictures from a slideshow documenting the conditions at the Serrano Apartments during a recent County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
A new GoFundMe page was established over the weekend to raise money for five families who have been impacted by the pest infestations and mold at the Serrano Apartments.
These families have been relocated to temporary housing, in hotels and elsewhere, while their units are remediated and repaired. As of Monday afternoon, the fundraiser has raised $3,333 of its $18,738 goal.
It is the latest move by the community leaders and residents who have been calling on affordable housing nonprofit AHC, which owns the property, to improve conditions at the complex. After two years of advocacy, and after involvement from the NAACP and Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), organizers say the Serrano Apartments and its residents are finally getting the attention they deserve.
In the case of the families for which funds are being raised, more support is needed, organizers say.
“These families, all with school-aged children, have to replace beds, furniture, clothes and other household items and prepare to get their children ready for back-to-school as they relocate, return and try to restabilize their homes and families,” they wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“These families have suffered significant losses and were unexpectedly uprooted due to the lack of maintenance and care at the Serrano Apartments,” the page continues. “These families work hard, living paycheck-to-paycheck, and do not have additional finances nor renter’s insurance to assist them in replacing their belongings and to address other costs involved with resettling and restabilizing their homes and families.”
Former School Board member Tannia Talento, Arlington Schools Hispanic Parents Association member Janeth Valenzuela, Rev. Ashley Goff and local NAACP President Julius “J.D.” Spain put together the fundraiser. They said they hope to raise $4,000 for four families that spent more than two months in hotel rooms, $2,000 for one family that suffered some significant loss of their belongings, but could relocate to another affordable housing residence, and $738 for the GoFundMe fees and transaction costs.
Meantime, AHC has made some structural changes since the conditions came to light, including the resignation of their CEO. AHC hired an interim CEO, former Independent County Board candidate Susan Cunningham, to take the helm.
“I’m a straight shooter,” she told County Board members during a meeting in mid-July, two days into her new post. “I’m not going to sugar coat. I care a lot about accountability: my own, yours, ours as a community, and the problem-solving that it takes to deliver the kind of quality that we expect in the county.”
AHC and Cunningham are working with advocates and tenants to address repairs, the pest infestation and maintenance issues.
The interim CEO told the board she plans to have an in-depth update on progress in September.
She said AHC has “made good progress” but is not done rehousing the nearly 30 families who were placed temporarily in hotels earlier this year. Although the majority are in permanent homes — some with AHC and some in other complexes — a handful are still in hotels and considering their options, she said.
Meanwhile, AHC has three vendors on site trying to tackle an extensive mouse problem.
“We are filling holes, and we are getting ready to pull cabinets,” she said. “I think we’re getting on top of it, but we won’t feel that for sure for a couple of weeks.”
Fundraiser organizers say the same.
“Change is slow, and while we anticipate AHC will make these families whole again, it may take weeks before anything comes to fruition,” they said in the GoFundMe.
A rendering of the proposed development for the Ballston Macy’s department store (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the proposed development for the Ballston Macy’s department store (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the proposed development for the Ballston Macy’s department store (via Arlington County)
Plans are taking shape for an apartment building set to replace the Macy’s store in Ballston.
Insight Property Group proposes to demolish the long-time department store and vacant office building at 685 N. Glebe Road, in the heart of Ballston. In its place would go a 16-story, 555-unit apartment complex atop a planned grocery store.
The developer plans to designate 236 units as affordable through the use of a novel zoning tool, and requests the flexibility to possibly dedicate almost half the square footage toward elder care.
The proposed project “will complete the redevelopment of this section of Ballston as well as complement the adjacent Ballston Quarter development,” write land use attorneys Nan Walsh and Andrew Painter, in a letter to the county.
The building was marketed for sale in the spring of 2020. Last summer, the County Board approved an extension until 2023 for the owner to file development plans. Aspects of these designs were first reported by UrbanTurf earlier this month.
Insight will “provide a much desired grocery store and new residential units in a building with high-quality architecture that is within short walking distance to many community amenities and transit options,” said their attorneys, from the land use firm Walsh Colucci.
At 563,336 square feet, the complex would be 198 feet tall and have 41,500 square feet of ground floor retail space. Residences would be split between a northern tower, with an entrance on Wilson Blvd, and a southern tower, with an entrance on Glebe Road. The towers would be built in two phases, UrbanTurf reported.
“The two portions of the building will have distinct, but complementary, architectural features that will form a unified composition,” write Walsh and Painter.
Insight requests “potential flexibility” to convert 201,500 square feet into elder care uses, they said.
The main grocery store entrance will be on Wilson Blvd, and the store will have 148 parking spaces — split between underground and second-floor parking. Residents will have 241 underground spaces.
An “underutilized, ‘back of house’ alley” will be transformed into a “more inviting, safe, curbless shared space for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles,” the letter said.
Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road will remain largely the same, save for upgraded sidewalks. Insight will also provide bicycle parking and public art contributions.
As for affordable housing, the company aims proposes using a mechanism in the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Form Based Code to transfer density and development rights from a Columbia Pike apartment complex it owns to the Ballston site.
To do so, it needs the county to designate the Haven Apartments (5100 7th Road S.), which are garden apartments, as historically important.
That’s because the mechanism it wants to use currently allows developers to transfer density from two other garden apartments, with historic designations, to anywhere in the county. In exchange, developers commit to preserve the buildings, renovate the units and keep rent affordable.
The transfer “will ensure the preservation of committed affordable housing units and architecturally significant buildings in the Columbia Pike corridor,” the lawyers said.
Insight acquired Haven in January of 2017 for $20 million, according to the company’s website. Since then, it has rebranded the property, renovated the units, exteriors and landscaping, and replaced the property management.
An apartment complex in Lyon Park recently issued a warning to tenants saying the only place for child’s play is the playground.
A note provided to ARLnow, addressed to the residents of Washington & Lee Apartments (2200 2nd Street N.), said “children are to be playing in the playground and in no other areas,” in bolded, italicized and underlined letters.
They cannot play in “common areas which include… on the grass or trees,” only the area designated as the playground, according to the note.
It’s one of two notes ARLnow has obtained indicating that some apartment communities are cracking down on play in common areas in response to an uptick in complaints from other tenants about noise and property damage.
The note to Washington & Lee tenants (courtesy of anonymous)
The Washington & Lee note was a first for Nicole Merlene, a Tenant-Landlord Commission member and ARLnow opinion columnist. She tells ARLnow it describes a potentially discriminatory practice and reveals the need for Arlington to offer mediation services between tenants and landlords.
“Since I have been on the commission we have not received a complaint of this kind where there is potentially discrimination based on age for activities,” she said.
The note responds to an increase in complaints from tenants about damaged cars from kids playing in the parking lot, a property manager for the complex told ARLnow. In a phone interview, the manager said five complaints have come in the last few months of kids hitting cars with rocks or scratching them up with scooters and bikes. As for the trees and grass, the manager said kids were breaking limbs and digging holes.
“It’s just gotten to the point where the damage and complaints were so bad I’d have to take action,” the manager said. “Because of COVID… [parents] didn’t have adequate care and the children were just left at home on their own.”
The note also bans sidewalk chalk because kids drew on the brick walls, according to the manager. The note said “stricter action will be taken” if the problems continue. In 2014, the same apartments launched a campaign against tenants feeding squirrels.
Merlene said that these kinds of landlord-tenant disputes could be resolved through an out-of-court mediation service — one that Arlington has not had since it was defunded a few years ago, she said.
“This type of out of court service requires both parties to willfully participate, but after conversations with both Alexandria and Fairfax, it is by and large extremely successful at finding a solution when a tenant is the one bringing a grievance,” she said. “The Tenant-Landlord Commission is in the process of looking into ways in which other jurisdictions have successfully provided this service and will recommend a system that works for our community for the Board’s consideration.”
Asked to evaluate the letter, she said commission members are not lawyers or trained in discrimination policy, so commissioners avoid determining if something is illegal. Instead, those with complaints are referred to the county’s Office of Human Rights.
But taking apartmentment owners to court, while a recourse for Arlington tenants, rarely happens.
“Reasons range from fear of potentially losing the case against a big landlord’s lawyer and having to pay their attorney fees, immigration status, cultural barriers, and various other hurdles,” she said.
Complaints of noise and kids’ behavior have also registered with the management office at Union on Queen (1515 N. Queen Street), near Rosslyn.
Tenants received a “friendly reminder” that no residents can hang out in or around the courtyard fountain. It told parents they are responsible if their children play there, according to a screenshot shared with ARLnow.
“Thus far we have seen trash left in the courtyard and in the fountain, and we’ve seen children playing in the courtyard [spraying] water on other resident’s [sic] windows,” the letter said.
The Union on Queen reminder also noted that the office “has received numerous complaints about increased noise levels due to groups being in the courtyard and around the courtyard’s fountain.”
“We will unfortunately have to issue lease violations should the issue persist,” the note said. “Again, we don’t want them to hurt themselves or others in the building. We want all of our residents to be safe and comfortable.”
A note to Union on Queen residents (courtesy of anonymous)
A planned Silver Diner location in Ballston, at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road, is moving through county approval processes and aims to open next year.
Developer Saul Centers announced in 2017 that the regional chain would open a spot within its development at 750 N. Glebe Road. Now, Silver Diner is obtaining the needed approvals to move into the ground floor of The Waycroft apartment building.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved a two-part application from the company to allow for the installation of lighted architectural features on the façade of the building as well as the operation of an outdoor sidewalk café.
“Silver Diner is proposing to have a 961 square foot, 68-seat, outdoor café… however, 229 square feet of their outdoor café is proposed to be located within the building’s Wilson Boulevard streetscape, which is County owned right-of-way,” a board report said.
Although the Silver Diner “anticipates operating the restaurant 24 hours a day,” operating on public property will restrict the hours of its outdoor seating between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m., according to the report.
Despite the approvals, a spokeswoman for Silver Diner said the company does not have any updates to share.
“They’re still planning on opening in 2022,” she said.
Once complete, the 6,700-square-foot eatery will join Target, which opened last summer, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car on The Waycroft’s ground floor.
The planned Ballston location is expected to one day replace the currently operating Silver Diner spot in Clarendon. A 224-room hotel and a 286-unit residential building will replace the Silver Diner and The Lot beer garden. The redevelopment is part of a bevy of projects slated to change the look of Clarendon.
Demolition is starting at the Landmark Block site in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition is starting at the Landmark Block site in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition is starting at the Landmark Block site in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Shadows of retailers past, soon to be demolished in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition is starting at the Landmark Block site in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Demolition is starting at the Landmark Block site in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The “revolution” in urban living set to take place in the Landmark Block in Courthouse is currently being fomented.
Residents who pass the site near the Courthouse Metro station can see preparations underway to tear down some of the low-slung retail buildings along the 2000 block of Wilson Blvd.
Demolition work is starting on the site’s aging brick retail buildings, as Bisnow reported earlier this week. John Clarkson, the managing director Greystar Real Estate Partners, told the site that work began last week, and the developer aims to deliver a 20-story apartment building by the third quarter of 2023.
The Landmark Block site is one of two projects — the other is a 220-unit building on the vacant Wendy’s lot — that Greystar is overseeing in Courthouse. Clarkson said the developer is focused on this neighborhood because it has the demographics, schools and walkability that make Clarendon attractive but less of the growth.
“We really want to establish a sense of place,” Clarkson tells Bisnow. “With some real density, some real scale it will feel like we have filled in that hole in the doughnut between Rosslyn and Clarendon, so we’re very excited about [the] upside of that submarket.”
Seven commercial buildings on the Landmark Block site will be demolished, including the former Summers Restaurant. The façades of the First Federal Savings and Loan Building (2050 Wilson Blvd) and the Investment Building (2049 15th Street N.) will be preserved, according to the county. The buildings, constructed in 1946 and 1948 respectively, are identified as “important” on the county’s Historic Resources Inventory.
The County Board approved the project at 2050 Wilson Blvd, featuring 423 apartment units, ground-floor retail and an underground parking garage, back in March. For proponents, the building and accompanying community benefits will make Courthouse Square “the civic and cultural heart of Arlington,” and will be “where the revolution begins,” as phrased in a county planning document.
One of the features the county said will usher in changes for Courthouse is a pedestrian promenade.
“The promenade was one of the addendum’s top recommendations for the area around Landmark Block,” the county said in March. “The N. Uhle Street promenade…will be lined with trees, and offer retail shops and plenty of space for community gatherings.”
Greystar will provide a portion of the Courthouse Square promenade that is envisioned in the Courthouse Square Addendum to the Courthouse Sector Plan. The full promenade would run between Wilson Blvd and 14th Street N. along N. Uhle Street.
An architect’s rendering of the pedestrian promenade on N. Uhle Street (Image via Arlington County)
The county said the promenade will be “the main gateway from Clarendon Boulevard into Courthouse Square.”
Meanwhile, the long-vacant Wendy’s site will no longer look on while other sites are developed around it. Greystar’s plans for the triangular site at 2025 Clarendon Blvd are going through entitlements, Clarkson tells Bisnow.
The developer expects to break ground on the 220-unit building by the second quarter of 2022. For the last two years, construction crews have used it as a staging area while building a condo project across the street at 2000 Clarendon.
The old Wendy’s site has sat vacant since it was demolished in 2016 for an office building that never came. Greystar acquired the property from Carr Properties in January, according to real estate firm JLL.
Facing high rates of pandemic-era apartment vacancies, Dittmar Company is looking to recoup its losses through short-term rentals.
The Tysons-based developer and property management group is asking the Arlington County Board for permission to convert up to 75 furnished apartment units in three Arlington buildings into flexible hotel rooms.
These “Flexible Units,” which comprise less than 5% of the total units in each building, may be rented for short-term stays of fewer than 30 days or long-term stays of more than 30 days. Dittmar will require a minimum length of stay of at least three consecutive nights, and the units cannot be rented for more than 90 nights in a calendar year, according to a county staff report.
Currently, the furnished units are “rented by foreign embassies, corporations, universities, medical facilities, and other tenants desiring long term residential stays,” Nicholas Cumings, Dittmar’s legal representative, wrote in a letter to the county this spring.
They are “typically vacant for three months out of the year and require significant operational costs (i.e. provision of utilities, furniture, housekeeping facilities and housekeeping personnel, etc.),” said Cumings, an attorney with the land use firm of Walsh Colucci.
The new arrangement would allow Dittmar to offset the losses from when such furnished units are vacant, Cumings said. The conversions would be in effect for up to five years.
County Manager Mark Schwartz recommends the County Board approve the request during its meeting on Saturday. The County Board previously heard the requests in May and, following staff recommendation, deferred them to allow for more conversations and analysis, county staff wrote.
“Concerns have been raised by the community and Planning Commission regarding the potential impacts on housing affordability and the absence of County policy on temporary conversions of residential to hotel use,” the staff report said. “Since the Flexible Units may be rented by any individual seeking either a long- or short-term furnished stay, staff expects the temporary conversions to have limited, if any impact on the broader housing supply or rental rates.”
One resident told ARLnow he thinks this arrangement will lead to a spike in travelers in the building.
“Although they claim now to rent furnished units to institutional partners (like universities or embassies), I worry that Dittmar will seek to rent them on a day-to-day basis,” the resident said. “This will ruin the nature of communities that are primarily for long-term tenants. When we finally get through the pandemic and people can travel more freely, I worry that these buildings will become prime destinations for countless travelers.”
In his letter, Cumings wrote that Dittmar “has no desire to operate as a hotel and seeks the ability to rent their existing furnished units for short-term stays in order to offset the cost of vacancies throughout the year.”
The rental units will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, mostly located on the lower floors, “with some premium furnished units located on the penthouse floors,” he said.
The County Board will be meeting in-person on the third floor of county government headquarters, at 2100 Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse. It resumed in-person meetings in June after switching to virtual meetings last year due to the pandemic.
The average square footage of an Arlington apartment appears to be increasing, according to a new study from RENTCafé.
Among 92 cities and jurisdictions, more than one-third are building bigger apartments now than they did five to 10 years ago, according to the website, which follows trends in the apartment market. And Arlington County had the seventh largest jump in unit size between 2016 and 2021.
Compared to units completed between 2016-2020, in the second half of the last decade, those under construction as of May 2021 are 91 square feet bigger — “enough for a cozy home office or relaxation area,” RENTCafé spokeswoman Michelle Cretu said.
New projects in Arlington are embracing “renters’ living preferences following the pandemic,” she said. “After years of shrinking apartments, current projects… are on the track to give renters more square footage to better fit their new lifestyle.”
Localities that were building smaller apartments, and are now building larger (via RENTCafé)
And the extra size is being added across one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
“The share of 2- and 3-bedroom apartments under construction is similar to the overall stock and is not driving the increase in average size,” Cretu said.
RENTCafé’s data show apartment unit size increasing from 2016-20 to May 2021
Out of the 664 units that were under construction as of May, 61% are one-bedroom apartments, RENTCafé’s analysis found. Arlington County historically has had a high share of one-bedroom apartments, Cretu said, which comprised 54% of units delivered between 2011-2015 and 63% of those delivered in the second half of the decade.
Representatives from developers JBG Smith and Penzance, which are active in Arlington, were lukewarm on attributing this uptick to the pandemic.
“The renter profile in Arlington has changed over the past several years,” said John Kusturiss, Senior Vice President of Development for Penzance. “Apartments are no longer just for recent college grads; folks of all ages want to have the accessibility of an urban area to walk to great shops, restaurants, and more.”
JBG Executive Vice President of Development Bryan Moll said the people seeking larger rental units fall into a few categories: first-time renters seeking units that fit roommates, those constrained by “the limited supply of affordable, for-sale housing,” and new or growing families.
Moll did say JBG Smith is responding to the pandemic-era need for home offices and individual and co-working spaces. He added, however, that the company has found renters are willing to settle for smaller units to be nearer to amenity-rich corridors in the area.
“Submarkets like National Landing continue to evolve into even more vibrant destinations with enhanced neighborhood amenities and new employment opportunities,” he said. “As a result, more renters will want to live there, even if that means living in slightly smaller units. We’ve seen this trend play out over the past decade in most of the amenity-dense areas across D.C.”
RENTCafé observed shrinking apartments across the river in D.C., meanwhile. Current units are 23 square feet smaller than they were five years ago, and new rentals will be 721 sq. ft. on average — among the smallest units under construction, Cretu said.
Arlington County’s Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development — which tracks development trends in Arlington — last reported apartment size trends, which are calculated by dividing the building’s total square footage by the number of units, in 2018. That report show more modest fluctuations compared to RENTCafé’s findings.
“Based on the most recent findings (2018), the average square feet per unit has not shown a significant increase,” a CPHD spokeswoman said.
The Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The new Queens Court Apartments and playground (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The new Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Susan Bell, current Board of Directors Chair for the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, addresses guests at the grand opening of Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) walks through Queens Court Apartments, a new affordable housing development (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti speaks to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) during a discussion on affordable housing (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) talks about affordable housing at the new Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A roundtable discussion on affordable housing at the new Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Golden scissors from the ribbon cutting held Tuesday at Queens Court Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new affordable housing community is officially open in Rosslyn.
Queens Court Apartments at 1615 18th Street N. is a 12-story, 249-unit apartment building within a quarter mile of the Rosslyn and Courthouse metro stations. The complex is made of two towers, one with 90 units and the other with 159 units, with a mix of studios and 1-, 2- and 3- bedroom units, which will remain affordable for the next 75 years.
The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing’s $107 million project, which has amenity spaces, community rooms and local art, was delivered under budget and ahead of schedule by construction company Donohoe, according to APAH. The complex replaces 39 garden apartments that were built in 1940.
Queens Court Apartments, APAH’s sixth new development, is part of an array of changes coming to the Rosslyn area this year. Across the street, developer Penzance is set to finish three apartment buildings and a new Fire Station 10 this summer and fall, as well as the Rosslyn Highlands Park this winter. APAH today unveiled a 9,000 square-foot playground on its property that is a northern extension of the forthcoming park.
“We are excited to be cutting the ribbon, signifying a new chapter in the lives of 249 individuals and families who will call this community home,” said APAH president and CEO Nina Janopaul, who is stepping down this week after 14 years with the nonprofit.
She said the development — “our largest and most ambitious project to date” — will make “a significant dent in meeting the area’s affordable housing goals and provides beautiful, affordable homes to essential workers, seniors, and so many others earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income.”
That also includes nine units are set aside for adults with disabilities, according to Our Stomping Ground, a nonprofit that fosters community among adults with disabilities living independently.
The project drew on a $16.7 million loan from Arlington County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF), as well as loans and tax credits from Virginia Housing, Bank of America and other sponsors.
“Quality affordable housing units are in high demand in Arlington. This project adds to our supply of units and does so in a needed area of Rosslyn,” County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said in a statement. “We are proud to support this project to help fulfill a critical goal we share with APAH: housing affordability for years to come in a location that is accessible and will help the neighborhood, residents, and our community thrive.”
APAH’s Executive Vice President and incoming CEO, Carmen Romero, participated in the study planning process. She said the original study included goals for new market rate housing, a fire station, a new school, and recreation and open space, but APAH pushed for the inclusion of affordable housing.
“APAH worked relentlessly to ensure affordable housing was a strategic addition to the plan, and fought to secure rezoning approval that would allow us to take a creative approach in maximizing density on the site,” she said.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Susan Dewey, CEO of Virginia Housing praised the project.
“With affordable housing continuing to be a challenge all across the country, these new apartments will help attract more folks to live, work, and raise a family in the Commonwealth,” said Warner, who toured the newly-built complex yesterday during a grand opening event.
Queens Court “will pay dividends in this community for years to come,” Dewey said.
Apartment buildings that make up The Highlands development (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The trio of buildings that make up The Highlands development (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A look at The Highlands development project (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A look at The Highlands development project (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A rendering of the rooftop of Evo, part of The Highlands development in Rosslyn development (courtesy of The Highlands)
A rendering of the coworking lounge in Evo, part of The Highlands development in Rosslyn development (courtesy of The Highlands)
A rendering of Evo, part of The Highlands development in Rosslyn development (courtesy of The Highlands)
Flocks of geese fly by The Highlands development, as seen from the US Air Force Memorial in February 2021 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Rosslyn Highlands Park plan rendering
Rosslyn Highlands Park plan rendering
The Highlands development, seen from The View of DC in Rosslyn in November 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
H-B Woodlawn and the under-construction Highlands development in November 2020 (staff photo)
Developer Penzance is approaching the finish line for The Highlands development in Rosslyn, which includes a trio of residential towers, a fire station and a park.
One apartment building, named Aubrey, will be completed this summer, a spokeswoman said.
Early this fall, Penzance is set to deliver two residential buildings — apartment tower Evo and condo tower Pierce — as well as the new ACFD Fire Station 10, which is temporarily located at 1791 N. Quinn Street.
Construction on The Highlands started in October 2018. When finished, The Highlands will feature 780 luxury rental apartments, 104 condos and 40,000 square feet of retail space, in addition to the park and fire station.
Yesterday (Thursday), Penzance announced the start of leasing for apartments in Evo, a new milestone for the massive development. Leasing for Aubrey began March 1 and condo sales are ongoing for Pierce.
“We’re excited to begin leasing for Evo, the final residential tower coming to The Highlands,” said John Kusturiss, Penzance’s senior vice president of development and construction.
The 29-story building with more than 450 luxury apartments will feature a number of amenities, including a rock-climbing wall, a golf simulator, a dart alley and bar, a rooftop pool, grilling stations, and coworking lounges.
“Following The Highlands’ delivery, Rosslyn will also welcome the forthcoming Rosslyn Highlands Park that residents can enjoy,” a press release noted. The 26,000-square-foot park is set to be completed by the end of the calendar year, the spokeswoman said.
The Highlands is part of a flurry of construction in Rosslyn, including the recently completed Queens Court Residences affordable housing development (1801 N. Quinn Street), which will have its grand opening on Tuesday and which features a new playground on-site.
