housing

Rosslyn Quietly Becomes the Area’s Hotspot for Luxury Real Estate

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The proceeding post is sponsored and written by Rosslyn Key

As developers scrambled over recent years to meet the demand for luxury homes in the D.C. area they pushed projects further and further into the suburbs, losing much of the urban appeal, character and convenience that is found in the area’s epicenter. Families followed the real estate trend and moved further out in search of new construction communities, but young professionals quickly filled the area’s urban spaces. What followed this shift in demographics was a resurgence of energy and an immediate demand for a vibrant social lifestyle in what were formerly considered to be “boring” neighborhoods.

Rosslyn was one of the most notable benefactors of this urban resurgence as the neighborhood transitioned from a pass-through area of corporate buildings and lunch delis to an area rich in dining, shopping and nightlife. Most importantly Rosslyn emerged from this transition and maintained its urban character, becoming very appealing to homebuyers looking for exactly that.

A problem for home shoppers arose, however, as professionals drawn to Rosslyn’s urban feel and newfound social vibrancy were hard pressed to find newly constructed homes to purchase. Most of what was on the market were remnants of the “boring” Rosslyn, requiring buyers to consider costly upgrades following a purchase if they wanted the latest in modern luxury. Enter Rosslyn Key.

Rosslyn Key, an urban community of luxury townhomes by Madison Homes, gave buyers exactly what they wanted: new construction luxury homes with all the conveniences and urban appeal Rosslyn had to offer. Purchasing a newly constructed home within walking distance to both Georgetown and Clarendon without having to remodel or reconstruct became a mission for high-end home shoppers in this transformed neighborhood, and Rosslyn Key delivered.

The community of 4-level city townhomes offers standard features such as Thermador designer kitchens, hardwood floors, rooftop terraces, 2 car garages and even have elevators available all within 3 blocks to Rosslyn’s metro, shopping and bistros. The features and layout of these townhomes are certainly one of a kind.

Rosslyn Key scratched the itched of the luxury buyer looking for new construction. Because of everything these townhomes have to offer combined with their location in one of the D.C. Metro’s hottest neighborhoods, buyers have already snatched up 20 of the 25 available homes. Only 5 remain before Rosslyn Key is completely sold out.

Priced from $1.3 million, Rosslyn Key truly combined luxury with location to become Arlington’s hottest townhome community. Visit RosslynKey.com to view the floor plans, features and options in each of these homes. The furnished model home is open Friday – Tuesday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. or by appointment to see these amazing homes in person or call 703-665-1792 to set an appointment. Visit rosslynkey.com for more information.

Arlington Reaches ‘Functional Zero’ for Veteran Homelessness in 2015

By Jennifer Currier

A homeless man in South Arlington (File photo by Chris Rief)

Officials report Arlington County has “achieved functional zero” one year after pledging to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015.

“This is a tremendous milestone for our community,” County Board Chair Libby Garvey said in a statement. “Committing to end veteran homelessness in 2015 and chronic homelessness in 2016 was a lot to bite off. But if any community could do it, we were confident it would be us. We had the will, the resources and the people to make it happen.”

According to a press release, Arlington was one of 74 communities across the United States that formally committed to ending veteran homelessness last year. During that time, the county moved 20 homeless veterans into permanent, stable housing from the streets and shelters, reaching the functional zero status.

By definition, functional zero homelessness is when a community, at any point in time, does not have more people experiencing homelessness than it can house in an average month.

Last April, officials reported the county’s homeless population was down 18 percent. The county also made moves to provide temporary housing solutions by opening a new year-round homeless shelter in Courthouse in early October.

These combined efforts are part of the county’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. It outlines strategies to address the issue, including priorities like increasing affordable housing and providing services so households can maintain their housing.

David Leibson — who is co-chair of the 10 Year Plan’s Executive Committee with Melissa Bondi — described the functional zero for veteran homelessness achievement a “true community effort.”

“The level of cooperation and collaboration among County agencies, non-profits and others who have a stake in ending homelessness in Arlington has matured tremendously over the past half-dozen years or so,” Leibson said in a statement.

As Garvey mentioned, the county’s next goal is to end chronic homelessness by the end of this year as part of another national campaign called Zero: 2016. This campaign also strives to reach functional zero for individuals who have experienced homelessness for one year or more, have been homeless at least four times in the last year, or are homeless and have a disability.

In her statement, Bondi said she believes the County’s efforts to reach annual goals like these are working.

“In the last five years we’ve reduced the number of people in shelters or on the streets by more than half,” she said. “That’s the result of a lot of hard work from service providers, a legion of volunteers and great community support along with federal, state and county funding. We knew going in that getting to zero was going to be a challenge, but we weren’t going to back down from it.”

File photo by Chris Rief 

Arlington Gets New Planning and Development Director

By Ethan Rothstein

New Director of Community Housing, Planning and Development Steven CoverArlington’s department of Community Planning, Housing and Development will have a new director after Robert Brosnan, who has been director since 2011, retires in March.

Replacing Brosnan will be Steven Cover, who comes from Madison, Wisconsin, where he was the director of planning and community and economic development. He had served in the position since 2011. Madison is home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Outback Bowl-winning Badgers.

(In 2012, under Cover’s watch, Madison was named the best college football town in the country by USA Today.)

“Steven is a great addition to our team,” Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan said in a news release. “His long and successful career in local government makes him the ideal choice to lead CPHD, a key department responsible for turning the County’s Smart Growth vision into reality.”

Brosnan had served as the county’s planning director since 1988 before being named the head of CPHD. Brosnan will stay on an additional six months “aid with the transition and to work on a special project for [Donnellan],” county spokeswoman Mary Curtius told ARLnow.com. When asked if she could clarify what special project Brosnan would work on, Curtius said “not at this time.”

Before Madison, Cover had worked heading the planning department in Atlanta, Ga., and in Anne Arundel County, Md. Before entering public service, Cover worked as an architect.

Photo via Arlington County

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

"look from front yard visitor" (Flickr pool photo by wolfkann)

Historical Society Requests Heritage Center — The Arlington Historical Society formally requested including a heritage center in the the plan for redeveloping the Courthouse Square area. The organization said it could assist with developing such a facility, but could not foot the bill entirely on its own. [InsideNova]

Wizards’ Marcin Gortat Buys $1.6M Home in Arlington — Washington Wizards player Marcin Gortat has purchased one of the most expensive homes on the market in Arlington. He bought the 5-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom home for $1.6 million. The 4,008 square foot new house on N. Quebec Street should have plenty of room for the 6’11” Gortat. [Curbed DC]

County Responds to Streetcar Criticism — The county has made a website addressing a number of concerns raised about the streetcar project, particularly how to avoid problems being experienced by the D.C. streetcar on H Street. The website lists its plans to alleviate some of the problems, like keeping traffic moving, while calling this “an opportunity for us to learn best practices.” [Arlington County]

Free Halloween Taxi Rides from SoberRide — The Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s 2014 SoberRide service is available tonight. Anyone enjoying some adult beverages can get a free taxi, up to a $30 fare, instead of trying to drive home. SoberRide begins today at 10:00 p.m. and runs through 4:00 a.m. Saturday. Call 1-800-200-TAXI. [Washington Regional Alcohol Program]

Daylight Saving Time Ends — Remember to set your clocks back one hour this weekend. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday. It’s also a good time to test your smoke detector.

Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Roadside campaign signs (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Seeking Fed Funds for Transportation Projects — Arlington County is seeking $840,000 in federal grant funds for three transportation projects. The projects include: bicycle and pedestrian improvements near McKinley Elementary School, Americans with Disabilities Act improvements along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, and an expansion of the Capitol Bikeshare system. [InsideNova]

D.C. More Expensive than NYC, SF? — In terms of housing-related costs, it’s more expensive to live in the D.C. area than New York City or San Francisco. That’s according to a new study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Washington Post]

Cyclists Facing ‘Bikelash’ — Bicyclists don’t like being called “bullies” and “terrorists,” but the county’s Mobility Lab blog argues that it’s best not to respond with reason and logic to the increasing amount of “bikelash.” Instead, the blog encourages cyclists to act more strategically by organizing, publishing their own media outlets and engaging in the political process. [Mobility Lab]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Construction Begins at Lacey Lane

By ARLnow.com

Houses under construction at Lacey Lane(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) Construction has begun at the new Lacey Lane subdivision at the corner of Washington Blvd and N. George Mason Drive, more than a year-and-a-half after crews first excavated the site in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood.

Work on the first model home first was expected to begin in March 2013, but didn’t actually happen until a few weeks ago. County employees told ARLnow.com last November that the stall had to do with developer The Barrett Companies fulfilling safety obligations in order to receive permits. County staff confirms the developer met all requirements and obtained a building permit this spring.

According to the Evergreene Homes website, the nine properties will be “exquisitely detailed luxury residences.” Renderings of what the finished homes are expected to look like are also available on the website.

The base models originally were said to feature four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, at an estimated cost of $1.4 million each. Although preliminary plans are available for the three-level houses, Evergreene Homes Director of Sales and Marketing Rich Rudnicki said the company currently is finalizing the home options and base pricing. He said the company should be ready to put the properties up for sale by September 1.

Rudnicki says details like detached garages, courtyards and sitting areas will make this a unique subdivision.

“It’s a cool location,” he said, “It’s going to be a different kind of community.”

AHC Seeks Approval for New Housing Complex

By Katie Pyzyk

Rendering of the new, proposed Berkeley Apartments(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) AHC has proposed replacing The Berkeley apartments (2910 S. Glebe Road) in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood with a new housing development on the site.

The proposal requests approval of a site plan for two new five-story apartment buildings with 287 units and 264 parking spaces. There would be 171 units designated as affordable to households earning less than 60% of the area median income.

Currently, The Berkeley has 110 affordable units out of 137 total units. The two four-story buildings built in 1961 would be demolished under the proposal.

County staff members are reviewing the site plan application and hope to begin the public review process soon. The first Site Plan Review Committee meeting for this proposal is scheduled for Thursday, November 21.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Flag at Saturday's 9/11 Memorial 5K race (photo by maryva2)

Deputy Accused of Murder Again Denied Bond — Arlington County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Patterson, who is accused of murdering Julian Dawkins, has been denied bond for a third time. Patterson’s defense attorney argued that Dawkins may have been using and dealing drugs, and Dawkins’ previous dealings with police caused his confrontational nature the night of the incident. Patterson’s trial starts on December 9. [WUSA]

Home Sales, Prices Rise — The combination of higher sales and increasing average sales prices boosted Arlington’s total sales volume for August by 29.4 percent, to $173 million, compared to last year. The average price of all residential properties rose 8.1 percent to $594,479. Homes sold last month spent an average of 29 days on the market between listing and contract, compared with 50 days a year ago. [Sun Gazette]

Lost Dog/Stray Cat Profile — A Washington Post story profiles two of Arlington’s well known restaurants that help pets find homes — Lost Dog Cafe and Stray Cat Cafe. Co-founders Pam McAlwee and Ross Underwood describe how they started rescuing strays from shelters before the age of cell phones and the internet. Each year the duo, along with their 300 volunteers, helps around 1,800 dogs and 700 cats find homes. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by maryva2

Georgetown Mulls Housing Hundreds of Students in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Georgetown CCPE building in Clarendon(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) Georgetown University is reportedly considering opening a satellite residential campus in Clarendon to house up to 385 students.

The Hoya student newspaper reports that the school is looking at Clarendon, Capitol Hill and a location north of the Georgetown’s main campus as possible areas to house 385 students starting in the fall of 2015.

The off-site housing is necessary in order for the university to comply with an agreement with Georgetown residents and the D.C. government to house 90 percent of students on campus by 2025. Construction of a planned on-campus dormitory has been delayed, The Hoya reports, making a satellite campus — likely apartments rented by the university — a last-resort option for compliance.

The school may have a hard time convincing students to live far outside campus, however.

“University officials have discussed making satellite housing higher quality than current campus housing by including a swimming pool for student use or situating the campus near a Metro stop,” The Hoya wrote. Georgetown would also run a shuttle from the satellite campus to the main campus across the Key Bridge.

Stacy Kerr, Assistant Vice President of Communication for Georgetown, disputed The Hoya article and said it overstates the number of students who would be potentially be housed in Clarendon. She said the university is actually looking to house some 160 students.

Georgetown has a history with Clarendon, operating its Center for Continuing and Professional Education on Wilson Blvd across from the Clarendon Metro station. The program, however, has moved to a new office in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood. The school’s lease on the building runs until 2014.

County Names New Housing Director

By Katie Pyzyk

David Cristeal, Arlington County Housing DirectorArlington County has named David Cristeal as its new Housing Director. Cristeal had been acting in the position since the retirement of Ken Aughenbaugh earlier this year.

Cristeal has served as the County’s Housing Development Supervisor for nine years. He is lauded for leading his team in enhancing and implementing affordable housing financing and planning tools, working with partners to leverage federal and state funding and making policy recommendations to address the county’s affordable housing challenges.

“The County conducted a nationwide search for this key position and had a strong pool of applicants,” said County Manager Barbara Donnellan in a press release. “We chose David because he has a solid track record of working successfully with Arlington community members and non-profit partners to plan and preserve affordable housing. We know he’s the right person to carry out Arlington’s aggressive affordable housing program.”

Cristeal spent time working with the community to develop affordable housing recommendations for the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan. He is also recognized for his efforts in helping the county preserve or build more than 2,300 affordable housing units between 2004 and 2012. His team provided recommendations for the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF) on 20 developments totaling $120 million.

“David’s experience with the financial tools we use to develop affordable housing really set him apart from the strong pool of applicants,” said Robert Brosnan, director of Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.

Prior to arriving in Arlington, Cristeal served as Housing Director and as Housing and Community Revitalization Director in Wake County, NC. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Geography and City Planning from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and a Master’s in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rush Plus Starts Today — This morning marks the start of Metro’s “Rush Plus” modified rush hour rail service. So far, via Twitter, numerous problems and crowded trains have been reported on the Blue Line. Initial reviews have been mixed on the Orange and Yellow lines.

Hearing Set for Pike Neighborhoods Plan — A public hearing about the new Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan will be held on Saturday, July 21. The plan envisions the addition of 6,000 new rental apartments (to the existing stock of 9,000 apartments) along the Columbia Pike corridor over the next 30 years. Arlington County says the goal of the plan is to “Preserve affordable housing… encourage private investment… create a more pedestrian-friendly community… [and] strengthen the Pike corridor’s transit network.” [Washington Post, Arlington County]

Streetcar Agreement Approved — The Arlington County Board and the Alexandria City Council have approved an agreement to move forward on a plan to build a streetcar along the Route 1 corridor. The streetcar line could open in Crystal City as soon as 2019. [NBC Washington]

Second Phase of Crystal City Road Project Approved — The second phase of a major road project in Crystal City has been approved by the Arlington County Board. The project will convert Crystal Drive to a two-way road between 23rd Street and 26th Street. The project includes bicycle lanes, new traffic signals and street lighting, intersection improvements and ADA-compliant curb ramps and sidewalks. [Arlington County]

Fourth Name on 8th District Ballot — Independent Jason Howell has qualified for the 8th District congressional race. Howell joins incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim Moran, Republican Patrick Murray (R) and Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy on the Nov. 6 ballot. [Sun Gazette]

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