housing

Out of the Ashes, Developer to Build Ultra Energy Efficient Home

By ARLnow.com

The Barcroft neighborhood is going to be the home of the Washington area’s second passive house.

Passive house is an ultra energy efficient building style that’s becoming increasingly popular in Europe. There are only about 20 passive houses in the United States.

The eco-friendly house will be built on the site of yesterday’s spectacular made-for-TV controlled burn exercise. The small, condemned and now-charred home currently on the site will be torn down. Construction is expected to begin around December 1 and wrap up in the spring.

The project is being done on spec by the Burke-based developer Kinsey Properties.

Roger Lin, a managing partner at the firm, says the house will raise the bar for efficiency in environmentally-conscious Arlington.

“It’s highest standard in terms of performance-based green buildings,” he said. “They’re popping up all over the country now.”

Lin said the only other passive house in the DC area is in Bethesda.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Launches Housing Blog — Under One Roof aims to be “a broad and accessible news portal on housing and more in Arlington County. It will feature “blog posts on a broad range of topics including affordable housing, green building, construction, neighborhoods, homeless and housing assistance.”

Fire Houses Open to Public This Weekend — To mark Fire Prevention Week, Arlington’s 10 fire stations will hold a countywide open house from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. There will be fun for the whole family, including fire stations tours and activities for kids.

Two Urgent Care Facilities Planned for South Arlington — Urgrent care facilities are coming to the Westmont Shopping Center (Columbia Pike and Glebe Road) and the Camden at Potomac Yard (Glebe Road and South Ball Street). However, there’s still no hospital or emergency room in South Arlington. More from TBD.

Ridge to Campaign with Murray — Former Homeland Security secretary and Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge is slated to attend a fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Patrick Murray next week. Tickets for the fundraiser, which is being held at the University Club in the District, range from $150 to $500. Murray has attracted the support of a number of high-profile Republicans recently. In September he held fundraisers with Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. John McCain. Ridge, who is pro-choice, was briefly considered as a possible running mate for McCain in 2008.

Examiner: Resurgence of Residential and Retail in Rosslyn?

By ARLnow.com

“Rosslyn has seen a surge in residential and retail development,” the Washington Examiner opined over the weekend. “Nearly 600 new housing units have opened in the past year and more than 500 are under construction.”

According to the Examiner, Rosslyn has experienced a “transformation” over the past decade that has made it “cleaner and greener” and a more attractive place to live.

“Rosslyn is becoming much more mixed use,” Rosslyn BID finance director John Seal told the paper. “There are so many things to do here that people tend to overlook.”

Between the DC skyline views and the proximity to downtown, Rosslyn is the “the high-end living destination in Arlington,” one local real estate broker said.

Another selling point: Artisphere, the shiny new cultural center set to open in October in the old Newseum space. (The article incorrectly lists Busboys and Poets as a tenant — in fact, Busboys dropped out and the county is trying to find another restaurant to take over.)

Yes, there’s more housing in Rosslyn as of late, and yes, Artisphere will bring more culture to the area, but retail? The article’s case for a retail resurgence seems much more thin.

Rosslyn-ites, what do you think of your neighborhood’s development?

Pool photo by Patrcye.

Rent on the Rise in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

It’s getting more expensive to live in Pentagon City. Rent is expected to grow 4 to 7 percent over the next five years, according to online real estate publication GlobeSt.com. That follows a 4.9 percent increase in rent over the past year, according to a report from RED Capital Group.

The rise in residential rent comes at a time when a number of Pentagon City apartment complexes have sold at sky-high valuations. The Hampton Apartments at 1425 South Eads Street recently sold for $33.5 million, and the Metropolitan at Pentagon City luxury high-rise at 901 South 15th Street just sold for $125 million, according to the GlobeSt.com article.

RED’s report states that between the first quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, Pentagon City posted the fastest rate of multifamily rent growth of any Northern Virginia submarket. The 4.9 percent year-over-year growth in Pentagon City compares to 2.4 percent growth along Columbia Pike and -1.4 percent rent growth along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

The effective first quarter rent was $1,902 in Pentagon City, compared to $1,700 in Rosslyn-Ballston, $1,407 along Columbia Pike and $1,327 in Falls Church. Apartment vacancy in Pentagon City decreased from 8.8 percent in 2009 to 6.2 percent in 2010.

Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer says part of the reason for the increase in effective rent in Pentagon City may be due to the pricey new luxury apartment buildings which have recently started leasing in the area, bringing up the average. He said market fundamentals — higher-than-usual unemployment, stagnant personal income growth — don’t seem to support significant rent increases.

But higher rents on existing apartments have been pushing some residents out of the area. The Lenox Club apartment building at 401 12th Street South has been raising rent across the board by a minimum of 5 percent this year, according to a building representative. The rent increase has prompted a crush of moving van traffic as residents flee for cheaper buildings. That, in turn, has prompted management to bring in sign spinners to help attract new tenants.

It’s not clear what effect BRAC job losses will have on rent in Pentagon City, especially at a time when housing inventory continues to increase. As of the first quarter of 2010, 308 apartment units were under construction.

Afternoon Notes: Guy Fieri Pays a Visit, Small House Fire

By ARLnow.com

Guy Fieri Brings Camera Crew to Arlington Diner — Celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri visited Arlington’s Metro 29 Diner (4711 Lee Highway) on Tuesday, according to the Reliable Source. He was filming an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

Housing Fair To Be Held This Weekend — Arlington County will be holding a housing fair on Saturday. Renters and buyers alike will be able to attend workshops, get valuable advice and meet with landlords, real estate and finance professionals, housing specialists and County staff.

Small House Fire on Arlington Boulevard — Firefighters responded to a small house fire at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and South Fillmore Street today. The fire was contained to the back of the house, where construction may have been taking place. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze (see photos below).