Next year could be make-or-break time for Falls Church officials’ desire to do something big on the affordable-housing front.
The city, through its Economic Development Authority, already owns nine small apartment properties in the Virginia Village community near Annandale Road. At a Nov. 19 meeting between elected officials and staff, discussion turned to moving forward on a consolidated plan for housing the neighborhood.
The number of Arlington rental units that are financially accessible to those earning less than 80% of area median income (AMI) has skyrocketed rather than plummeted over the past decade.
Not because housing is becoming cheaper, but because incomes of local residents have risen faster than the cost of renting.
Efforts to create deeply affordable housing to meet the needs of Arlington’s lowest-earning residents face significant headwinds, according to a recent presentation to the Arlington Planning Commission.
Most current efforts around affordable housing focus on households with incomes of at least 60% of the area median income (AMI) — leaving out a large swath of people earning less.
The Goodwill on S. Glebe Road is closing this month to redevelop as a mixed-use affordable housing project.
The donation center, retail store and career center at 10 S. Glebe Road is set to close for about two years beginning on Monday, Oct. 27. Goodwill expects to begin demolition this winter, making way for a six-story building with 128 units of affordable housing, a 3,000-square-foot child care, and a modernized retail and donation center.
Arlington’s Housing Commission is seeking more local leeway in addressing affordable housing and new formulas for determining the number of affordable units in new projects.
Commission Chair Kellen MacBeth included these recommendations in a letter to the County Board following a review of policies by the Affordable Housing Ordinance working group established earlier this year. County leaders are currently developing legislative priorities for the 2026 General Assembly session.
A new affordable housing building with 432 units broke ground at the Crystal House complex yesterday (Wednesday).
“The Sweeney” — named after two True Ground Housing Partners founders, Jean and Jack Sweeney — is among the largest affordable housing projects to break ground in National Landing in decades, according to True Ground.
A major affordable housing provider plans to transition near-all of its Arlington properties to new management firms by the end of the year.
Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC) has hired two new management groups to oversee its D.C.-area properties, including 23 apartment buildings in Arlington. The nonprofit, which has faced complaints of poor living conditions at some of its Arlington communities, says it hopes to improve residents’ experiences.
Numerous affordable-housing advocates showed up at a recent local government meeting to push for county support in removing regulatory hurdles around construction.
The advocacy group Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) is pressing for state-level changes to streamline the construction of affordable housing on land owned by faith-based and nonprofit organizations.
After more than a decade, the redevelopment of Ballston’s Central United Methodist Church site is about to conclude.
The reopening of Kinhaven School in Ballston on Tuesday will represent “the last piece of the puzzle,” the Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen said during an Aug. 27 online program sponsored by the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA).
Efforts to provide more funding for Arlington’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF) will require buy-in from elected officials, the development industry, the General Assembly, activists and the broader community to be viable, an advisory panel believes.
“We should take the time and get it right,” said Joe Ventrone, a member of the Housing Commission’s working group on revisions to the government’s affordable-housing ordinance.
New polling suggests broad support among Virginians for state-level legislation to support building more housing.
A survey of about 1,300 Virginia voters found that the vast majority of respondents — about 73% — believe that the state lacks enough homes that people can afford to rent or buy.
The Falls Church City Council has updated the city’s comprehensive plan with an increased focus on affordable housing.
A new policy document, unanimously approved after more than 18 months of discussion on how to align the city’s inclusive vision with fiscal reality, calls for a “dedicated, annual and indexed” source of city funds for affordable-housing efforts.
