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.
Made possible, in part, through donations from Amazon’s housing fund, the project on the Crystal House 3 site at 501 20th Street S. is expected to deliver in early 2028.
“This once in a generation public private partnership, in this location three blocks from Amazon’s HQ2, will bring economic diversity and affordability in this amenity rich neighborhood, providing all the essentials that every family needs to thrive,” True Ground President Carmen Romero said. “The scale and impact of this project demonstrate what’s possible when we combine innovative financing, donated land, and a shared commitment to housing opportunity for all.”
Financing from Amazon allowed the Washington Housing Conservancy to purchase the Crystal House complex in 2020. Amazon later donated the development rights to Arlington County for affordable housing development.
“When Amazon donated the development rights for this site to Arlington County, we envisioned exactly this type of collaborative outcome — 432 affordable homes that will allow families of all income levels to live near jobs centers, transit, and essential services,” said Senthil Sankaran, managing principal of Amazon’s housing fund.
Complaints of poor management elsewhere at the Crystal House complex led the Washington Housing Conservancy to install a new management company earlier this year.
The Sweeney is possible thanks to numerous public and private partners, including Arlington County, the National Equity Fund, Capital One, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and Virginia Housing, in addition to Amazon.
It’s part of a multi-phase build-out of the Crystal House site, which is eventually expected to include affordable senior housing, market-rate apartments and two new parks.
“Housing affordability is Arlington’s biggest generational and moral challenge,” said County Board Chair Takis Karantonis. “We celebrate Crystal Houses 3 — The Sweeney — as a powerful demonstration of how value-driven and solutions-focused partnerships between civic society, local government, business and nonprofits literally build a future of inclusion and success for all our community.”
