Falls Church leaders are considering a $175,000 contract with a consultant to help with an affordable housing project at Virginia Village.
That firm, whose name has not officially been announced, would develop a request for proposals sent out to housing providers that might be interested in partnering with the city on the project. The funding would also support evaluation of the proposals.
“We all could really benefit from another expert in the room,” planning director Matt Mattauszek said at an April 20 City Council work session.
Council members will be asked to consider the contract at their April 27 meeting.
The price tag has raised some eyebrows. The figure drew a “strong reaction” at the Economic Development Authority meeting when it was first aired, Mayor Letty Hardi said.
Council members Arthur Agin and Erin Flynn had questions about the costs involved.
“The $175,000 is a considerable amount of money,” said Agin, who was first elected last November.
Flynn said it was more than four times the planned cost for the upcoming search for a new city manager, and may only be the first funding of consultants to vet affordable-housing proposals.
But others on the Council agreed with staff that it could pay off.
Council member Laura Downs looked back at the School Board’s decision to get help in planning and developing the Meridian High School campus.
“It’s money well spent and it probably saves you money and headaches in the long run,” Downs said.
Cindy Mester, the city’s community relations and legislative affairs director, said the cost being proposed was not exorbitant.
“This amount of money for the level of experience we need to bring to the table … is very reasonable,” she said. “It’s a good price.”
City Manager Wyatt Shields said it was key to have a firm with broad experience “to be looking out for the city’s interests.”
“They’re not a broker. They’re not going to be pushing us for a deal. They’re just going to be giving us advice,” Shields said.
The city, through its economic-development authority, owns nine of the 20 1940s-era quadruplex apartment buildings in Virginia Village, a community tucked away behind Bowl America Falls Church. The owner of another one of the four-unit buildings has expressed interest in being part of the project, city staff said.
In its search to redevelop the Virginia Village area, the city government has set an aggressive timetable. Once the consultant is on board, the goal is to formally issue the request for proposals to housing organizations in late May, with a deadline of late June. A partner could be selected as early as August.
The schedule aims to move fast enough that any project developing out of the partnership would be eligible for affordable-housing tax credits in 2027.
If the funding comes through, whatever affordable-housing development that emerges could be completed by 2030, city officials believe.
Current residents displaced by construction would be relocated to other affordable properties and could return to the new housing once it’s finished, city officials have suggested.
