An affordable housing project that opened near Rosslyn late last year was highlighted in a recent presentation on model projects in Northern Virginia.
The Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) zeroed in on Wholey Legacy Homes, a 234-unit project at 1300 N. Pierce Street, in an annual “virtual bus tour” of three projects last Wednesday.
The 12-story building in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights community is located on a portion of the former Marbella Apartments property, which True Ground — then the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing — purchased in 2011.
The 234 units replaced 31 units of garden apartments on the site. The $136 million building serves residents earning between 30% and 60% of area median income, said Ryan Nash, director of construction for True Ground.
At the July 29 forum, which was designed for affordable-housing professionals and advocates, Nash detailed the complex financing agreements needed to make the project a reality.
They included support from Virginia Housing and from the Arlington government’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund, as well as 9% and 4% competitive federal affordable-housing tax credits.
The new building was designed by KGD Architecture. Donohoe served as general contractor.
The project was named 2026 Redevelopment of the Year in the CoStar Impact Awards competition. It was cited for “delivering significant new affordable housing density in a transit-rich Rosslyn location where supply remains extremely constrained.”
Wholey Legacy Homes offers units ranging from one to three bedrooms. Total project costs worked out to just over $582,000 per unit, Nash said.
An adjacent part of the Marbella site is slated to provide more than 300 new residential units, while other portions of the parcel have seen renovations to existing properties.
Also highlighted at the hour-long event were:
- The Lodge at Autumn Willow by The Michaels Organization, an affordable-housing apartment complex for seniors located in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax County
- Housing Alexandria’s Cardinal Path development, which is delivering for-sale townhouses and condominiums using a shared-equity financial model
NVAHA Deputy Director Hanna Metuda said the three projects chosen for the 2026 spotlight showed the range of affordable-housing projects coming online across the region.
“Each project represents different housing models,” she said. “Each development has its own story, financing structure and challenges.”
“Great work is happening across Northern Virginia,” said Housing Alexandria CEO Jonathan Frederick.
The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing was founded in 1989 by four couples: Thomas and Dolores Leckey, Bill and Rhoda Nary, Jack and Jean Sweeney, and Joseph and Margaret “Midge” Wholey.
Both Wholeys, for whom the new building is named, died in 2023.
Initially focused exclusively on Arlington, the nonprofit organization has expanded its reach across the metro area. The name changed to True Ground in 2024.
