A key Falls Church civic group wants the Virginia Village affordable housing project to focus at least partly on low-income residents.
Citizens for a Better City (CBC) is calling for at least half of the new units in the project to go to those earning 30% or less of area median income (AMI). Advocates say this income bracket is “largely ignored” in the city’s existing affordable-housing efforts.
“The vast majority of the added units targeted wage-earners with incomes at the 60% AMI level — about $80,000 for a family of four in 2021,” the organization said in a recently released position paper on the Virginia Village project.
As a result, the organization said, a wide swath of those serving the community have been left out of housing efforts, including retail and hotel workers, house cleaners, janitors, kitchen staff, fast-food workers and waitstaff.
“We strongly suggest the focus be on creating opportunities primarily for lower-income wage-earners,” the organization wrote.
The organization’s recommendation comes as City Council members next month are likely to sign an interim agreement with one of three organizations that have filed development proposals for the Virginia Village site.
The city’s Economic Development Authority owns nine garden-style fourplexes on the 20-building site. Future development likely will include at least one mid-rise apartment building, with some existing units potentially retained and expanded.
The properties are located on Gibson Street, Shirley Street and S. Maple Avenue, southwest of Bowl America and the intersection of S. Maple and Annandale Road.
The commitment to 30% AMI units is just one recommendation of CBC, which has long been a force in Falls Church’s civic life. Among others:
- If city tax dollars are required to support the Virginia Village project, Falls Church leaders should “actively engage” with the community so residents understand the reasons behind the need
- Efforts should be made to “ensure that racial diversity is increased” as a result of affordable-housing initiatives
- City officials should seek extensions for existing affordable housing where the requirement to keep units affordable is about to expire
“Expanded affordable housing at Virginia Village should not be offset by the loss of existing units,” the memo says. It points to the expiration next year of an affordability requirement on 96 units of existing housing.
For the past five years, CBC has worked to encourage city leaders to increase the stock of affordable housing in the city.
In 2021, the organization joined with the League of Women Voters of Falls Church for a series of community discussions on the topic.
“The key conclusion was that there needed to be a major expansion in the amount of affordable-housing opportunities, along with an overarching objective of bringing about increased economic and racial diversity,” the CBC position paper said.
Selection committee aims to wrap up this week
The committee evaluating three affordable-housing proposals for the Virginia Village site in Falls Church expects to complete its work this week.
“The hope is we will be completed by the 27th,” said City Council member Marybeth Connelly, who chairs the seven-member Virginia Village Proposals Evaluation Committee.
She was speaking on Aug. 20, when committee members spent two hours behind closed doors, evaluating proposals by True Ground Housing Partners, Urban Atlantic Development and Homes for America.
The three organizations were the only ones submitting applications for redevelopment of the nine fourplex apartment buildings on the Virginia Village site. The city government on June 30 requested proposals from potential partners, which were due by Aug. 6.
Also on Aug. 6, the evaluation committee, set up by the City Council, held its first meeting.
Members of the evaluation committee are expected to meet on Wednesday (Aug. 26) for three hours, conducting interviews with the applicants.
A final meeting is expected Thursday (Aug. 27) from 5:30-7:30 p.m., when the panel will select a preferred partner and forward the recommendation to the City Council.
Council members will discuss the recommendations at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Once Council members determine a preferred partner and sign an interim development agreement, the evaluation committee will be disbanded.
In addition to Connelly, members of the panel include:
- Economic Development Authority: Jim Coyle
- Planning Commission: Phil Duncan (selected as vice chair)
- Housing Commission: Sara Silverstein Ferrara
- City staff: David So (finance director), Cindy Mester (community relations and legislative-affairs director) and Matt Mattauszek (director of planning)
Efforts by Council member David Snyder to include representation from both Virginia Village residents and an adjacent neighborhood were rebuffed by his colleagues.
