affordable housing | ARLnow.com

County Weighs Allowing More Renovations, Additions to Older Duplexes and Townhomes

Published October 18, 2018 at 9:45AM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:27AM

Arlington could soon make it easier for owners of older duplexes and townhomes to renovate the buildings or tack on additions.

Plenty of Arlington homeowners looking to make a change to a home built before the 1940s have encountered a vexing conundrum in the county’s zoning ordinance; the building could well be deemed “nonconforming” with Arlington’s zoning rules, as it wasn’t built to match the standards the county’s been using since 1942. That means any sort of renovation or addition to the home would require extensive county review, and could ultimately be prohibited, restrictions that have persistently frustrated property owners over the years.

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County Board Contenders Split on How Much Cash to Send to Affordable Housing Loan Fund

By Alex Koma

Published October 11, 2018 at 4:45PM

There isn’t much daylight between the two contenders for County Board this fall on affordable housing issues in Arlington, but the pair is offering different answers on one key matter: how much money the county should chip in to encourage affordable development.

Independent incumbent John Vihstadt and Democratic challenger Matt de Ferranti have both stressed the importance of preserving affordable homes in Arlington as part of their respective campaigns, and both did so once more in responses to a questionnaire from the advocates at the Alliance for Housing Solutions, released yesterday (Wednesday).

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Without a Surge in Construction, Planners Warn of a Massive ‘Housing Shortfall’ Across D.C. Region

By Alex Koma

Published September 17, 2018 at 1:45PM | Updated September 17, 2018 at 2:39PM

Ballston Quarter/Liberty Center construction cranes - file photo

Arlington and the rest of the D.C. region could face a massive “housing shortfall” in the coming years without a surge in new construction, according to a new analysis by regional planners.

A study presented to the board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments last Wednesday (Sept. 12) suggests that the region needs to add 100,000 more homes than are currently projected to be built between now and 2045.

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Density, Development Debates Take Center Stage as Lee Highway Planning Nears

By Alex Koma

Published August 15, 2018 at 10:45AM

A rendering of possible new development at the Lee Heights shopping center (via Arlington County)

In many ways, the Lee Highway corridor is the last part of Arlington that looks like the rest of the Northern Virginia suburbs.

With high rises coming to define both the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and Crystal City, and neighborhoods along Columbia Pike becoming ever more dense, Lee Highway has remained persistently suburban in character with its procession of low-slung shopping centers and vast parking lots.

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Plans to Redevelop American Legion Post into Affordable Housing Complex Take Shape

By Alex Koma

Published July 23, 2018 at 1:45PM

A rendering of the planned redevelopment of Virginia Square's American Legion post (via Arlington County)

Plans to redevelop the American Legion post in Virginia Square into a seven-story affordable housing complex are inching forward.

The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing has drawn up a preliminary proposal for the property at 3445 Washington Blvd, advancing plans to purchase the site and someday build 161 multifamily homes there. APAH would also include about 8,000-square-feet on the bottom floor of the building to let American Legion Post 139 stay on the property, which it’s called home for decades.

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Podcast: Democratic County Board Nominee Matt de Ferranti

By Alex Koma

Published July 20, 2018 at 2:45PM

Matt de Ferranti is running for County Board as a Democrat

Fresh off a commanding primary win, Democrat Matt de Ferranti has the next four months to make his case to Arlington voters about why they should oust incumbent County Board member John Vihstadt in his favor.

De Ferranti, a lawyer and local political activist, has the benefit of running as a Democrat in deep blue Arlington, particularly in a midterm cycle that’s shaping up to be quite favorable to Democrats at the top of the ticket. But Vihstadt, the Board’s lone independent, won his seat in another midterm year, back in 2014, and has incumbency to lean on as he campaigns for another term.

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Berkeley Affordable Housing Redevelopment Earns Key Loan Changes

By Alex Koma

Published July 19, 2018 at 1:45PM

The Berkeley apartments rendering

A new affordable housing complex along Four Mile Run is moving closer to becoming a reality, now that county officials have signed off on additional financing plans for the development.

The County Board gave its final approval to more than $20 million in loans this week for the redevelopment of the Berkeley Apartments (2900 S. Glebe Road), in addition to a few policy changes that will help the project’s backers secure additional financing and kick off construction in earnest.

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Real Estate Tax Break Program for Seniors Set to Change Next Year

By Alex Koma

Published July 17, 2018 at 12:45PM

(Updated at 1 p.m.) Some changes are on the way for Arlington’s real estate tax relief program for seniors, though officials declined pursue the sort of sweeping overhaul favored by some in the community.

The County Board approved a series of tweaks to the program’s eligibility criteria Saturday (July 14), in a bid to better realize the county’s goal of helping older Arlingtonians stay in their homes even as values, and associated tax bills, creep upward.

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Dorsey: Stop Trying to ‘Protect Neighborhoods’ from Density

By Alex Koma

Published July 12, 2018 at 10:45AM

County Board Vice Chair Christian Dorsey is urging people around Arlington to embrace density in their communities and abandon the idea of “protecting” certain neighborhoods from development.

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County Board Will Unveil Long-Debated Childcare Policy Overhaul Next Month

By Alex Koma

Published June 28, 2018 at 10:45AM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:27AM

Arlington officials plan to unveil their long-awaited overhaul of the county’s childcare policies next month.

County Board Chair Katie Cristol announced those plans her first “State of the County” address today (Thursday) while speaking to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in Crystal City. The overhaul is a substantial step forward in the debate over how to improve the availability and affordability of daycare in the county.

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Despite Hefty Rent Prices, Arlington Ranked Among Top Places for Solo Renters

By Alex Koma

Published June 27, 2018 at 1:45PM

That’s according to a new study of 100 of the nation’s largest cities and counties by the financial data research firm SmartAsset. The company ranked Arlington 17th among that group for places where renters have the financial wherewithal live alone, largely because of the robust median income level of the county’s workers.

SmartAsset found that full-time employees in Arlington have a median income of just over $90,000 a year, putting the county at the top of the list among the firm’s top 25 places where renters can afford to go solo.

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Report: Arlington Has Lost More Than 14,500 Market-Rate Affordable Homes Since 2000

By Alex Koma

Published June 25, 2018 at 4:45PM | Updated June 25, 2018 at 5:26PM

Westover garden apartment building (photo via Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing)

Rent prices on more than 14,500 homes in Arlington have surged past rates deemed “market affordable” since 2000, according to a new report.

In an evaluation of affordable housing around the region, the Northern Virginia Housing Alliance found that the county has seen steep declines in the number of homes affordable for people making 60 percent of the area’s median income. In Arlington, federal officials set those levels at $49,260 a year for a one-person household and $70,320 for a four-person household.