Falls Church city officials have started talking with potential partners about what could be one of the largest housing projects in the city’s history.
In discussing possibilities with four nonprofit or governmental housing organizations, the city has “laid out a road map” for what could happen to the Virginia Village community, including the construction of a substantial amount of affordable housing, City Manager Wyatt Shields told City Council members at a Jan. 27 meeting.
County Board members voted unanimously on Saturday (Jan. 24) to approve redevelopment of the vacant Inn of Rosslyn motel site for new apartments.
“We are facing a housing crisis. This crisis is today,” Board member Takis Karantonis said in support of the proposal by Monument Realty to construct an eight-story building totaling 141 units, including 13 committed-affordable units.
Northern Virginia Democrats were in high spirits at the inauguration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger this weekend, looking toward new opportunities for a variety of bills held back by the previous administration.
Legislators and political observers expect fewer vetoes and more collaboration with Democratic policymakers — including those in Northern Virginia — under Spanberger, a centrist Democrat who emphasized bipartisan solutions to issues like housing and health care costs on the campaign trail and in her inauguration speech.
An updated plan for an affordable housing building near Langston Blvd has received mostly praise but some criticism from the Housing Commission.
The Housing Commission was provided an update on Dec. 4 on the plan to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens apartment complex with a 10-story apartment building with 249 committed-affordable units.
A new 234-unit affordable housing building near Rosslyn was honored with a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday (Monday).
The 12-story building at 1300 N. Pierce Street, in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, comes with 110 below-ground parking spaces and a mix of apartment sizes: 84 one-bedroom units, 100 two-bedroom units and 50 three-bedroom units, according to a press release.
Next year could be make-or-break time for Falls Church officials’ desire to do something big on the affordable-housing front.
The city, through its Economic Development Authority, already owns nine small apartment properties in the Virginia Village community near Annandale Road. At a Nov. 19 meeting between elected officials and staff, discussion turned to moving forward on a consolidated plan for housing the neighborhood.
The number of Arlington rental units that are financially accessible to those earning less than 80% of area median income (AMI) has skyrocketed rather than plummeted over the past decade.
Not because housing is becoming cheaper, but because incomes of local residents have risen faster than the cost of renting.
Efforts to create deeply affordable housing to meet the needs of Arlington’s lowest-earning residents face significant headwinds, according to a recent presentation to the Arlington Planning Commission.
Most current efforts around affordable housing focus on households with incomes of at least 60% of the area median income (AMI) — leaving out a large swath of people earning less.
The Goodwill on S. Glebe Road is closing this month to redevelop as a mixed-use affordable housing project.
The donation center, retail store and career center at 10 S. Glebe Road is set to close for about two years beginning on Monday, Oct. 27. Goodwill expects to begin demolition this winter, making way for a six-story building with 128 units of affordable housing, a 3,000-square-foot child care, and a modernized retail and donation center.
Arlington’s Housing Commission is seeking more local leeway in addressing affordable housing and new formulas for determining the number of affordable units in new projects.
Commission Chair Kellen MacBeth included these recommendations in a letter to the County Board following a review of policies by the Affordable Housing Ordinance working group established earlier this year. County leaders are currently developing legislative priorities for the 2026 General Assembly session.
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.
A major affordable housing provider plans to transition near-all of its Arlington properties to new management firms by the end of the year.
Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC) has hired two new management groups to oversee its D.C.-area properties, including 23 apartment buildings in Arlington. The nonprofit, which has faced complaints of poor living conditions at some of its Arlington communities, says it hopes to improve residents’ experiences.
