As this week’s out-of-season heatwave sends temperatures soaring, some Arlington tenants have been left sweating over when their landlord will turn on the air conditioning.
“Consider your fellow community [members] who are elderly, have temperature sensitive pets, or other chronic health conditions,” read a tenant petition posted at Crystal Plaza apartments, where the AC was still off earlier this week. “Many of us have already lost sleep or experienced health incidents due to the heat.”
Recent management changes at an affordable housing complex bought with Amazon’s money followed months of advocacy and frustration from both tenants and county officials.
Last month, complaints led Washington Housing Conservancy, the property owner, to install a new management company to support ongoing changes at the Crystal House 1 and 2 buildings at 1900 and 2000 S. Eads Street. The shift didn’t come easily, however.
As development around the Crystal House Apartments begins to pick up speed, some current residents are raising concerns about the property’s management.
A recent change in management companies has not resulted in improvements, several renters said at last week’s meeting of the county’s Tenant-Landlord Commission.
Members of the Arlington government’s Tenant-Landlord Commission are aiming to forge deeper bonds with both its constituencies.
At the advisory panel’s Feb. 12 meeting, commission chair David Timm said the body was seeking to “cultivate some relationships” among tenant groups at some of Arlington’s larger apartment complexes.
(Updated 4:40 p.m.) There are more than two dozen steps local affordable housing developers, Arlington County and the state can take to improve quality of life and respect tenants, according to a new report.
Written by a Joint Subcommittee on the Status of Aging Properties (JSSAP), the report walks through the kinds of protections tenants need to live safely in committed affordable dwellings in Arlington, many of which are affordable because they are older and more prone to maintenance issues.
Fundraiser for Family in Need — Money is being raised online for an Arlington woman and her two school-aged sons after her husband — their dad — passed away from stomach cancer. The De Leon Ordonez family was very active with the Barrett Elementary School community, volunteering “countless hours of time and energy” to the school and the PTA. “Please donate to help them get back on their feet,” wrote Del. Patrick Hope. [YouCaring, Twitter]
Tenant-Landlord Guidelines Changed — “County Board members on May 22 approved revisions to the guidelines that developers either can or must follow – depending on the specific circumstance – if they are renovating residential properties and displacing tenants in the process. The revisions… will provide many tenants with more notice and, in some cases, higher relocation payments if they find themselves displaced.” [InsideNova]
Family: We’re Being Evicted Because Our Disabled Son Is Too Loud — A family of a disabled boy says they’re being evicted from the Oakland Apartments on Columbia Pike because the 10-year-old boy makes too much noise. Local tenant advocates Bravo and Bu-Gata have taken up the cause of the Diaz family and held a press conference yesterday. [Washington Post, NBC Washington]
Arlington County Ready for Winter Weather — While there’s been little evidence of winter so far, given the procession of record warm temperatures, Arlington County says it’s ready to do battle with snow and ice when the time comes. The county says it has reviewed its operations, reinforced its training and acquired an additional 1,200 tons of salt compared to last year. [Arlington County]
