Arlington County to Identify Publicly-Owned Sites that Could be Redeveloped to Include Affordable Housing

Three to five sites to be identified in upcoming Capital Improvement Program
Arlington Mill public-private partnership possible model
Timeline for comprehensive land use review process to be developed for each identified site

ARLINGTON, Va. – December 18, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The Arlington County Board today said it will instruct the County Manager in January to identify three-to-five publicly owned sites “with the greatest potential for redevelopment” in the next 10 years that could incorporate new affordable homes in their redevelopment.

Chairman J. Walter Tejada read a statement from the dais at the start of the Board’s Recessed December Meeting. The statement, unanimously endorsed by the Board, was in response to a recent petition delivered by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement), with more than 10,000 signatures from residents or persons who work in Arlington, Tejada said.

“We want to thank Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Empowerment for their Call to Action and for their important work on behalf of those members of our community who live, work and serve in Arlington and are in need of affordable housing,” Tejada said. He noted that the County has made affordable housing one of its top priorities.
Arlington Mill as possible model

Tejada cited the Arlington Mill development as an example of how using public land can reduce the cost of creating affordable housing and as a model for future public-private partnerships (for developing affordable housing). The County built a community center and assisted with the development of 122 units of affordable housing on the site. Because it was publicly owned land, the development costs were lower, reducing the need for long-term County financing The County is proud of the new Arlington Mill Community Center and its help with the soon-to-be-occupied 122 units of affordable housing atArlington Mill Residences.

The Board’s statement said that the County Manager will be instructed to identify the publicly-owned properties as part of the 2014-2024 Capital Improvement Program guidance that the Board plans to issue in January.

“The CIP should state that affordable housing must be carefully considered as a possible use in the master planning processes of those facilities, using the successful public-private Arlington Mill development, which minimized the AHIF (Affordable Housing Investment Fund) contribution, as a possible model,” the Board said in its statement. The Board said in the statement that after the CIP is adopted in spring 2014, “a timeline for a comprehensive land use review process involving the community,” will be developed for each of the priority sites identified in the CIP. In addition, the Affordable Housing Study that is expected to produce a report by the end of 2014, “will incorporate and examine in more detail public land for public good as a strategy to produce affordable housing.”

Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the “10 miles square” parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation’s Capital. Slightly smaller than 26 square miles, it is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, and one of only a handful with the prized Aaa/AAA/AAA bond rating. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods and quality schools, and has received numerous awards for Smart Growth and transit-oriented development. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world — including the Pentagon — Arlington stands out as one of America’s preeminent places to live, visit and do business.

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