Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Gentrification Shell Game Continues on the Pike

Hey Yupette,

Seen the financials for the new unaffordable affordable apartment building on the Pike that's going to be constructed on the site of the old Shell station? Cost will be $32.2 million for 83 'affordable' units, or just over $388,000 per unit. More 'affordable' units for people with incomes of $37,000 and up (living wage in Arlington is $27, 310). Poor people who earn $8, $9, and $10 per hour and work on the Pike and in Bailey's are out of luck. Hey, it gets worse, people who work in the retail on the ground floor of The Shell Apartments won't be able to afford to live upstairs. Meanwhile, the building's owner and developer, AHC, is rolling is dough, having become a regional developer of  'gentrification housing'. I was not in favor of a housing authority for Arlington County until now, but have signed the petition the Greens are circulating. What kind of smart growth is it when people have to drive 40 miles to work in the restaurant they used to live down the street from?

Barbara, 22204

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

unaffordable affordable owned by a for-profit non-profit

Anonymous said...

Chris Zimmerman won't let anyone build truly affordable housing on the Pike...he wants the minorities out and the Pike turned into another Clarendon.

Anonymous said...

"The Shell"? How insipid. How about calling the new apartment building "Gentrification Station"?

Anonymous said...

C.Z. wants the Pike to be a safe place where his children's friends can party till they puke.

Anonymous said...

FYI the County Chamber of Commerce Board and its Chief Publicist, Scott McCaffrey, just named AHC Arlington's best small business non-profit for 2013.

Anonymous said...

What's a "small business non-profit"?

Anonymous said...

AHC loves gentrification and is making a ton of money from gentrification. Too bad if those restaurant workers on the Pike have to drive 40 miles back and forth.

Anonymous said...

Name of AHC's Game - what really affordable housing can we redevelop into unaffordable housing next?

Anonymous said...

Same County Board that bailed out the Signature Theater also bailed out AHC on Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

Common knowledge around Arlington is that when AHC renovates apartments the rent increases by at least $300 per month.

Anonymous said...

Prediction - Arlington County will fiscally crash and burn within 5 years.

Anonymous said...

Agree

Anonymous said...

Why is everyone so concerned that their favorite people and organizations are getting bailed out, receiving favors, etc.? It's a political machine that's been in control for more than 30 years.

Anonymous said...

We are awaiting AHC's 2012 IRS Form 990.

Anonymous said...

Philanthropy? What is Philanthropy?

Anonymous said...

In fact ANC is Arlington's #1 Gentrifier.

Anonymous said...

Smart Growth, as implemented in Arlington, has proven to be just the opposite.

thanks for your blog said...

People think AY is over the top, until the County Board pulls a stunt like bailing out the Signature.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "We are awaiting AHC's 2012 IRS Form 990."

You said it!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "Smart Growth, as implemented in Arlington, has proven to be just the opposite."

Exactly! Every time I read some Arlington "official" or whatever make a statement or issue a statement about "smart growth" or "the Arlington Way". I laugh my head off. If this community is an example of "smart growth", then Heaven help us if they ever start with "dumb growth"!

Anonymous said...

Apparently, AHC''s income was $14 million in 2011 and expenses were $9 million. I am also awaiting AHC's 2012 IRS Form 990.

Anonymous said...

Yupette, how about a thread on Arlington's performing arts?

Anonymous said...

How much are taxpayers paying for bad art? How much are taxpayers paying for affordable housing that's not affordable?

I agree that gentrifying out people who live a quarter mile from the restaurant where they manage, work, cook, etc. isn't smart, it's stupid. So they can live on recently paved over farmland 40 miles away and add to the traffic on the Pike, Routs 50, I-395, etc.? How much longer can that go on? Ten years, Twenty years?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Charlotte, my aunt and uncle say they are selling their home there and moving to a location they won't disclose because the 'northern liberals' are turning the area into an 'unliveable mess'.

Anonymous said...

How much more can be paved over? Well the population of Virginia grew by almost 2 million since 1993 and the population of the U.S. grew by 60 million. Project that growth out for another 50 years. R & D should be focused on how to create food out of fossil fuel, 'cause there won't be enough farm land left to feed us all.

Anonymous said...

Twenty first century environmental devastation brought to you by America's liberals and conservatives, who are locked into their respective ideologies.

Anonymous said...

America's population growth - fueled by all the elitist regimes worldwide the elites who control America support.

Anonymous said...

Starting with Mexico.

Anonymous said...

ever seen a limo liberal or country club republican who cleaned their own home...correction.... mcmansion?

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the Environment - Happy Memorial Day. A Harley with a modified engine and exhaust produces 20 times the hydrocarbon pollution and a thousand times the noise of the largest SUV.

Anonymous said...

Motto of the Greenpublicrat Elite: In 50 years our kids will have figured out how to stop global warming, global poverty, and global warfare. In the meantime, don't worry, be happy. Keep building more McMansions on 5 acre lots on that worthless agricultural land.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "ever seen a limo liberal or country club republican who cleaned their own home...correction.... mcmansion?"

Ain't that the truth!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "Speaking of the Environment - Happy Memorial Day. A Harley with a modified engine and exhaust produces 20 times the hydrocarbon pollution and a thousand times the noise of the largest SUV.

Exactly! Every Memorial Day weekend (and now the weekend closest to 9/11) sees an inundation of these noisy motorcycles and from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon nothing but endless motorcycle racket on the streets and especially on I-66. Surely there are plenty of ways to honor our veterans (do any of these noisy yahoos ever volunteer at a VA hospital?) and remember those who died on 9/11 without being a complete pain to residents!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "Motto of the Greenpublicrat Elite: In 50 years our kids will have figured out how to stop global warming, global poverty, and global warfare. In the meantime, don't worry, be happy. Keep building more McMansions on 5 acre lots on that worthless agricultural land."

You nailed it. I used to hear the stereotypes that the Dems/Greens were super caring about the environment (yada yada) and the mean ole eeeevil Pubs wanted to develop to kingdom come and didn't give a hoot about the environment. But to see the amount of development and "progress" in Arlington for the past 20-25 years, endless condo complexes and huge houses, it is clear the "liberal democratic" Arlington "government" (ditto Falls Church and Fairfax) is in the developers' pocket or the developers know exactly whom to pay off and how much. These "democrats" beat the stereotype of the excessive development and everything be damned "republicans".