Maybe you saw the discussion at Saturday's County Board meeting, followed by the County Board's (with the exception of John Vihstadt) vote to approve Arlington Housing Corporation's purchase of the Serrano Apartments on Columbia Pike. Maybe you read Post reporter Patricia Sullivan's report in Sunday's Post about the purchase. Maybe you saw local residents who attended the County Board meeting voice their opposition to more affordable housing in the Columbia Pike corridor. What a charade.
But you can see for yourself by doing a Web search on 'Serrano Apartments Arlington'. Then read the staff report for Agenda Item 35 on the County's Web site arlingtonva.us.
The Serrano Apartments 'affordable housing'? Affordable for whom? Entry-level CIA employees. Recent law school graduates. Creative Class Yupsters who've been living in a townhouse with three roommates and just received a big promotion.
Turns out that, of the 280 well-maintained and recently modernized units at the Serrano, exactly 28 are affordable to persons who earn 60% of Area Median Income as defined by HUD ($107,000 in 2014). So 60% of $107,000 is $64,200. The rest of the 'affordable' units, there are 196, will be rented to persons earning 80% of AMI or. $85,600 per year. The other 56 units will be rented at market rate. How much do you have to earn per week if you are employed full-time to earn $64,200 and $85,600? About $1,235 and about $1,646.
How much does someone earning $10 and employed in one of the restaurants or retail shops in a mixed-use redevelopment approved by the County Board in recent years? About $20,800 per year, or $400 per week.
It gets worse. Limo Liberals from VOICE didn't bother to complain, much less attend Saturday's County Board meeting. 'Affordable Housing' in Arlington is a huge charade, and many different organizations get to play leading roles.
Pike Rider 22204
13 comments:
Pike will be a parking lot with streetcars stuck in traffic - too many people commuting in/out to work in low wage jobs. Scrap the streetcar project now.
How much will the residents of the "affordable" Serrano Apartments be paying for utilities and amenities?
People earning more than 90% of AMI will have to move out so their apartments can be rented to people earning 80% of AMI.
Not only a huge charade but total total hypocrisy.
AHC has proposed that income restrictions will only occur when current tenants move out.
Why doesn't VOICE just stop? All talk, no action.
Fifty-six apartments will be market rate with no income restrictions.
What else is new? County is being made over into an exclusive expensive mess.
How many more huge mixed used buildings on the Pike with 800 parking spaces under each building?
And a hundred or more retail and restaurant workers working of the ground floor for $10 an hour.
Stop the streetcar planning fiasco now, before the Pike becomes a parking lot with streetcars stuck in the middle of the lot.
Chris Zimmerman laughed all the way from inflicting Smart Growth on Arlington at $50,000 per year to inflicting Smart Growth on America at $250,000 per year.
Leaving us and America with WHAT? An expensive mess.
The residents of Columbia Hts West who complained about the Serrano at Saturday's County Board meeting are jealous. The Serrano has a nice swimming pool. Their condo communities don't.
Fire Barbara Donnellan and the arrogant jerks in Economic Development and Planning who don't live in Arlington, are making Arlington into an urbanized mess, and don't care. We are just 'neighborhood nuisances' to them.
Next up for Smart Growth Redevelopment are Lee Highway between Glebe Road and EFC Metro and Westover --- FYI
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