Hi Yupette,
I live in Westover, in one of the few remaining market rate affordable garden apartments in the County that are actually affordable. The guy who owns several garden apartment buildins on 9th Street, 10th Street, 11th Street, and Kensington Street is demolishing the buildings and evicting the elderly, sick, and disabled tenants. The legacy oak trees surrounding the apartment buildings, one of them at least 100 years old, have all been cut down and the roots are being dug up. The tenants who are being and have been evicted are mostly poor and they have few housing options. The County Board has been well aware of the owner's intent to redevelop these properties into expensive townhouses. However the County Board gave the owner the go-ahead early this year and AHC, APAH, VOICE, Arlington Green Party, and the Arlington Democratic Party abided by the County Board's decision.
Independent County Board candidate Audrey Clement, who lives on 9th Street, asked the County Board to directly intervene and arrange a sale of the buildings to AHC, but the County Board refused. Same County Board that approves market rate to AHC-owned conversions in complex deals at almost every County Board meeting, often via the Consent Agenda.
The demolition signals the intent of County Government to redevelop Westover into a neighborhood of McMansions, expensive condominium townhouses, and a redeveloped commercial sector of 6-10 story mixed-use buildings, like those in Clarendon.
I am voting for Audrey Clement in November. In 50 years we've gone from a War on Poverty to a War on the Poor. Thanks for your blog.
Jennifer,
South Kennilworth Street
