Park Shirlington Apartments Again On-Track for Gentrification Redevelopment

Hey Yupette,

I live in Fairlington, not far from where Smart Growth Boosters Scott Brodbeck (ArlNow) and Scott McCaffrey (Inside Nova) live.

What they, and apparently most in the neighborhood, haven't yet learned is the County Board made a secret deal a couple months ago to redevelop the Park Shirlington Apartments on South 31st Street, adjacent to Fairlington.

The former owner of Park Shirlington, Home Properties, sold Park Shirlington in September to Standard Property Company, Inc., an affiliate of Home Properties. Standard Property formed a joint venture with a housing non-profit, the National Foundation for Affordable Housing Solutions, jointly the "Project Sponsor". Park Shirlington contains 294 1, 2, and 3 bedroom market-rate apartments on 15.79 acres.

Arlington County proposes to include Park Shirlington in a Housing Conservation District (HCD). Housing Conservation Districts include zoning incentives, such as preservation, infill, and redevelopment options, aimed at preserving the affordability of market rate properties. County Board will take up HCD creation on November 27th. At its November 9th meeting the Housing Commission approved lending $6 million in Affordable Housing Investment Funds (AHIF) to the Project Sponsors ($20,408 per unit). Total acquisition costs of Park Shirlington would be $72.4 million or $246,341 per unit. Unknown at this point whether the Project Sponsor would be going to the County for more AHIF funds once construction commences. County Board will also take up approval of AHIF funds for Park Shirlington on November 27th.

But wait. There's more. According to comments made during this week's Housing Commission meeting the Project Sponsors want to build as many expensive townhomes as possible on-site when Park Shirlington is redeveloped. Number of townhomes most often mentioned was 154. The townhomes would sell for about $1 million each. Do the math.

Then there are the external costs. Abingdon School adjacent to Park Shirlington was recently renovated for $32 million and only 132 seats were added to the school's capacity. Fairlington residents who live near Abingdon School are already furious that so many use permit conditions were violated during Abingdon School construction and are apprehensive that another phase of building construction will take the remaining open space for a larger building and more parking and student drop-offs.

Then there are the workforce housing activists, who are angry about the exclusionary practices related to "affordable housing", which excludes people who are in desperate need of housing that's actually affordable and who work close to where so-called affordable housing is being constructed (e.g., Shirlington Village). They see low-wage worker and other low-income residents being forced out of the County while the County Board enriches real estate trusts, developers, law firms, financial institutions, and various consultants, to the point that the activists complained to the Housing and Urban Development Inspector General that the County's affordable housing program is de facto fraud.

County Board meetings later this month should be interesting. Stay tuned.

H.J., 22206

Audrey Clement for County Board

Hello,

When it came to decide which candidate to endorse this year for Arlington Board the decision wasn't even close. We again endorse Audrey Clement.

Given his existing and potential conflicts of interest as the owner of a regional residential construction company, Erik Gutshall shouldn't have been appointed to the Planning Commission, let alone been selected by the Arlington Democratic Party as its nominee. Erik flat-out lied when he stated that his company won't benefit from re-purposing homes and townhomes into accessory dwelling units. But that's what occurs when one political party runs a county for more than 35 years.

As for Charles McCullough II the Green Party nominee, like the Arlington Greens who nominated him he's big on promises and short on performance. Before running for County Board this year Charles was another Washington attorney who was part of the status quo. Unlike Audrey Clement, he hasn't attended Planning Commission and County Board meetings and spoken when big issues came up for vote. Completely like the Arlington Greens.

Audrey Clement has been completely engaged in County Government's decision-making process, insofar as the County's often-secret decision making will allow her to be involved. She shows an in-depth knowledge of fiscal and other data at meetings and takes sound positions on planning for the future, not more development-for-the-sake-of-development.

Unfortunately, local media are so focused on profits that they're addicted to supporting and promoting the status quo, the primary reason Audrey's not been endorsed. Time is overdue for truly independent media in the County as it's time for a majority of real Independents on the County Board.

Cindy