The City of Falls Church’s first effort in over a dozen years at a major project to increase its affordable housing stock, centering redevelopment of the 4.5 acres currently constituting the Virginia Village gaggle of 20 fourplex units off S. Maple Ave., was teed up to move ahead at a joint meeting of the F.C. City Council, Planning Commission and Economic Development Authority at City Hall this Monday night.
With the City’s total number of housing units listed as “affordable” currently stands at 336, down from 471 units in 2012, and 63 of those set to lose “affordable” status when agreed to terms with developers expire in the next decade, and with average home values in Falls Church being now above $1 million, the highest in the region, City leaders’ long-held commitment in principle to affordable housing is now sitting on the cusp of a true crisis, reflective of the crisis of housing affordability facing the region and the nation as a whole.
Now, in order to hit deadlines for tax credits coming up, F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields and the leadership on the City Council advocated pressing ahead aggressively with Virginia Village redevelopment plans, even though what, exactly, could wind up happening to that property has yet to be determined.
The challenge now is to codify in City planning documents – Comprehensive Plan and Small Area plans – what is allowable at the site, to begin notifying the tenants currently occupying units on the site, and neighbors to the site, what may be happening going forward.
City officials were quick to explain that when that property is redeveloped, that the existing tenants, all renting at “affordable housing” rates, would be helped with relocating to other affordable units in the City for as long as it will take whatever new is put there to be completed.
Observers have noted that the options for redevelopment of the site are myriad at this stage. While Shields himself is on record saying he hopes a new large scale, affordable unit apartment building will go there, others have mulled just how big such a structure might be, whether there could be two of them, whether there be a mix with market-rate single family homes to help offset the cost of an affordable unit building, whether there will be park space included at the site, and more.
“There are strong opinions on uses,” Planning Commissioner Robert Kravinsky said.
“We need to be ambitious in this,” added Planning Commissioner and former City Council member Phil Duncan.
Jim Coyle, chair of the Economic Development Authority, said that this issue has been around for years, and that he “has been looking for a roadmap for a long while.”
Council member Justine Underhill commented that a wide and comprehensive effort to notify all the stakeholders in this development needs to be undertaken because usually “only a very small, self-selected group shows up for meetings,” such that the City could get a “narrow view of community feedback.”
Deputy City Manager Cindy Mester stated that letters have already been sent out to everyone in the area as well as the current 81 residents of the Virginia Village.
Planning Commissioner Tim Stevens said “it seems a little rushed to me, but if there are deadlines for going after loans then I understand.”
The City’s new Director of Planning Matt Mattauszek said the timing is crucial, that it has been “like threading a needle” to ensure that deadlines are met. He said that staff is pressed by a March deadline for seeking tax credits, adding “there are no great crystal balls at this point” as to how it will turn out.
City Housing and Human Services director Dana Jones affirmed that outreach to current residents at the site has already started, including with residents of the Winter Hill apartments and the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation. She noted that many living at the Virginia Village now have incomes at “way below” 60 percent of the median area income.
City Planner Jack Trainor said the meeting was designed to gain insights for “initiating a resolution request” impacting small area plans, a designated planning opportunity area group and the so-called Virginia Village Acquisition Strike Committee (such efforts have led so far to the City’s acquisition of nine of the 20 fourplexes at the site). He suggested that real progress in that process will be evident by this July.
Council member Arthur Agin said it is important to “make sure we are pushing the envelope” to get this done.
Mayor Letty Hardi and Vice Mayor Laura Downs stressed that the effort needs to be “appropriately ambitious,” but that it needs to be stated “loud and clear” that any displacement of residents is still several years away.”
“Remember, we have to make sure that whatever we set out to do will be financeable,” she said.
