The affordable housing market in Fairfax County got a boost this week with the addition of 240 units for seniors and families at the newly opened “One University” development.
Fairfax County officials and community leaders gathered Monday afternoon (Nov. 18) to celebrate the $250 million project, which includes 120 rent-assisted apartment units for families earning 60% or less of the area median income and 120 units for seniors.
The redevelopment at 4530 University Drive replaces 46 outdated townhomes and an office building at Robinson Square adjacent to George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. Residents of the old development got temporary accommodations during construction and began moving into the new units in August.
In addition to the affordable units, the project includes 333 units of market-rate student housing from the developer RISE. Dubbed the Main on University, the seven-story building has 793 student beds across a mix of one to four-bedroom units and is expected to generate over $700,000 in revenue for the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA), which maintains a ground lease for the site.
One University was the first property to gain approval under the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, which helps preserve public housing by allowing redevelopment.
“Since the advent of the program, we have invested over $17 billion in repositioning public housing administered by public housing authorities in communities all across the country that’s over 170,000 families that are living in places that have been re imagined and re-invested in, in the way that they deserve,” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Matt Heckles said during Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The project was kickstarted in 2017 after the county received an unsolicited proposal under the Public-Private Education and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) to develop affordable and student housing on the site.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors amended its Comprehensive Plan in June 2019 to increase housing density on the 10.8-acre site. The project cleared another hurdle a few months later when the Board approved a rezoning application and a $6.5 million loan to Tysons-based developer SCG Development Partners to help finance the development, paving the way for construction to begin.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Jan. 27, 2022.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay hailed the redevelopment as a milestone in the county’s efforts to address the growing need for accessible and inclusive housing.
“I think is the most monumental affordable housing achievement we’ve ever had in Fairfax County; and I don’t say that lightly,” he told attendees.
Since 2022, Fairfax County had about 4,000 affordable housing units either newly built, planned, or under construction, according to its Affordable Housing Data Dashboard. The board pledged in 2022 to add 10,000 new units by 2034.
In addition to McKay, a number of federal, state and local officials spoke at the ceremony, along with representatives from the county’s housing authority and SCG.
“This project serves as a template for other affordable housing opportunities,” Rep. Gerry Connolly wrote in a statement read by a staffer from his office. “It provides housing for seniors, families and students — a trifecta of what our community needs most.”
