Fairfax County is taking steps to make affordable housing more accessible to people dealing with serious mental illness.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) will implement a major increase in rental assistance for people with serious mental illness, thanks to a $20 million agreement approved earlier this month with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).
“The additional funding is expected to help prevent homelessness among individuals with serious mental illness, as well as reduce census at state psychiatric hospitals,” the FCRHA announced on March 15 reads.
Starting in May, the approved agreement will fund 300 new supportive rental assistance vouchers for Fairfax County residents over three years and three new staff positions to manage the program.
“The new Fairfax County program supports an identified need for permanent supportive housing as noted in the Fairfax County Countywide Strategic Plan,” FCRHA spokesperson Allyson Pearce told FFXnow, adding that funding needs will be evaluated over time.
Details on how the 300 recipients will be chosen are still coming together, Pearce said, but the program will prioritize:
- Individuals experiencing long-term or repeated episodes of homelessness
- Individuals and those whose housing instability frequently leads to crisis, hospital visits, or contact with criminal justice systems
- Individuals leaving state psychiatric hospitals
- People residing in congregate care settings with a high concentration of individuals with serious mental illness
The Fairfax County Community Services Board (CSB) will coordinate referrals from “various stakeholders,” such as state hospitals and the federal Continuum of Care program, according to the FCRHA release.
A separate partnership with the nonprofit Pathways Homes will allow the 300 participants to receive additional supportive services. Fifty of the participants will also have access to services like psychiatry and case management as well as funds for the expenses needed to lease a housing unit.
“The remaining 250 participants will be coupled with two Supportive Housing Teams under a separate contract,” the release states.
Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development Director Tom Fleetwood said in the release that increasing access to affordable housing reduces homelessness, and is essential in getting a person back on their feet.
“That is why this funding is so important,” Fleetwood said. “It provides critical support services along with rental assistance needed for people to be successful in their new home.”
Photo via Fairfax County
The affordable housing developer behind the new Lake Anne House in Reston is targeting an apartment complex near Falls Church High School for a similar rebuild.
Enterprise Community Development, a Maryland-based national nonprofit, announced last week that it has acquired the Coralain Gardens Apartments in West Falls Church for $21.7 million, setting the stage for a rehabilitation that will enable the property to remain fully affordable.
Located at 7435 Arlington Blvd, the 10 three-story apartment buildings were built in 1964 and consist of 106 studio and one or two-bedroom units — all of them reserved for residents who earn 60% of the area median income (AMI) or below.
Now 60 years old, Coralain Gardens was at risk of losing its income restrictions, but Enterprise Community Development has committed to preserving them through 2087, according to a press release.
“The acquisition of Coralain Gardens was a wonderful chance for Enterprise Community Development to make a positive impact on the Fairfax community,” Enterprise interim president Christine Madigan said. “We are grateful for the County’s partnership and leadership in affordable housing preservation. We are looking forward to renovating the property and ensuring it remains a great place to live for both current and future residents.”
Enterprise says it will seek federal tax credits to fund “a full-scale rehabilitation” of the apartments, a project expected to start by the first quarter of 2025.
The acquisition was financed with a senior mortgage from a Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and Capital Impact Partners (CIP) partnership. Enterprise also assumed an existing loan that the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) had on the property.
The nonprofit was chosen for the deal from the county’s Preservation Partner Pool, a list of housing providers created last year to streamline the process of identifying developers and funding for projects to preserve affordable housing.
In parallel with its efforts to add 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2034, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted an affordable housing preservation policy last year that incentivizes developers to replace both income-restricted and market-rate affordable units.
The Preservation Partner Pool was formed to help implement that policy, which also gave developers the option to provide the replacement units off-site if building them on the redeveloping site isn’t feasible.
“The Preservation Partner Pool enables Fairfax County to quickly act on preservation opportunities that arise, such as this opportunity to purchase Coralain Gardens,” FCRHA Deputy Director of Real Estate Development and Finance Anna Shapiro said. “Enterprise was selected…because of their commitment to extend the existing affordability and invest in physical improvements to the property. The benefits of this acquisition will be realized for years to come for current and future residents.”
Enterprise completed its $86 million Lake Anne House at 11444 North Shore Drive last summer. The 240-unit apartment complex for low-income seniors replaced Lake Anne Fellowship House, which had provided affordable housing for older Reston residents since 1970.
Enterprise owns 114 communities across the U.S. that collectively house 23,000 people.
An affordable housing community could take over a nearly temporary athletic field on Dulles Green Drive.
At a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on July 25, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust asked the county to begin the initial steps to transfer the board-owned site at 13500 Dulles Greene Drive to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCHRA) to develop an affordable housing project.
Foust said that inclusionary affordable housing near Herndon’s “amenity-rich area” supports the county’s equity goals.
“The property presents an opportunity for the creation of an affordable housing community as a Transit Oriented Development within 1/3 mile of the Silver Line’s Innovation Metro Station and nearby recreational and commercial amenities,” Foust said.
The site is currently serving as a cricket field and will remain an athletic field until development begins. If FCHRA opts not seek to pursue the project, the property would be conveyed back to the board.
The project would support the county’s goal of providing a minimum of 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2034, Foust said.
Image via Google Maps
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Developer Foulger-Pratt‘s unsolicited proposal to redevelop Bowman Towne Court in Reston has been scrapped, Fairfax County announced today.
In a termination letter, the developer cited “significantly higher construction costs and recent interest rate hikes” as the primary reason for ending the agreement. The team also stated that a 24% increase in the project’s overall costs — which would have delayed the completion of the site.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority had approved an interim agreement with the developer in October to build up to 350 affordable apartments and a 40,000-square-foot Reston Regional Library on FCRHA-owned property at the intersection of Bowman Towne Drive and Town Center Parkway.
That leaves the county’s existing affordable housing at Bowman Towne Court in limbo. The construction of a new Reston Regional Library will also be delayed by several years, according to the county. Both facilities are at the end of their useful life.
Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said the withdrawal offers the public sector a chance to lead the redevelopment process in the future.
“The withdrawal of the unsolicited proposal under PPEA provides an opportunity for the public sector to better define the redevelopment approach for this site — instead of reacting to a developer’s ideas for highest and best use,” Alcorn wrote in a statement. “Our pressing public needs have not changed — starting with a new regional library, a new shelter, updated and more affordable housing.”
Until a future redevelopment plan is identified, the county’s housing authority will maintain its units on the site. Fairfax County Public Library is also evaluating how to meet the immediate challenges of its aging building.
“It is anticipated that a new library would be built through a public-private partnership in order to leverage a $10 million bond that voters approved in 2012. The existing library is at the end of its useful life, and a new building is urgently needed,” the county says.
Fougler-Pratt was the first to offer up the proposal to the county — a process that was publicly questioned by developer Norton Scott, which hoped to submit a competing proposal for consideration.
County housing officials anticipate that the location’s redevelopment is “inevitable,” given its proximity to the Reston Town Center Metro Station.
FCHRA will now prepare to seek redevelopment proposals for the project.
Developer Foulger-Pratt‘s unsolicited proposal to redevelop Bowman Towne Court in Reston is moving forward to the next phase of planning.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s commissioners voted yesterday (Oct. 20) to approve an interim agreement with the developer for up to 350 affordable apartments and a 40,000-square-foot Reston Regional Library on the 2.9-acre property owned by FCRHA at the intersection of Bowman Towne Drive and Town Center Parkway.
Foulger-Pratt submitted an unsolicited proposal last year under the Virginia Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA). The FCRHA’s vote kicks off a period of community engagement that is set to begin this winter.
“In consideration of the Interim Agreement, we received and considered a great deal of feedback from the community,” FCRHA Chairman Melissa McKenna said. “We are eager to continue the discussion, as we have with communities across the county in PPEA projects such as this, in order to further explore the opportunity for expanding affordable housing on the FCRHA’s property, and deliver well-integrated, high-quality housing in one of the largest activity centers in the county.”
Foulger-Pratt’s plan includes apartments for households between 30 and 70% of the area median income, a parking garage, and landscaping. It allocates 240 parking spaces for the library, along with a drop-off area for patrons and book returns.
The agreement has been criticized by developer Norton Scott, which asserts that a competing proposal it submitted should also be considered with more opportunities for public comment.
“Reston deserves a thoughtful and public process to determine the placement of a new Regional Library. This is only possible if the community can consider all of the options available,” wrote Chelsea Rao, a senior Vice President with Norton Scott, in a statement to FFXnow.
If the Foulger-Pratt proposal moves forward, the county would finance, own and operate the public library, while the developer would finance, design and operate the affordable housing component of the property.
FCHRA’s vote to approve the interim agreement is not an official vote in favor of the project. Separate rezoning and land use approvals will be required.
Following a community outreach program, FCHRA will enter into a comprehensive agreement with the developer, with the ultimate goal of moving towards permitting and construction. An exact timeline was not immediately available.
An affordable housing option for seniors will soon be available in an area of Braddock District where housing stock has been limited.
At a board meeting on Tuesday (May 10), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a financing plan to rehabilitate 120 senior affordable housing units and construct 60 new units at a project known as Little River Glen.
Financing on the project is expected to close in October. The county will likely begin once financing is secured following a two-year schedule.
“Accordingly, current projections would have completion in the fall 2024,” said Benjamin Boxer, spokesperson for FCHRA.
The project is spearheaded by the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which owns Little River Glen I, a 120-unit building built in the 1990s and a senior center. FCHRA also owns an adjacent property that’s approved for 60 new senior affordable housing units, known in planning jargon as Little River Glen IV.
Both options will be restricted to seniors age 62 and above with incomes at or below 60% of the Area Median Income.
FCHRA is seeking multiple funding options for the project to move forward, including $7 million as a loan from the authority’s funding resources, $1.5 million from its operating fund, and $1.4 million in a loan from the county’s affordable housing development and investment fund.
Overall, the project requires up to $40 million in bonds to be authorized.
“Historically, the competing requirements tied to various funding sources have made it difficult to apply multiple resources to a project,” FCRHA Chairman Melissa McKenna wrote in a statement. “We’re proud of the fact that, over the last several years, we have led the way in rewriting the affordable housing playbook when it comes to the strategic investment of public resources to make it possible for projects like these to come alive.”
Both projects will be conveyed to LRG Apartments Limited Partnership, a limited partnership created and controlled by FCHRA as the sole controlling member.
Once completed, Little River Glen’s campus will see a boost in affordable housing options. It already includes Olley Glen, a 90-unit senior independent living building, and Braddock Glen, which includes 60 beds.
The existing community will get new cabinetry, upgraded kitchen appliances, new toilets, light fixtures, HVAC systems and bathtubs, and upgrades to the existing senior center.
A plan to possibly convert a portion of the Reston District Police Station’s parking lot into affordable housing is moving forward.
At Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s request, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed staff yesterday (Tuesday) to schedule a public hearing to consider conveying county-owned land to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
“This will be for the development of affordable housing with appropriate replacement of secure parking spaces dedicated to police use and subject to the stipulation that in the event the FCRHA no longer pursues the project, the FCRHA will transfer ownership of the property back to the Board,” Alcorn wrote in a statement.
The move sets in motion the redevelopment of the Bowne Towne Court area. The county received an unsolicited proposal from Foulger-Pratt last month to build affordable housing on the existing parking lot, a new Reston Regional Library, and a parking garage. The area is located at the intersection of Bowman Towne Drive and Town Center Parkway.
After receiving the proposal, the county began advertising for competing proposals to determine next steps for the project. The project would redevelop a nearly three-acre parcel owned by FCRHA and includes 1.6 acres of the nearby board-owned police station.
A date for the public hearing has not yet been determined.
Bids for the project close on May 16 at 2 p.m.
Alcorn emphasized that moving forward with the transfer of property to FCRHA does not mean that the county is in favor of the recently submitted plan. All options will be considered as the proposal moves through the development process.
The board recently upped its goal for additional affordable housing units to 10,000 by 2034. Alcorn set a target of 1,000 additional affordable housing units in the Hunter Mill District by the end of 2027.
For years, discussions have swirled around the possibility of developing the Bowman Towne Center and Reston Regional Library.
With the receipt of an unsolicited proposal to redevelop the property, Fairfax County is beginning to formalize plans to move forward with the project.
The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) has issued a call for competing bids on the project, which is at the intersection of Bowman Towne Drive and Town Center Parkway, according to a March 31 release.
The unsolicited proposal from Foulger-Pratt aims to redevelop an existing 2.9-acre property owned by the FCHRA into an apartment building for working families, a new Reston Regional Library, and free parking for all.
The plan also calls for another building with affordable housing on the parking lot currently used by Reston District Station officers and staff. A new garage is planned for police use. The building would have up to 400 units, replacing 30 affordable rental townhomes on the site.
“Our approach to unlock the value of this property addresses not only housing but also the community infrastructure necessary to grow and thrive in our complex world,” the proposal says. Project details — including renderings — are largely redacted.
“This announcement is an exciting step forward for a much-needed new Reston Regional Library and the sustainable and socially responsible redevelopment of Reston Town Center North,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in a statement.
The request for proposals closes on May 16 at 2 p.m. Whatever plan eventually gets approved would be under the terms of a long-term, nominal ground lease from the FCRHA.
