Fewer Affordable Apartments Planned for City Center South
The number of affordable housing rental units planned for the City Center South Apartments has been cut from 174 units to somewhere between 120 and 130.
Addressing Monday’s joint session of City Council and the Planning Commission, Carol Jackson of the Falls Church Housing Corporation said that instead of one building for both families and seniors, there now will be two smaller buildings, though the proportions are unclear.
The project faces a May 14 loan application deadline.
Ms Jackson stated that the variance between the two planned structures could be as much as 20 percent. In that case, one building might have as many as 78 units and the other as few as 52. There likely would be more units assigned for seniors.
There will be significant architectural changes as well. The structures now likely will be wood frame instead of concrete and steel frame.
Parking may be underground. Originally, a garage was to have been built adjacent to the affordable housing in an arrangement with Mr Thomas Sawner, owner of the adjacent property.
However, the Housing Corporation no longer favors this option and apparently is not partnering with Mr Sawner, who had planned to build a commercial building. The status of that initiative is unclear.
Ms Jackson, who termed the changes radical, said that the applications to the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) have not been finalized. FCHC president Steve Rogers stated that the corporation’s board had approved the strategy only last Wednesday.
The Housing Corporation now is partnering with The Community Builders (TCB), the nation’s largest non-profit urban housing developer, in formulating its applications to VHDA.
City Manager Wyatt Shields stated that he believed that another ammendment to the special exception ordinance, at least the project’s third, would be necessary in order for it to receive Council approval.
Council and Planning Commission members generally seemed to accept the downsizing as an inevitable result of the economic downturn.
However, Councilman Dan Maller probably spoke for all when he noted that this was the City’s only opportunity to talk to the Housing Corporation prior to the submission of the applications and that neither the Council nor the Commission had any input into the process.
By George Bromley
May 5, 2009
Does the changing of the structure include re-thinking green space? Are seniors in Winter Park who will be forcibly removed from their homes (with individual entries, front lawns and small porches) still going to be placed in a sterile building with no lawn, park, gardens, or pedestrian walkways but plenty of concrete and asphalt?
It still reeks to me of two-tiered living in Falls Church.
Apart from amazement that this project is still alive in the current economic climate, I do not think the parking issue has been satisfactorily addressed. Garage “may” be built underground does not sound convincing, especially since Wyatt Shields has lost my confidence (what little I had) in the latest George funding debacle. And other than the “feel good” factor for those so keen on this project, I don’t understand nor trust their motives.
The history of the FCHC seems to be – build a buidling or bust. They will sell their soul to the devil to get it built if that’s what it takes. And now, they have the City staff and council along for the ride.
How many different buildings will they propose around town? How many revisions/restarts? How many (abandoned) partnerships? Is their enthusiastic support for Atlantic’s City Center still there now that the AR $ contribution and master developer status is gone?
Now they are going to put in their application to the state BEFORE they get a new special exception approval from the city. So how will the development be adjusted through the public review process once it is approved by the state? Will the city staff, planning commission, and city council feel compelled to swallow what FCHC develops because the project can’t be adjusted after state approval?
Someone ought to look at the FCHC’s books and see if this is an appropriate use of city funds. Exactly how much taxpayer money has been consumed by FCHC in their “concentrate the ‘working class’ and ‘seniors’ into one building” efforts?
It is time for the city council to wash its hands of FCHC. And while they are at it, they should take a close look at the leadership in city hall – is Vigdis correct above with lost confidence in Shields and company? Our leaders need to give this serious thought.