A look at the 2013 D.C. region housing market data by Zip code

Northern Virginia:

“Home owners in the D.C. region don’t want to spend much time in their cars. At least that’s what we’ve learned after reviewing the 2013 housing market data. With the help of RealEstate Business Intelligence, a subsidiary of Rockville-based MRIS, we crunched last year’s numbers to get a sense of where sellers and buyers fared best in this area. We found a few surprises – Springfield and Hyattsville – and got confirmation of what we’ve long suspected. (Great Falls is an expensive place to live.)

But after speaking with a number of real estate agents to find out what they had to say about the market, one term we kept hearing was “walkability.” At every income level, home owners seem to want to walk or take public transportation to where they need to go. They’re tired of being stuck in their cars. The push to move outside the Beltway to buy a bigger house is in the past. These days buyers are sacrificing space for shorter commutes.”

~Writes Kevin Cobb of the Washington Business Jounral

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Greenhouse Village Housing Project Receives CDBG Grant

Central Shenandoah PDC

“With the help of a $288,936 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Rockbridge County has partnered with Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity to address a need for affordable housing in the Rockbridge area. The Greenhouse Village Housing Production Project will provide for the construction of eight homes for low- and moderate-income (LMI) families and the infrastructure required to serve them within a two-year period. The new infrastructure component of the project will not only serve the eight homes called for in the grant, but also serve 30+ future home sites in the Greenhouse Village neighborhood currently without access to public water, sewer or streets. The project also identifies a significant amount of down payment assistance available to eligible homebuyers, further reducing their cost of homeownership.

The CSPDC assisted Rockbridge County with the CDBG grant proposal and will provide ongoing grant administration services.  ”

~Central Shenandoah PDC

County Board Approves ‘Blue Goose’ Redevelopment

Arlington County:

“The distinctive 'Blue Goose' building in Ballston is heading for the proverbial wrecking ball after the Arlington County Board approved replacing it with an office and a residential building. The Board unanimously voted to redevelop the 1963 building, allowing the developer The Shooshan Company, in partnership with Marymount University, to build a nine-story office building and a 15-story, 267-unit residential building with 11 dedicated units of affordable housing.

The entire site will sit on three levels of underground parking, with 317 office spaces and 264 residential spaces. There will also be 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. Marymount University will occupy the first six stories of the office building with plans to expand into the final three floors in the future. The office building will front on Fairfax Drive while the residential building will sit on the corner of Fairfax and N. Glebe Road.

In additional to the affordable housing — which includes a $275,000 donation to the Arlington Housing Investment Fund — the Shooshan Company also agreed to contribute more than $4.5 million toward the construction of a west entrance to the Ballston Metro Station and $1.15 million for improvements to the Ballston beaver pond restoration project and Custis Trail. The buildings are expected to be built to a LEED Gold environmental standard.”

~ Writes Ethan Rothstein of Arlington Now

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Study eyes assisted living in Nelson County

Nelson County

“The Jefferson Area Board of Aging and Nelson County have joined forces to investigate the potential need for assisted living and care for memory-impaired individuals in the area. The two entities are paying for a feasibility study by Maryland-based Howard & Associates that is to be concluded by the end of January and will help determine if there is a need for expanding care in the county.

‘The question is, What would meet the needs of people in Nelson County?’ said Marta Keane, the CEO of JABA. A few years ago, Medical Facility of America announced it would be relocating its operation at Lovingston Health Care Center to a new facility in Albemarle County, the construction of which now is in process. The organization obtained a Certificate of Public Need from the Virginia Department of Health, and the move is to be concluded some time in 2015, Keane said.”
~Writes Katherine Lacaze of the Nelson County Times

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Road Map to Affordability

City of Alexandria

“It’s been years in the making, but City Hall finally has a plan for tackling one of Alexandria’s most daunting challenges: the dramatic loss of affordable housing in recent years.

The city saw more than 12,500 homes deemed affordable for those making 60 percent of the area’s median income disappear in a 12-year span. And hardest hit was Alexandria’s stock of housing for its most vulnerable: Homes attainable by those making just 30 percent of the region’s median wage dropped from 10,374 to just 454.

At the same time, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment shot up 71 percent, while the average assessed value for residential property more than doubled, from $191,341 to $449,411. The area median income jumped as well, up to $106,100 in 2011.

The sudden crunch has put city leaders on edge. During the run-up to the 2012 election, affordable housing — and how to save it from near-extinction in Alexandria — came up time and again.”
~Writes Derrick Perkins of the Alexandria Times

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Affordable Housing for Low and Moderate Income Reisdents

Fairfax County

Stacy Patterson, who serves as Fairfax County’s Public Information Officer said that in 2003 the Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) “’opened Gum Springs Glen, a 60-unit affordable independent living property. Last year the FCRHA provided a $3.9 million loan to a private developer for the acquisition, preservation, and rehabilitation of Mount Vernon House, a 130-unit affordable senior rental property. In addition to these properties, there are privately-owned senior housing properties in the Mount Vernon area. An example is Paul Spring Senior Housing, and there may be others.’”

~Writes Jerry Fill of The Connection

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Debate Over Residential Studio Units Continues

Fairfax County

“Fairfax County residents have yet to agree on the specifics of residential studio units and are continuing the debate on several aspects of the proposed amendment.

As of Jan. 6, the Planning Commission proposed amendment defines residential studios as efficiency units that make up a multiple-family residential building, or part of a building, in which 80 percent of the units must be for those who do not make more than 60 percent of the median income of the area. In the Washington, D.C. area, that is $45,000.

The Residential Studio Unit Amendment has also been amended to remove residential studio units from consideration in lower density R-E through R-8 districts, where single family detached homes are allowed.”
~Writes Janelle Germanos of The Connection

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ARHA Offers Seven Sites For Redevelopment

City of Alexandria

“The Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority today offered seven of its properties for redevelopment, beginning a process that will change Alexandria’s landscape. These seven sites include 546 of ARHA’s 1,150 assisted housing units, which are guaranteed by Alexandria City Council Resolution 830…

ARHA, in partnership with its affiliated development corporation, Virginia Housing Development, LLC, published part 1 of a 2-part Request for Proposals seeking responses from highly-qualified development partners to assist in the redevelopment of seven of these sites. Redevelopment of each site shall include all activities meant to deliver a built project that is the highest and best use of ARHA’s land assets and could include mixed-income, mixed-finance and/or mixed-use components.”
~Writes Carla Branch of Alexandria News

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