Our Development Plans

The Views at Clarendon - Updated March 2007
Click here for FAQ .PDF

Our project was approved by the Arlington County Board on February 24, 2007. Thanks to all who offered their support.

The proposed project remains the same as approved by the County Board in October 2004 -- 116 apartments, including 70 affordable units only one half block from the Clarendon Metro. The height and design of the proposed new building remain the same as negotiated after 17 public hearings on this project, as well numerous presentations to all of the interested neighborhood associations and several mediation sessions with Lyon Village that were sponsored by St. Charles. The project has also received as Smart Growth award.

(The Views at Clarendon, Arlington, Virginia, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing The SGA also recognized the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) a second time for a proposal to develop mixed-income housing one-half block from the Clarendon Metrorail station. The First Baptist Church of Clarendon currently occupies the site. The church and administrative offices will be on the bottom two floors with the housing built above. The historic church steeple will be preserved in front. "We are very pleased to receive recognition from the Smart Growth Alliance for a second time,” said Douglas Peterson, executive director of the APAH. He continued, “As housing prices continue to spike higher in the Washington region, affordable housing development becomes ever more challenging. This mixed-income project will provide sorely needed affordable housing in Arlington within a half block of Metro.")

This project was set back by a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that the County Board had misinterpreted its own ordinance to permit rezoning of the church's site to CR. The Board has proposed to amend its CR ordinance "for use in the vicinity of the metrorail stations on property designated 'medium density mixed-use' on the General Land Use Plan." (See page 9 of the County's staff report on the project at http://www.co.arlington.va.us/Departments/CountyBoard/meetings/2007/jan/jan27/29.pdf).

This will permit the County Board to consider the rezoning of only a few sites in the Clarendon-Virginia Square corridor, including the church's site, but only after the usual public hearing process.

This project offers Arlington County its first significant new block of affordable apartments in Clarendon and the first committed affordable housing project next to a Metrorail station. The site plan proposal also would allow the church to remain a landmark in Clarendon with its steeple facing the Metro station and to retain its active urban ministry, including the County's largest child day care center, while providing an innovative way to meet the County's number one housing priority -- to provide opportunities for affordable housing and maintain the diversity that has characterized our community for so many years.

The residential project will offer:

- 70 affordable apartments with off-street parking
- 46 market rate apartments with off-street parking
- a mix of efficiencies, one, two and three bedroom apartments
- 6 of apartments will be 100% accessible
- 6 of the affordable units will be offered to families under 50% AMI
- up to 5 units may be made available to meet the County supportive housing program

The building design was finalized in October 2004, including:

- mixed use design consistent with goals for the Clarendon community
- a green building LEED score of 21
- a Class A apartment building, not a "luxury" project like other nearby projects
- reduction in height to 96.5 feet (with 8 residential floors) facing Wilson Boulevard
- retention of existing 3-story Educational Building as a buffer to the Lyon Village community
- increase in the affordable units and a reduction in the space for the church
- improved set-back and tapering of the building away from the residential community
- improvements to streetscapes, sidewalks and crosswalks
- heights lower than other recently-approved projects adjacent to residential neighbors

The site plan will also retain space for:

- 5 current congregations (including Spanish, Vietnamese and Ethiopian)
- 180-child day care center
- meeting space for the Clarendon community
- a on-site seminary for part-time students

Background for our Affordable Housing Project- In 2003, The First Baptist Church of Clarendon (FBCC) began planning efforts to rebuild our church to include an affordable housing component at the heart of Clarendon's "Urban Village." The County Board approved the site plan proposal at its meeting on October 23, 2004. We appreciated the support many in the County gave us for our project. We were excited about moving forward with these plans.

The development of affordable housing is an important new ministry for FBCC, and an innovative way for the Church's expanding urban ministry to grow to meet community needs.

Arlington's widely recognized affordable housing crisis has become even more severe in recent years as local real estate and development costs have further soared, causing many working families to face exorbitant rent increases, or expensive condo conversions, or displacement, as Arlington becomes a "luxury" market. As a result, more than 5,000 affordable units have been lost. For the past several years the creation of new affordable housing has been cited as the County's number one priority by this community's elected leaders who understand that the lack of affordable housing has potentially serious social and economic consequences that threaten Arlington's long tradition of diversity as well as the community's future economic viability. Currently, many workers who support Arlington's service and hospitality sectors, who are the backbone of local businesses, or who serve as teachers, firefighters, and nurses simply can't find housing they can afford in Arlington, so they must either choose to commute in from long distances or to seek employment in outlying areas where they can afford to live.

FBCC's redevelopment proposal is based on Smart Growth principles, appropriately maximizing its metro-corridor site's density and use. By drawing on equity accrued in property it has occupied for more than ninety-five years, the Church plans to build a much smaller, accessible worship and administrative facility that will form the base for a multistory residential structure above. This Class-A apartment building will contain 116 units, including 70 units affordable for individuals and families with household incomes up to $35,000 to $50,000 per year. The affordable units will include a mix of efficiencies, one, two and three bedroom apartments, and a substantial number of units will be visitable and/or accessible for persons with disabilities or special needs.

The project is ½ block from Metro and is close to shopping and community services, making it an ideal location for FBCC's mixed-use, mixed income proposal. The attractive elements of the building's design and planned streetscape improvements will complement and enhance nearby revitalization and redevelopment initiatives, while continuing to provide an appropriate transition of uses into the neighboring community. Other key parts of the redevelopment proposal are:

The retention of the low-rise education building, which houses Arlington's largest private daycare program, with more than 185 children enrolled, as well as buffering the residential neighborhood to the rear.
The preservation of the steeple (a familiar Clarendon icon)

For more information, please go to the links below.

Cover Sheet

Church Main Floor Plan

Church Mezzanine Floor Plan

Residential Floor Plans

View from Festival St

Highland Streetscape

Views Housing Plan Summary