Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Contact: Mary Curtius 703-228-7943 (voice) 703-228-4611(TTY)
Arlington County Board Approves Views at Clarendon
Development will add affordable housing, preserve church and day care center
ARLINGTON, VA – The Arlington County Board today approved the Views at Clarendon, a mixed-use development that would add 116 apartments -- including 70 affordable units -- to a site within walking distance of the Clarendon Metro station, as well as preserve the First Baptist Church of Clarendon and its childcare center.
The Board’s action came after a lengthy public hearing, and reaffirms its October, 2004, approval of the proposed development. That approval was invalidated late last year when the Virginia Supreme Court found that the County Board violated its own Zoning Ordinance by rezoning the property in one step instead of two. The ruling was based on a technicality and did not address the substance of the Board's approval of the rezoning or site plan.
In related action, the Board also:
- Approved a technical change to the Zoning Ordinance to clarify the Board’s authority to modify height, density and tapering requirements in the Zoning Ordinance applied to specific site plans, when such modifications serve the public good.
- Approved an amendment of the General Land Use Plan designation from “Semi-Public” to “Medium Density Mixed-Use” for the northern portion of the block bordered by North Highland Street, North Hartford Street and 13th Street North in the Clarendon Metro station area.
- Approved a rezoning of the First Baptist Church of Clarendon property from “C-3” and “R-5” to “C-R” (Community Revitalization District).
The Board’s actions pave the way for the developer – the Views at Clarendon Corporation, Inc. -- to begin work on a development that would preserve the County’s largest childcare facility – now serving 185 children – and afford a rare opportunity to add affordable housing units within walking distance of a Metro station.
Background
The proposed Views at Clarendon mixed-use development was thoroughly examined during more than 16 citizen, commission and public meetings prior to today’s action by the Board.
The Board first approved this development on Oct. 23, 2004. At that time, the Board approved a General Land Use Plan (GLUP) amendment, a rezoning and a site plan application for a mixed-use church and multi-family residential building on the First Baptist Church site in Clarendon. The board rezoned the site from “C-3” and “R-5” to "C-R” and "R-5."
Shortly after the board acted, a lawsuit was filed regarding the project. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in September, 2006 that the County’s Zoning Ordinance precluded the Board from rezoning the “R-5” property to “C-R.”
The decision did not address the substance of the Board’s approval of the rezoning or the site plan for the Views at Clarendon. In response, the Board has made a technical adjustment to make explicit the Board’s authority under the Zoning Ordinance, and re-approved the site plan it approved in 2004.
Project-at-a-glance
Name of project
The Views of Clarendon
Developer
Views at Clarendon Corporation and the First Baptist Church of Clarendon
Units
116 rental units, including six units for persons with physical disabilities
Affordable units
20 family-sized units (14 two-bedroom; 6 three-bedroom) 28 one-bedroom units; 22 efficiencies
Building
10-story building; 8 floors of rental units above two-story church
Existing three-story educational building preserved
Community Benefits
- 70 units guaranteed at affordable rates (60 percent of area median income) for 60 years
- Continued operation of Arlington’s largest daycare center, located in immediate proximity to Metro Station and serving 185 children
- 21 U.S. Green Building Council LEED points
- Community meeting space for non-profits
- $19,600 contribution to County Utility Fund
- Tree survey, protection and replacement plans
- Transportation Demand Management Plan
- Preserves landmark 107-foot steeple
- Provision of meeting space in the church and education building, and the residential building, for non-profit organizations
- Improved streetscape along all site frontages
- $3,292 contribution to the Green Building fund
- Narrowing of 13th Street
Parking
120 underground spaces, accessible from N. Hartford Street
NOTE: Due to human error, the time this press release was issued (6:00 p.m.) was originally listed incorrectly as 12 noon. We have corrected the error and apologize for any inconvenience.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.