City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 5, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Second Predevelopment Loan of $500,000 to the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation for its Arlandria-Chirilagua Affordable Housing Development.
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ISSUE: Second tranche of predevelopment loan funding for the 480-unit (approximate) affordable housing Arlandria-Chirilagua project.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve additional investment of City predevelopment funds with a second $500,000 loan to the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) for its planned 480-unit Arlandria-Chirilagua project.
BACKGROUND: On September 8, 2020, City Council approved a $500,000 predevelopment loan to AHDC to help it advance a proposal for a 375-unit affordable housing-mixed use project at the former Safeway site located at the intersection of West Glebe and Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria-Chirilagua. With City funds and its own monies, AHDC and its development team have progressed the project through a Concept 2 submission and have engaged in substantial community engagement, including planning for the housing unit mix and affordability levels in consultation with Tenant and Workers United (TWU) and other neighborhood stakeholders, as well as draft housing recommendations generated through the Arlandria-Chirilagua planning process.
Feedback regarding the proposed project has been generally very positive, with community members urging AHDC and the City to create as much deeply affordable housing as feasible, as well as encouraging the proposed use of commercial space for community-serving retail, healthcare, childcare and other City and nonprofit social services. AHDC's mid-April presentations to the community are attached (Attachments 1 and 2). AHDC staff presented the d...
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