Tag: housing
Winter facilities needed to prevent hypothermia among the homeless
The approaching cold-weather season might be dismal and unpleasant for a lot of us, but it’s life-threatening for the area’s growing homeless population. During the winter, the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, as part of the Fairfax County Hypothermia Prevention Program, works with a network of religious facilities to provide the homeless with a warm place … Continued
Planning Commission work session addresses residents’ concerns on RSUs
New Hope Housing’s newly renovated Mondloch Place in Alexandria is considered a model for RSUs. It provides 24 efficiency apartments to people transitioning out of long-term homelessness. Several members of the Fairfax County Planning Commission indicated the rules for residential studio units (RSUs) should be tightened to protect low-density neighborhoods—a major concern of the Mason … Continued
Board of Supervisors postpones Planning Commission hearing on RSUs
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed to defer the Planning Commission‘s Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposal to amend the zoning ordinance to allow residential studio units (RSUs). That would provide more time for additional outreach to the community, said Chair Sharon Bulova. That motion, proposed by Bulova and Supervisor Michael Frey (Sully) … Continued
Fairfax Federation opposes studio units in neighborhoods zoned R-20 or less
The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations has taken a formal position opposing residential studio units (RSUs) in residential areas that are zoned for a density less than R-20. That action follows passage of a similar resolution by the Mason District Council of Community Associations (MDC) earlier this month. The MDC is urging local residents … Continued
Annandale home prices take a slight dip from a year ago
7219 Pine Drive, Annandale, is on the market for $770.900. The average price of homes sold in Annandale (zip code 22003) in August was $441,435, a 0.63 percent decline over August 2012, according to data from Real Estate Business Intelligence provided by Annandale realtor Vivianne Couts, of the Couts Group with Coldwell Banker. The median … Continued
Jeanne Simmons, age 96, refuses to vacate Hillwood Square home
Simmons “I don’t want to move,” says Jeanne Simmons, age 96, who is refusing to vacate her home of 57 years in Hillwood Square. A majority of owners of the cooperative complex in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County voted to sell the property to AvalonBay Communities Inc., which plans to develop 461 garden-style … Continued
Mason District Council calls for RSUs to be limited to high-density areas
A tiny apartment in Seattle. [Photo from the Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.] The Mason District Council (MDC) of Community Associations unanimously approved a resolution Sept. 9 calling for Fairfax County to prohibit residential studio units (RSUs) in low-density residential neighborhoods. RSUs are zero-bedroom efficiency apartments no larger than 500 square feet. The county is proposing that … Continued
Affordable housing advocates promoting residential studio units
Community leaders oppose studio units in single-family neighborhoods already plagued by overcrowded houses. Discussions here about Fairfax County’s proposal for a new zoning category to allow “residential studio units” (RSUs) have mainly focused on the potentially deleterious effect on stable residential neighborhoods. Yet there’s another side to the issue. Advocates for affordable housing have been … Continued
Efficiency units could destabilze neighborhoods, community leaders warn
A tiny studio apartment in San Francisco. [Photo from USA Today.] Civic association leaders are concerned that a Fairfax County proposal to create a new zoning category allowing tiny efficiency apartments could destroy the character of older, residential neighborhoods, especially in places like the Annandale/Mason area where overcrowding is already a problem. The Fairfax County … Continued
Developer cuts off water to 96-year-old homeowner who refused buyout
Jeanne Simmons After AvalonBay purchased the Hillwood Square community in Falls Church earlier this year, all the residents met the Aug. 23 move-out deadline—except for one. The remaining holdout is Jeanne Simmons, a 96-year-old former teacher who has lived in the development for 57 years. On Aug. 28, the developer gave Simmons a five-day notice … Continued
Annandale home prices up 14 percent over this time last year
This five-bedroom house on Chanel Road in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in Annandale is listed at $750,000. The average price of homes sold in Annandale (zip code 22003) in July was $469,638, a 14 percent increase over June 2012, according to data provided by Annandale realtor Vivianne Couts, of the Couts Group with Coldwell Banker. … Continued
Seven Corners property owners consider redevelopment potential
The Seven Corners Shopping Center used to be an enclosed mall. The Seven Corners Land Use and Transportation Task Force has some pretty ambitious plans for turning the aging commercial crossroads into a higher-density, walkable hub with a mix of more upscale housing, retail, and office structures. But will the Seven Corners property owners be … Continued
Man charged with setting fires in dumpsters at Kingsley Commons
Kingsley Commons [photo from the development’s Facebook page.] Fire investigators from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department charged Carlos Cruz Ortiz, 20, of no fixed address, with setting seven fires in dumpsters during the weekend at the Kingsley Commons townhouse complex on Monticello Drive and Arlington Boulevard in the Falls Church Area of Fairfax … Continued
Fairfax County to consider allowing tiny studio apartments
An example of a residential studio apartment from a video by USA Today. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed last week to consider a new zoning category to allow tiny apartments, known as “residential studio units.” These single-person units, with about 500 square feet, would be aimed at lower-income people, including the elderly, students, … Continued
Public housing tenant stuck in apartment with toxic mold
Rosedale Manor is on Spring Lane in Bailey’s Crossroads. Linda Pelligrino has been sickened by the toxic mold that has contaminated her apartment in the Rosedale Manor complex in Bailey’s Crossroads but can’t get the Fairfax County Housing Department to fix the problem or move her to another unit. The complex is in the Public … Continued