Agreement To Save Affordable Apartments

Arlington Reaches Preliminary Deal

Arlington County officials have reached a preliminary agreement with a developer to preserve and revamp a portion of Buckingham Village, a decades-old apartment complex that is home to many low-income and immigrant tenants.

The low-slung brick apartments in North Arlington had been headed for demolition under a proposal by Paradigm Development Co., co-owner of the complex, to replace the aging buildings with upscale townhouses and apartments. But housing activists and historic preservationists fought the plan, saying it would displace hundreds of low-income families and would mean the destruction of historic buildings.

After a series of meetings and a rally that attracted more than 100 tenants and housing advocates, county officials late Tuesday approved a compromise, which they hope will produce a neighborhood with some of the existing buildings -- spruced up and rented as affordable apartments -- and a mix of new apartments and luxury townhouses.

"I think it's a good compromise, but it's still a compromise," said Arlington County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman (D). "We're giving up some things I'd rather not be giving up. But I think it's the best deal we could hope to achieve, and it's a much better situation than we were in months ago."

Details of the project, including financing, must be hashed out in coming months. But the preliminary plan calls for buildings in one section of the complex to be gutted, renovated and rented as 140 affordable units. Two other sections would be razed and replaced with high-end townhouses -- with price tags in the $700,000 range -- and apartments.

At least 300 affordable units would be included in the complex or surrounding neighborhood. The county would kick in an estimated $16 million or more toward construction of those units, according to spokeswoman Mary Curtius.

In addition, the county would drop plans to designate the area a historic site, a move that would have helped protect the buildings but would not guarantee that any would remain affordable.

Both sides agreed to a March deadline for a detailed redevelopment plan. If it falls through, county officials said, they would reconsider designating the area a historic site.

"It's a framework and a way to move forward," said Kathleen McSweeney, a member of the Save Buckingham Coalition who lives near the complex. "I'm cautiously optimistic. The goal is that most of the tenants who live there now would be able to stay."

Stanley W. Sloter, Paradigm's president, said coming to a consensus was a long and difficult process. Many activists and officials wanted to preserve the entire complex. But from a business standpoint, he said, it makes more sense to tear down the old buildings than to renovate.

"Getting everybody to focus on this conceptual compromise was really the hard part," Sloter said. "It's a good agreement for everybody, although it's not what anyone would have chosen all on their own."

The emotional battle over Buckingham Village, off North George Mason Drive, began this year when hundreds of tenants were told they were being evicted. County officials and advocates, citing the diminishing supply of affordable housing in Arlington, also said they were concerned about the proposed development.

"It's one of our goals to make sure our community is inclusive and provide housing for people at every income level," Zimmerman said.

The Buckingham complex, which originally had more than 1,800 apartments, was designed by noted urban architect Henry Wright. Over the years, portions of the complex changed hands. In the early 1990s, the county designated what is now the Gates of Arlington and Historic Ballston as a historic district.