Courthouse Crossings Refurbishes While Keeping Rents Down

Susana and Salvador Raya are grateful for their playground and swimming pool -- a rare find for an affordable housing community.

Susana Raya spotted Courthouse Crossings while driving by. It is much cleaner and safer than their old building, she said.

The newly renovated building, three blocks east of Arlington's courthouse, was the first Arlington County property financed with low-income-housing tax credits in 1989. It was also the first project by the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. Under terms of a 15-year plan, the partnership bought the property in 2006 from Paradigm and has undertaken major renovations. When the remaining two of the five buildings in the complex are complete, the property will then exclusively be for households making 40 to 60 percent of the area's median income.

When the partnership bought the property, all residents had to requalify for their units. But for those under the income limits, the discounted rent is attractive. Two-bedroom apartments that went for $1,725 to $1,825 now rent for $754 to $1,179. The renovations, which the partnership completed while lowering rents on most units, included new windows, kitchen cabinets, flooring, counters, appliances, roofs, plumbing lines, mechanical systems and stairwells. Despite the noise and relocations, 40 of the 44 qualifying residents opted to stay.

In terms of the way the property was run last year and the way it's run under new ownership, there is little difference, said Ken Short, the building's property manager.

The building's former owner, Paradigm, continues to manage the property. "We may not have the same amenities" as a higher-end property, but "we run it the same way."

The proximity to the Court House Metro station -- just a five-minute walk -- and the amenities, plus the general demand for affordable housing in Arlington County, help explain why Paradigm keeps a wait list and can easily fill apartments as they come available. "The issue typically is not renting units, it's qualifying people," Short said. That typically takes 10 days, but it can take longer, depending on cooperation from financial institutions and the applicants in providing information. The governmental process to qualify for affordable housing is "incredibly invasive," Short said. "Some people are less comfortable with it."

Eric and Lindsay Richards moved into Courthouse Crossings in August 2004 when they moved from Salt Lake City for Eric to start medical school at Georgetown University. "We found it online. It was just one of many that came up. It was in our price range because we were going to be poor students," he said.

Eric Richards described getting approved as "a really painful process" but said it was well worth it. He and his wife feel fortunate, he said, to have a newly renovated apartment in a safe and accessible area. They pay $1,100 a month for their two-bedroom, two-bath unit. "It's half the market price," Eric said. The couple's 18-month-old daughter has her own room.

"It's a safe area, right next to Clarendon and Court House. There's a ton of restaurants. Lots of stuff to do, lots of nightlife," Eric Richards said. There is also a shuttle that takes him to Georgetown.

The Richardses' list of complaints is short: They wish that there were laundry machines in the units and that parking were easier.

An abundance of two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments at the property has attracted other families, including the Rayas, who have lived in a two-bedroom, two-bath unit with their two children for three years. And now that they don't have to move anymore to accommodate the renovations, "it is just perfect," Susana Raya said.