Making an Affordable Home at the Frederick at Courthouse

For Apartments section feature on the Frederick at Courthouse in Arlington.The trellised walkway runs between the Frederick and Woodbury Park. The Frederick is the second of the two highrises in this photo (not the near balconies, but the rear one). Woodbury Park runs along both buildings. The near highrise is also owned by AHC but is market rate (Susan Straight -- Ftwp)

AHC received a flood of responses when it opened the building to prospective residents. "As soon as we started opening by floor, we filled up the whole building within four months," said Celia Slater, communications manager for AHC.

The Frederick is designated affordable housing; all of its residents have to qualify based on income levels. All households must make 60 percent or less of the area's median income, which translates to $41,340 for a single person or $59,040 for a family of four. In reality, many earn far less. Out of 108 units, 41 receive Section 8 federal housing assistance, which means they make 30 percent or less of the area's median income.

That income would normally not be enough even for an apartment farther out, let alone within walking distance of the Courthouse Metro station, one of the region's most popular and expensive neighborhoods. Many of the neighborhood's less expensive buildings along Route 50 have disappeared in recent years, replaced by condominiums and other high-priced housing.

"This whole area is changing so rapidly," Slater said. Across the street from the Frederick, for example, a complex of four-story luxury townhouses is under construction. And just beyond them, a number of high-rise buildings are either under construction or recently completed.

Living in a high-rise was new for Vital Peña, whose husband, Ramiro Peña, is the maintenance manager at the Frederick. She, her husband and their three children, Ramiro, 11, Karina, 6, and Diana, 16 months, all moved from Woodbury Park. She noted that one of the major differences between her two apartments is that the windows at Woodbury Park looked out in three directions, while at the Frederick there's a view in just one direction. "I was happy there, but it was too small for us," she said.

She was thrilled to move. "I was really excited. We're pretty much low-income, so I was excited to qualify for something brand new. So much space," she said of her three-bedroom, 2 1/2 -bathroom unit.

She also likes the nearby park, Rocky Run Park, along North Barton Street, which has a soccer field, basketball court, playground and picnic area with grills. "We can have a grill over there. It's really huge and convenient," she said.

Zanab Farooq, 8, is also a fan of the park. "The playground is really good. And close," she said. Zanab lives with her sister, Aisha, and their father, Mohammad, who came from Pakistan 15 years ago. They moved into the Frederick in October.

Mohammad Farooq said: "I like this [building's] maintenance. They give you excellent service. The staff is very excellent. I'm very satisfied. It's very clean -- the whole building."