Photos by AHC and ULI Washington
September 12, 2024
Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC) is taking an innovative approach to re-envisioning one of its older apartment communities, with a focus on improving residents' lives and increasing affordable housing in the region.
AHC partnered with ULI Washington, the local district council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), to explore a comprehensive vision for the Serrano Apartments in Arlington, Virginia, using ULI’s Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) process. After community discussions, stakeholder roundtables, and panel meetings, the TAP produced a set of recommendations for reimagining the buildings and surrounding property and presented them to AHC and the community on September 5.
“We’re proud to collaborate with ULI and the TAP as we explore opportunities to further improve resident experience at the Serrano,” Paul Bernard, AHC President & CEO, said. “The unbiased, expert advice and specific recommendations will help guide our long-term planning for the Serrano.”
AHC acquired the Serrano in 2014 with the support of Arlington County. The community, located along Columbia Pike in Arlington, includes 280 apartments, the majority of which are affordable to individuals and families earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
AHC has made many improvements to the community throughout the years and charged the TAP to make recommendations in line with AHC’s Strategic Plan. AHC advised the TAP that recommended improvements should also minimize the disruption to residents during any redevelopment process.
“AHC’s driving goal is to prevent long-term displacement of existing residents,” Jennifer Endo, Vice President of Community Relations at AHC, said.
The TAP consists of 10 regional experts convened by ULI who focus on specific questions in a concentrated, two-day effort that results in a presentation and final report. A Community Impact Grant from Virginia Housing helped make the project possible.
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Develop a comprehensive vision for the Serrano that aligns with the goals in AHC’s Strategic Plan |
Develop a process, identify capital, and reimagine the current site for a successful long-term repositioning |
Leverage capital to maximize positive impacts for Serrano residents |
The TAP panelists came from different disciplines, including development, urban planning and placemaking, architecture, and finance. These ULI members volunteered their time and expertise to provide neutral, third-party advice and specific actionable recommendations.
During the two-day process, the expert panelists met with residents, neighbors, County staff, community advocates, AHC staff, and other stakeholders to inform their recommendations.
“You—the residents—are primary and the most important in all of the recommendations and ideas that we will present,” Daniel Cunningham, Executive Director of Community Preservation Trust and Panel Chair, said.
The panel focused on four key areas — placemaking, design, capital, and regional integration. Because of the large hill at the front of the community, there are added challenges to design and community connection.
The TAP’s proposed vision for the Serrano community includes three new buildings, increasing density to 535 apartments, new green and gathering spaces, enhanced security, more efficient parking, and improved connectivity to Columbia Pike and within the community. The TAP asserted that a financially viable long-term strategy for Serrano had to include at least partial redevelopment over ongoing rehabilitation because rehab costs will continue to escalate over the remaining lifespan of the current buildings.
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Proposed Phase 1: Build 140 new residential apartments on top of a newly constructed fire station at the front of the property through a public-private partnership with Arlington County (Note: Arlington County’s capital improvement plan calls for a fire station on the west end of Columbia Pike and Arlington County). This building could provide a convenient, nearby relocation space for residents during future redevelopment phases. |
Proposed Phase 2: Build a new 6-story building with ~175 apartments, onsite structured parking, and amenities like a pool and community space. |
Proposed Phase 3: Construct a new building, or renovate the existing building, to create a 6-story, 220-unit building with additional amenities, including a second pool and community spaces. |
An important aspect of the vision is a strong partnership between AHC and Arlington County, especially in Phase 1. This early partnership would allow for increased density in the community, adding 140 new apartments and providing a space for residents to relocate during other phases.
The TAP emphasized the flexibility of its proposed plan as AHC evaluates the best path forward. For example, the large apartment sizes at the Serrano are very important to residents. The TAP recommended AHC evaluate options for keeping some larger apartment sizes in the redevelopment plan.
Another key recommendation is to use precast parking garages for each building to better leverage the space, as the land is too valuable for surface parking and underground parking is very expensive.
The proposed plan allows for opportunities for mixed-use development, improved walkability, gathering spaces for community events, and possible onsite homeownership to support a holistic neighborhood view and enhanced resident experience.
The vision centers on a mixed-use joint development partnership with Arlington County. The TAP recommended the County quickly finalize its plans for the fire station so that future redevelopment, preservation, and expansion of affordable housing can move forward.
The TAP will provide a full report of its recommendations later this year. As a next step, AHC will explore capital sources, including Impact Housing Investment Funds, explore the feasibility of the TAP’s proposed developments, and update the plans based on findings and current capital markets.
“We’re committed to improving resident experience going forward,” Bernard said. “That means keeping up with needed short-term capital improvements and maintenance while we plan long-term redevelopment.”
AHC will continue to engage residents as it moves forward with improving the Serrano community.
The TAP was a valuable collaboration, and AHC is grateful for the panelists' dedication to helping reimagine the Serrano community with the input of residents and other key community stakeholders.
“What I like about this is it expands our thinking,” Bernard said. “We still have a lot of work to do and conversations to have with the community. I see this as just the beginning.”