Arlington Mill In Process of Selecting Newest Suitor

Plans for a mixed use development set for 4975 Columbia Pike that couples the construction of a new Arlington Mill Community Center with a large mixed-income residential project have been brewing for several years now. Originally devised as a three story multipurpose center with several levels of residential units stacked on top, the now 5-story Community Center stands solo and starkly modern in its newest configuration; the residential building will be constructed separately on the adjacent land. In its inception the development was billed as a large public/private partnership, packaged as a singular entity. But fed up with the roller-coaster-like search for development partners, and having lost their most recent teammate in Edgemoor Real Estate (a subsidiary of Clark Construction) to the slow economy, Arlington County officials decided to press on with their publicly funded side of the development (the community center) while they issued yet another request for proposals for the residential half of the project.

The County steering committee and involved public officials held an open meeting last night at Walter Reed Community Center to unveil the latest redevelopment plans for the Community Center. Looking to make up for lost time, planners are moving forward aggressively with the intention of demolishing the current building in October, breaking ground in early 2011, and opening the doors of the new center in the spring of 2013. The public development team will meet with the Transportation Commission, the Planning Commission, then wrap up proceedings with a final Board hearing on September 28th. With plans finalized, a request for general contracting bids will soon follow.

One of the earlier site plans.

Although a construction team won't be selected until winter, architects at DCS Design (Davis Carter Scott) have already supplied the updated schematics. The boxy, glassy building brings a bold, urban flare to the Columbia Pike thoroughfare, but an aquatic inspired color scheme of light blues and greens give a calming sensibility to the imposing structure. The five stories will be stacked on top of two tiers of underground parking (140 spaces) and feature a full gymnasium (8,700 s.f.), an entire floor's worth of fitness center, a game room, visual arts studio, mini libraries, a career center, computer labs, and a variety of multipurpose classrooms, study rooms, and meeting rooms.

A County spokesperson explained that their strategy for the updated programing line-up was to create "one stop shopping for County services." The plethora (10) of multipurpose rooms, as well as several fixed classrooms and conference rooms, will provide flexibility for programing, especially as new relationships are built with nearby schools and libraries that may utilize the new space. The Community Center will be financed with general obligation bonds already sanctioned by County voters, most recently a $26 million bond authorized in November of 2006. Community members seemed supportive, but anxious about the dearth of details for the accompanying residential plan.

The Starry Night version

Arlington County issued a request for proposals earlier this summer, receiving several official plans before the early August deadline. When asked about the proportion of affordable housing going forward, Arlington Mill Steering Committee Chairwoman Linda LeDuc explained that "all six of the received proposals would at least meet the originally stipulated 61 units at 60% AMI. We accepted both mixed income plans," she clarified, "and entirely affordable housing propositions. But it's all kind of up in the air right now." For those who've been tuned in since the beginning, the project has come together at a snail's pace, but once a new developer is decided upon, the process should move more quickly. Officials are expecting the new development team to be poised and ready to apply for HUD's Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) by spring of next year.

Because previous plans have already been approved for a 2-5 story residential building, and because the site is to be developed to Form Based Code as part of the Columbia Pike Special Revitalization District, the normally grueling planning process should be quicker and less painful. Financing and other details will of course remain obstacles, and so no time line has been issued. Vetting of submitted proposals will take place throughout the fall, and additional information will likely be provided as the County irons out their more immediately plans for the Community Center.

Arlington Real Estate Development News

Edgemoor Edges Toward Expansion

Back in the first year of the 43rd President, Armont Development Corporation applied for a zoning change to build a 12-unit residential and 9,000-s.f. office building which would share a 38-unit garage on a 28,000 s.f. site in Bethesda. The application for Edgemoor At Arlington North, at 7425 Arlington Road, was granted, but Armont sat on the site for the past seven years. A short time ago and one real estate cycle later, Armont saw an opportunity to acquire nearly 10,000 s.f. of adjacent land to increase the size and scope of the project - the development firm acquired the land and needs to rezone it for an expanded development.

Armont seeks to amend the development plan to include the new property, to build a 31 unit residential building with 50 underground parking spaces, and has abandoned the idea of mixing office space into the plans. Montgomery National Capital Parks and Planning Commission reviewed the new plan today at their Planning Board meeting; the staff has recommended approval.

Back in January, Armont staffers met with residents of the area to discuss their concerns and issues. The Planning Department recognized that "[i]t appears that the two sides were not able to reach a mutual agreement...although some initiatives in the applicant part were recognized as positive steps." Community members had issues with the building's height, its proximity to neighboring townhouses and its massing and density (other than that everything was fine). In light of the opposition, Armont withdrew its application for a 57-foot structure, scaling it back to 48 feet.

The next step for Armont takes place in the office of Montgomery County's Hearing Examiner, Françoise Carrier, who will hold a public hearing on March 7th. Once the Hearing Examiner submits her findings to the County Council, all concerned parties have 10 days to submit their respective arguments to the Council, which will then decide whether or not the arguments are worth hearing.

The Edgemoor would sit four blocks from the Bethesda Metro station on the red line, fronting Arlington Road for more than 200 feet and Montgomery Lane for 100 feet. The adjacent property that Armont is seeking to have rezoned is a slice of land to the north of their ready-to-be-developed chunk, betwixt Arlington Road, Montgomery Lane and W Lane. The expansion portion is currently zoned R-60, but needs a TS-R Zoning District to be able to house the type of project Armont is planning. In Maryland, land can only be zoned TS-R "in areas where multi-family residential development is recommended by the Sector Plan and where it will encourage use of transit stations." Edgemoor at Arlington North - 1,200 feet from the red line - would seem to meet that criteria.

The total building will add 69,000 s.f. of space, providing 31, one, two and three-bedroom units, along with 3,000 s.f. of public space and 5,000 s.f. of recreation space; 12% of the units will be designated affordable housing. Along with the normal amenities like open space, etc., Armont will upgrade the pedestrian crosswalks at Arlington Road and Montgomery Lane because, as the Planning Department's staff report indicates, "Area residents have found that vehicles cannot be relied on to stop for pedestrians, despite a painted crosswalk."

Because Arlington Road is a transitional urban area (and a fantastic Tim Robbins flick), the Community Based Planning Staff laid out guidelines in the Sector Plan for "townhouse style and scale" developments for the area. Armont complied, the building will measure 35 feet from Arlington Road, and stepping back from the main road will grade up to 48 feet to reduce visual massing. Planning Board staff recommended approval in a memorandum dated February 15, and will hear public concerns on March 5.

Bethesda real estate development news