Financing Closed; Construction to Begin soon

Decades ago, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) purchased the former Woodley-Nightingale Mobile Home Park, on Richmond Highway in the Mount Vernon District, with the intent to bring high-quality, affordable homes to the area. The work began with the development of the Woodley Hills Estates mobile home community on the south side of Dart Drive. Now, after years of discussions, planning and community engagement, work is set to begin, through a public-private partnership, to complete the transformation of the remaining 33 acres into a mixed-income, affordable and market rate housing community comprised of multifamily and senior rental apartments and for-sale townhomes, and a new park. 

“The development of the North Hill site is a game-changer.  It will bring much-needed affordable and market rate housing to Richmond Highway and support the area’s overall revitalization effort. With its mix of affordable rental housing for families and seniors, market-rate for-sale townhomes, and a new park, North Hill represents our strong commitment to inclusive development as we revitalize the Corridor.”

Supervisor Dan Storck
Mount Vernon District

The FCRHA’s affordable housing development partner on the project is CHPPENN, LLC.  The FCRHA selected the developer through the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act, which is a competitive selection process. The CHPPENN, LLC team is a partnership between the Virginia-based Community Housing Partners and Pennrose, a Philadelphia-based developer.    

 “The North Hill development will not only revitalize the Richmond Highway area in Fairfax County, it will also be a wonderful example of a truly inclusive, mixed-income community with both affordable and market-rate housing. Community Housing Partners is excited to bring our experience with affordable rental housing to this dedicated team of professionals.”

David Schultz, Senior Vice President
CHP Real Estate Development

"Pennrose is pleased to work with the stakeholders of the North Hill development team to bring the FCRHA's vision for the site to fruition. We look forward to getting started on the construction of this mix-income development for families and seniors."

Ivy Dench-Carter, Regional Vice President
Pennrose

The multifamily portion of the development will consist of five four-story buildings that front Richmond Highway. The buildings will include 216 affordable multifamily apartments and an additional 63 units of affordable independent living for older adults. The 175 market-rate townhomes will be built along Dart Drive. A 12-acre public park will be included to the east of the apartments and the north of the townhomes, and a public plaza will be built on the corner of Dart Drive and Richmond Highway.

“North Hill demonstrates the epitome of common-sense projects – and our commitment to One Fairfax. Here, our housing authority and our private-sector partners are taking a significant amount of vacant, underutilized land and transforming it into a beautiful neighborhood to bring stability, security, opportunity and accessibility to hundreds of our neighbors in need. This project is the product of years of community engagement and preparation and is reflective of the care and consideration of a wide variety of community interests.”

Chairman Jeffrey McKay
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

The FCRHA has made significant contributions to the multifamily/senior affordable housing project – one of the largest ever at 279 units of affordable housing and a cost of $124 million. In addition to contributing 12 acres for use as a park and another 8 acres for the site of the buildings, the FCRHA’s contributions have included awarding 68 federal project-based vouchers and $4.4 million in local dollars for the affordable housing development – or about $16,000 per apartment.

“This is a transformative project for the Richmond Highway corridor, and a very proud moment for the FCRHA.  Putting together the financing to pursue a project of this magnitude is always an exercise in creativity, ingenuity and resilience. Thanks to our dedicated staff at the Department of Housing and Community Development and the county, and to the cooperation and commitment of our partners to a common objective, we are excited to be in a position to proceed with a major keystone project that will serve for years to come as a catalyst for the future development of this area of the Route One corridor.”

Chairman Robert Schwaninger
Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority
 

Project Timeline

The construction of multifamily component of the North Hill project is scheduled to begin as early as mid-June 2020. The multifamily project is estimated to require 27 months to complete with anticipated occupancy in the fall 2022. A general timeline is as follows:

• Begin Project Staging and Grading: Summer 2020
• Begin Building Pads: Fall 2020
• Building Construction: Fall 2020 – Summer 2022
• Project Closeout and Occupancy: Fall 2022
   

Questions & Project Resources

Project updates, public meeting announcements, presentations and more will be available throughout the construction of the project on the project website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/housing/community-development/north-hill. 

Those interested in receiving periodic updates and announcements via email may also subscribe to the North Hill Housing Project listserv. To do so, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mailinglist/ and follow the instructions on the site to subscribe.

Questions may be directed via email to NorthHillHousingProject@fairfaxcounty.gov.