BACKGROUND: The Buckingham Villages 1, 2 and 3 were acquired in the early 1990s by a partnership that now includes the Paradigm Companies and UBS. Early in 2006, the owners determined that renovation of the property was not economically feasible and proposed the redevelopment of the entire site that would have resulted in the demolition of all 456 affordable housing units, with the removal of all the existing historic buildings and a majority of the historic landscaping and trees. The initial site plan filing included a redevelopment proposal for Villages 1 and 3 that proposed 726 residential units, and Village 2 was proposed to be redeveloped by right with 69 residential units. The combined site plan proposal and by-right development could have resulted in up to 212 affordable rental units (and that only after making a couple of "concessions" to the County), but no guarantee of preserving the existing tenant community or the historic buildings and open spaces.

On July 11, 2006, the County Board entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Paradigm Development Corporation to participate in a process that results in a redevelopment plan for Villages 1, 2 and 3 in the Buckingham community. The redevelopment plan will attempt to address four (4) objectives:

o Preservation of as much affordable housing as possible within Buckingham Villages 1, 2 and 3 or in the immediate neighborhood, including Ballston Park; with a goal of no less than 300 committed affordable units;

o The ability of people who currently live in Buckingham Villages 1, 2 and 3 to continue to live in Buckingham Villages or in the immediate neighborhood, including Ballston Park;

o The historic preservation of Buckingham Village 3 and historically sensitive redevelopment of the other Villages 1 and 2; and,

o The incorporation of land values that approximate what could be achieved under by-right development.

Paradigm, the County and the community agreed to work for the period of the MOU (between then and March 1, 2007) in a good faith effort to craft a redevelopment plan that meets the above objectives.

COMMUNITY PROCESS: Since approval of the MOU, a Buckingham Villages review process was developed and implemented consistent with the objectives of the MOU. The review process coordinates and integrates three (3) planning elements related to the proposed redevelopment:

1. Community Preservation Plan – ensures that current residents of Buckingham Villages have an opportunity to remain in the Buckingham area regardless of the redevelopment plan and that current and future residents of the Buckingham area actually have places to live at affordable rents.

2. Historic Preservation Plan – preserves and designates Village 3 and ensures that Village 1 redevelopment plans are sensitive to the historic context of the larger Buckingham Historic District.

3. Redevelopment Site Plan – pulls together all of the above into an economically viable redevelopment project.

To accomplish the coordination and integration of the plans, two (2) citizen review groups are being used – the (SPRC) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The HALRB is incorporated into the membership of both committees. Both committees also include tenant and community participation and draw from other County Commissions and stakeholder groups. The chairs of all three (3) groups (SPRC, CPC and HALRB) meet at least monthly with the County Manager.

The roles of the three (3) groups are as follows:

1. Site Plan Review Committee: The SPRC will play its normal role in the coordination and review of the site plan proposal. It will meet its normal obligation to bring the full range of stakeholders into the process, including the variety of other commissions that may have an interest in the proposal. It will work in close coordination with the CPC, whose work will be incorporated into the redevelopment site plan. Among the important distinctions of this site plan review process for Buckingham Villages are:

a. A determination by SPRC as to whether the redevelopment proposal meets the priorities and objectives of the MOU;

b. The need to coordinate closely with the parallel processes related to the other planning elements (community preservation, affordable housing and historic preservation); and,

c. Incorporation of specific participation guidance provided by the County Board, especially related to tenant involvement.

2. Community Preservation Committee (CPC): This is a new entity created specifically to develop and coordinate the community preservation and affordable housing plans. This effort is led by the Housing Commission and the Tenant/Landlord Commission with tenant and community participation. The charge to the Committee is to develop integrated housing and relocation plans that achieve the objectives of the MOU. The work of the Committee also includes exploration of cooperative housing and the acquisition of affordable units in adjacent apartment complexes. The work of the Committee is being done in coordination with the SPRC, since its work will ultimately be incorporated into the redevelopment site plan.

3. Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB): The role of the HALRB is integral to the work of both committees. Regarding the SPRC, the HALRB will provide advice and guidance on how to ensure that the overall redevelopment plan is sensitive to the larger historic district within which it sits. Regarding the CPC, the HALRB provides advice and guidance specifically on the historic designation and preservation of Village 3 as committed affordable housing. This includes the appropriateness of building expansion ("bump outs") and infill development. The HALRB will also be responsible for granting a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) for the proposed rehabilitation and new additions in Village 3, which, according to the MOU, will be designated a local historic district. In addition, the HALRB will also actively participate in both the SPRC and CPC processes through active membership.

The site plan has been revised numerous times and the various committees have given input. Village 2 has been demolished and the by-right building of townhouses is progressing.

Village 1: On Village 1, the proposed site plan would demolish and replace the existing 2-story, 232-unit apartment complex with two multi-family developments and a townhouse development. A five-story apartment building containing 152 units would be located adjacent to the site’s southwestern property line shared with the Culpepper Garden elderly residential facility. A single-level garage which is located partially above grade would service the building, providing 181 parking spaces. An additional 11 parking spaces serving the development would be located on 3rd Street extended. A four-story apartment building containing 375 units would be located adjacent to the site’s George Mason and Pershing Drive frontages. The building would be designed to frame a four-story above-grade garage structure containing 405 parking spaces. A 64-unit townhouse development would be located at the northeast end of the site, adjacent to the George Mason Drive and North Henderson Road frontages. Each unit would contain a 2-car garage and there would also be 20 visitor parking spaces.

Village 3: The existing 140-unit apartment complex would be retained as affordable units and the committees are investigating cooperative or condo ownership by the tenants. They would be renovated to include "bump-outs" to expand the number of bedrooms in some of the units, and making some of them two-story duplexes, incorporating the basement level, is being investigated.

Affordable Housing: The current proposal includes a total of 292 on-site affordable dwelling units, which represents 40% of the total number of units in the proposal (731 units). The proposed density is 42.89 units/acre, which exceeds the maximum density permitted under "RA8-18" of 36 units/acre. The proposed site plan is over density by 118 units (16.07%). A request for a modification of use regulations is proposed for bonus density for affordable housing. See the web site below for further information:

http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/CPHD/Documents/8407sprc_120706.pdf