The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) — now with a new CEO — will be going public with ambitious expansion plans next month.
There’s a lot in ARHA’s FY 2025 Five-Year Plan. A lot of it is vague statements about reaffirming the organization’s commitment to providing public housing and continuing mixed-income partnerships, but the plan also provides details about some specific plans to expand the public housing authority’s footprint in the city.
Part of the first set of goals involves expanding Andrew Adkins, an affordable housing project near the Braddock Metro station and bordered to the west by the Braddock West project.
The Adkins project has been a sore spot for ARHA in recent years, which frequently quarreled with the City of Alexandria over stalled redevelopment plans. In 2018 it was announced that the redevelopment plans would not move forward.
The Five-Year Plan listed Adkins as one of the projects being “repositioned” to mixed-income development. The plan said ARHA is working on providing an easement that should be able to increase the number of affordable housing units:
Provide to the adjoining owners an easement onto the property at Andrew Adkins to increase the number of affordable housing units in the City of Alexandria; and enter into a Shared Use Agreement for placement of utility vaults on an easement granted to the adjacent property owner.
The Plan said Adkins is among projects being replaced with mixed-finance, mixed-income communities.
Dispose and/or demolish obsolete public housing units that do not meet HUD Asset Management Program guidelines, including but not limited to Samuel Madden, Scattered Sites, Ladrey Building, former ARHA administration building, and Andrew Adkins Homes
ARHA is holding public hearings for the plan at 401 Wythe Street on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and and Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 5-6 p.m.
