Hot off the heels of announcing a new affordable housing development for Arlandria, the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) is headed to public outreach for a proposed affordable housing development in the Seminary Hill neighborhood.
The plan is to build 37 units — 31 townhomes and 6 condominiums — at 4547, 4555 and 4575 Seminary Road, next to the existing fire station and across from Hammond Middle School.
The development will include two garage spaces per townhome, plus 18 surface parking spaces. The development will preserve approximately 51% of the site’s current open space, AHDC said, and improve pedestrian access to city-owned park land.
AHDC said in an FAQ that all of the units at the site will be affordable at up to 80% of area median income, a standard measurement for housing affordability.
In the FAQ, AHDC said that housing at that level of affordability is very much in demand.
“For a lot of families, even though this is ‘affordable’ housing and 80% AMI income is defined as ‘low-income’ by HUD, the reality is that these units are still out of reach for many,” AHDC said. “The solutions to this problem are complex, and financing for building units that serve even lower income levels is scarce. That said, 80% AMI units — often referred to as workforce housing units — are still in demand in Alexandria. It’s a part of the “missing middle” of housing and can support workers who provide critical services to Alexandria. Using wages from recent job postings, a household that consisted of an entry-level firefighter and a cook for a senior living facility, with one or two children, would qualify for this development.”
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
