Major Affordable Housing Development In Alexandria Breaks Ground

ALEXANDRIA, VA — With rising rents prices a concern for the largely Latino neighborhood of Arlandria/Chirilagua in Alexandria, development of new affordable housing is underway.

On Wednesday, nonprofit developer Housing Alexandria broke ground on Sansé and Naja, a mixed-use development with 474 affordable housing units near the W. Glebe Road and Mount Vernon Avenue intersection. All units will be reserved for households making up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income, and 105 of the units will be deeply affordable to households making 40 percent of the Area Median Income. The 80 percent Area Median Income limit for Alexandria is $66,750 for a one-person household and $95,300 for a household of four.

"This project is a reflection of the type of housing we need across the city," said Evelin Urrutia, executive director of Tenants and Workers United, which has raised concerns about rising rents in Arlandria. "We hope this is just the beginning, and that this project will serve as an example for all who want to work in our city."

The affordable housing development stems from Housing Alexandria acquiring the property. According to Aaron Remolona, Housing Alexandria's vice president of development and acquisitions, previous site owner Nina Weissberg of the Weissberg Investment Corporation and Weissberg Foundation wanted to sell to a buyer that would create affordable housing.

"She wanted to demonstrate to other property owners that selling to a buyer who plans to build a project that is 100 percent affordable can be as financially viable as selling to a market rate developer," said Remolona. "It was that intention from Nina that gave this opportunity it’s first breaths of air."

The names Sansé and Naja come from El Salvador, where many of the Arlandria/Chirilagua residents are from. In addition to affordable housing, the project will provide 36,000 square feet of commercial space and a two-level underground parking garage. Likely commercial tenants will be low-cost child care and health care services. The building will be equipped with Ting internet to help residents get online access.

At the groundbreaking, Mayor Justin Wilson noted different city initiatives in the works that will complement the new affordable housing.

"This is not just the largest affordable housing project the city has ever undertaken; this is a project adjacent to some of the best transit investments we have around and within a mile of the new metro station," said the mayor. "It is adjacent to some of our biggest and growing job centers, in Potomac Yard and along Route 1. We are making significant stormwater improvements too, bringing together so many city goals in one project."

Pre-leasing is expected to take place in 2024-2025 ahead of the development opening in 2026. According to Housing Alexandria, a pilot program called Rent Ready will be used to help residents with the leasing process. The program seeks to help residents with barriers to traditional leasing, including non-traditional incomes like nannying, language barriers and poorly documented rent histories.

More information on the development is available in English and Spanish on Housing Alexandria's website.