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Fairfax County supervisors approved nearly $11 million in loans on Tuesday, March 2, to preserve an aging West Falls Church apartment complex and help create 81 affordable homes for seniors in Chantilly.

The two projects received different levels of support. The senior housing loan passed unanimously, while Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the board’s lone Republican, opposed financing for the West Falls Church property.

Local money replaces lost federal support

The Board of Supervisors authorized up to $2 million for the planned renovation of Coralain Gardens Apartments, a 62-year-old, 106-unit complex at 7435 Arlington Blvd. in the Mason District.

The county loan will contribute to a project expected to cost about $50 million. Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said the renovation would provide quality housing for years to come.

Owner Enterprise Community Development had planned to use $6.65 million from a federal program, but that funding disappeared after the Trump administration eliminated the program, according to county staff.

The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, halted in March 2025, received $1 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act passed under then-President Joe Biden in 2022. It was created to fund energy-efficiency improvements, repairs and renovations at affordable housing properties.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik emphasized the complex’s location in a dense area near amenities and a heavily used bus route.

Enterprise will now compete for low-income housing tax credits to complete the renovation in phases. County officials expect Fairfax’s financial commitment and its designation of the property as a local preservation district to make the application more competitive.

Board Chairman Jeff McKay called the project a strong opportunity and said he hoped it would receive the necessary state support.

Herrity questioned why county financing was needed and why the complex required extensive work only 19 years after a substantial rehabilitation in 2007.

Tom Fleetwood, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, said the new proposal was more comprehensive. In addition to renovations, it would deepen affordability and reserve some units as permanent supportive housing.

Supervisors approved the financing through the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority on a 9-1 vote, with Herrity opposed. He later abstained when the board voted to designate Coralain Gardens as a local preservation district.

Fairfax County set a goal in 2022 of adding 10,000 net new affordable homes by 2034. Coralain Gardens will not increase that total, but McKay said preserving existing affordable housing is essential to making real progress.

“If we do achieve our goal of building 10,000 new units, it won’t matter if, at the same time, we lost 10,000,” McKay said. “We will have made no progress.”

When former owner RST Development LLC sought to sell Coralain Gardens in 2023, earlier commitments gave the housing authority the first right to purchase it. The authority transferred that right to Enterprise, which bought the property for $21.7 million and agreed to maintain income restrictions through at least 2087.

The complex offers studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments to households earning up to 50% or 60% of the area median income, depending on the unit. The local median income for a family of four is currently $163,900. Advertised rents start at $1,722 per month.

Chantilly senior housing receives unanimous backing

Supervisors also unanimously approved up to $8.1 million in housing authority loans for the second phase of Agape Chantilly House, an independent-living community at 3870 Centerview Drive.

The money will support 81 additional apartments, supplementing the 101 units planned for the project’s first phase.

Each new apartment will have one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen, with approximately 600 to 670 square feet of living space. They will be available to seniors earning no more than 60% of the area median income.

Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith welcomed the project’s progress, saying affordable housing for seniors is especially important.

Wellington Development Partners and Agape Property Management LLC are jointly developing the 3.8-acre property. Supervisors approved plans in March 2024 for as many as 228 affordable independent-living apartments and on-site adult day care.

The county board previously approved up to $9.4 million in February 2025 to support the development’s first phase.