Affordable Senior Living Units Approved On Van Dorn Street

FRANCONIA, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve an affordable housing project for seniors in the Franconia area.

A news release from the county says the project seeks to address the "highly cost-burdened Fairfax/Alexandria City area" and let seniors live continue to live where they raised families. The 6.2-acre site is located at Oakwood Road and South Van Dorn Street south of the border with Alexandria City. The Oakwood Residences will feature 150 units for residents ages 62 and older with 30 and 60 percent of the Area Median Income.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the owner of the property, will lease it to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing for the Oakwood Residences project. There will be a mix of one and two-bedroom independent living apartments, as well as landscaped areas, resident services offices, communal multipurpose spaces and wellness programs.

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority's 2020 strategic plan adopted last year identified the needs for affordable senior housing. The county's Department of Housing and Community Development anticipates the addition of 62,184 households over the next 15 years, with 18,622 of which would earn 80 percent of the Area Median Income or below. The senior population as a whole (ages 65 and up) is anticipated to grow from 135,976 in 2015 to 192,314 in 2030,

The strategic plan also mentions what Fairfax County seniors want: "Based on the forums conducted as part of the 50+ planning process, seniors reported that they want affordable, walkable housing that is connected to the larger community. They also want to be able to remain in their own homes, and to understand how their homes can 'evolve' to meet their needs as they age."

According to the county's news release, Oakwood Residences will remain affordable for 30 years under the extended use regulatory agreement with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, and an additional 45 years thereafter under the ground lease.