Waypoint Affordable Housing Project Breaks Ground In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Affordable housing developer and manager Wesley Housing and partners broke ground Wednesday on an affordable housing project in Alexandria called The Waypoint at Fairlington.

The project, in partnership with Fairlington Presbyterian Church, will add 81 affordable units on a underutilized parking lot adjacent to the church. The development will serve individuals and families with 30 percent, 50 percent, and 60 percent of the Area Median Income. The City of Alexandria provided rental assistance vouchers to set aside nine of the units for individuals with developmental disabilities.

"Wesley Housing’s founding in 1974 is rooted just across the street from where we stand today,” said Wesley Housing president and CEO Shelley Murphy. "I’m confident our founder is smiling down on us right now as we begin construction on this new affordable property that many hard-working families in our community can soon call home."

Pastor Juli Wilson-Black of Fairlington Presbyterian Church said the congregation entered a purchase-and-sale agreement with Wesley Housing three and a half years ago to develop affordable housing on the property. She noted that the original deed of sale from the church's first trustees signed in 1947 property stipulated that the land would never be occupied, sold or leased or conveyed to anyone outside the Caucasian race. That was one year before the Supreme Court struck down racially-restrictive covenants as unconstitutional, according to Wilson-Black.

"The Waypoint will transform this property, this congregation and this neighborhood in many ways. but perhaps the most significant transformation is be the breaking of that covenant that our founders signed," said Wilson-Black during the groundbreaking. "By that action we are saying in the clearest way possible that never ends today."

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The development will have three efficiency units, 12 one-bedroom units, 49 two-bedroom units and 17 three-bedroom units. Nine of the units will be fully accessible and ADA compliant apartments. Amenities will include free Wi-Fi, on-site laundry facilities, a community room, enhanced public transport accessibility, and access to a playground and park space on the parcel shared with Fairlington Presbyterian Church and the Potomac Crescent Waldorf School. The building will meet Energy Star green building standards and will seek National Green Building Standard Silver Certification.

Wesley Property management will manage The Waypoint, and an on-site resident services team will provide year-round programs and services for housing stability, education, health and wellness, and community engagement.

The City of Alexandria provided a $7.6 million loan in addition to the nine project-based unit vouchers. The Waypoint also received significant funding from the Virginia Housing Trust Fund and 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from Virginia Housing.

"The City is pleased to support another affordable housing development made possible through the partnership of a nonprofit housing entity and a local faith community, which has embraced housing neighbors as part of its mission," said Mayor Justin
Wilson in a statement. "Some of the 81-units here will offer deep affordability, and nine of the units will be fully accessible. Projects like The Waypoint embody Alexandria’s values of diversity and inclusion, and its location is ideal for all residents: near public transit,
jobs and retail."

The current estimated completion date is spring 2022. Visit Wesley Housing's website for future updates.