New development in Columbia Heights adds to affordable housing demand

After years of anticipation, The Faircliff, a 125-unit affordable housing project in Columbia Heights, is slated for completion this December, adding to the neighborhood’s growing demand for apartment affordability.

The Faircliff property is under construction at 2641 14th St. NW in Washington D.C. and will replace the 80-unit Section 8 apartment building, Faircliff Plaza East, established in 2002. Crescent Communities constructed the $110.3 million project as a collaboration between Somerset Development Company, Jonathan Rose Companies and Housing Up.

“We are preserving the existing affordable housing for those who are already there [and] we are building new affordable housing for folks to be able to afford to live in the community,” Somerset development director Patrick McAnaney said. “We’re also building market-rate housing for people who do not qualify for [the threshold].”

According to McAnaney, the new development has been a long-awaited project since the company acquired Faircliff Plaza East 22 years ago, Somerset’s first affordable housing project. While construction for the eight-story apartment complex didn’t break ground until January of last year, the vision for The Faircliff began a “very, very long time ago,” when the company purchased the property as an affordable housing preservation and renovation project they would build on long term. 

“It’s projects like this that demonstrate that a clean, green, and inclusive future is not some faraway destination we talk about; it is already here,” said Jean Nelson-Houpert, Interim CEO and chief financial officer of DC Green Bank.

The recently developed apartment complex comprises 125 new affordable rental units available to households with an income at or 50% below the median household income. For D.C., that’s a comfortable $101,027 median household income, a quarter more than the national average, according to census data.

A look inside The Faircliff

The 145,000-square-foot Faircliff building was designed by Eric Colbert and built by John Moriarty & Associates. The complex offers communal spaces for participating in the Communities of Opportunity program, a courtyard with a playground, community kitchen, learning library, gym, rooftop space, community garden, and free Wi-Fi. 

It also aims to be an eco-friendly building with an all-electric design and green strategies like carbon-injected concrete to capture over 1.1 million of carbon and a green roof with a 67kW solar system.

Financing for the development was made through public and private resources including a $49.3 million in tax-exempt bonds from the DC Housing Finance Agency, a $16.9 million loan from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development and $440,000 of annual rental subsidy from the DC Housing Authority, according to Jonathan Rose Companies

In 2021, residents of Faircliff Plaza East unanimously voted to move forward with the project and were temporarily relocated throughout the DMV based on their preference. Around 60 residents have already selected to return to living at The Faircliff.

“[We’re] trying to help preserve existing affordable housing … we view this as essentially continuing our commitment to the neighborhood [and] showing what new possibilities can come,” McAnaney said.

Affordability in Columbia Heights

Maintaining affordable housing in an area historically known for its economic appeal is key to attracting a continuum of residents to the neighborhood and keeping them, McAnaney said. However, maintaining this mission is becoming more challenging as high rent prices continue to increase throughout the district.

“We look forward to increasing affordability in a neighborhood that continues to rapidly expand and ensure its residents are able to stay and grow in this area for years to come,” Jenny Wu, managing director of development at Jonathan Rose Companies said in a statement.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of affordable rental homes in the District for those at or below the poverty guidelines. 

“D.C. definitely used to be more affordable, and as time has gone on, it’s definitely not,” said Nelson Fuentes, a realtor for Keller Williams Capital Properties.

In an interview with Fuentes, he said that in terms of what Columbia has to offer, which is retail, local vendors, restaurants and fitness studios, the neighborhood offers the most affordable living in the district. The D.C. native also added how recent neighborhood development is adding to its value, compared to where it was nearly 10 to 15 years ago.

“It’s been such a long journey. We kind of had our very first projects when we started the company back in 2002 of thinking [what] this could eventually become,” McAnaney said. “… To see that [this is] coming to fruition is incredibly exciting.”