ARLINGTON, Va. — Two Baptist congregations in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs have been recognized for their contributions to affordable-housing efforts in the region.
The Church at Clarendon sits in the heart of one of metropolitan Washington’s most densely packed neighborhoods. |
The Church at Clarendon and Macedonia Baptist Church, both in Arlington, each were honored Dec. 9 with an Ellen Bozman Affordable Housing Award by the Alliance for Housing Solutions. The Alliance advocates to expand low- and moderate-income housing in Arlington.
It’s the second award for Clarendon, whose vPoint was named “Best Affordable Housing Development” in November at the Governor’s Housing Conference, a component of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
The century-old Church at Clarendon — originally First Baptist Church of Clarendon — was struggling with the transition of its neighborhood into a densely-packed and increasingly expensive mix of condominiums and trendy shops, bars and restaurants. Its property in the heart of the community and a block from a station on Washington’s Metro rapid transit system was highly valued and the church considered selling it and moving further away from the city.
Instead, it stayed put and focused on one of the Clarendon neighborhood’s greatest needs — affordable housing. In a partnership with Arlington County and a development firm, the church underwent a major renovation which retained the original building’s steeple and pillared façade while adding eight additional floors of apartments. Of the 116 upscale units, 70 meet the county’s affordable housing designation for low and moderate income households.
The project was completed last spring, after 10-years of multiple lawsuits from neighbors who opposed the building’s scale, which were finally settled by the Virginia Supreme Court.
The Macedonian is Arlington’s first new construction multifamily affordable housing development to achieve EarthCraft certification. |
“It was a vision that was not without controversy, said Clarendon member Jerry Morris, according to the Sun Gazette, a community newspaper. But Morris, chair of the church’s board of trustees, added: “The community was behind us. Faith and perseverance kept us going.”
Last year Macedonia Baptist — in Arlington’s Nauck community — opened The Macedonian, a green, mixed-used building with 36 affordable units. The building features a green roof, EarthCraft certification and 2,000 square feet of commercial space.
The four-story building sits among the single-family detached bungalows and newer townhomes of the historically African-American neighborhood.
Leonard Hamlin Sr., the church’s pastor, said “there were many times when we considered if we would make it to the finish line,” the Sun Gazette reported. “It really was a collaborative effort that had this come to pass.”
This is the fourth year the Alliance for Housing Solutions has presented its awards. They are named for the late Ellen Bozman, who served on the Arlington County Board and helped create the Alliance.
Robert Dilday (rdilday@religiousherald.org) is managing editor of the Religious Herald.