Housing development in Arlington has increased by more than 200 percent over the past year. But the county, one of the nation’s wealthiest, remains flooded with requests from low-income individuals who can’t afford to live there, officials said.
After a steep drop-off in 2007, residential construction is bouncing back in Arlington, with the county approving 728 new housing units last year — up from just 198 in 2010, according to data released by the county last week. That’s mostly due to a booming rental market, said Robert Ruiz, a county planner.
“It’s just developers sensing that Arlington has a strong residential market,” he said. “A lot of them that are able to get financing are looking at Arlington and investing by putting units down. The rental market is really hot right now.”
But just 11 of those 728 new units have been designated as affordable housing, which, in a county with a median annual income of nearly $100,000, is what a single resident making $60,000 a year can pay for. In 2010, 70 of the 198 units were considered affordable. A one-bedroom apartment designated as affordable could rent for $1,008 to $1,613 a month.
In the meantime, Arlington has found itself swamped with requests for federal rent assistance. The county’s poorest residents — those who qualify for federal rent assistance — can apply for Section 8 vouchers that cover a portion of their rent. To qualify for these vouchers, a single resident would have to make less than $37,650 a year.
But obtaining a voucher is arguably even more of a gamble: The county recently opened its Section 8 waiting list for the first time in seven years and within 24 hours was swamped with nearly 5,300 applications, Arlington County Department of Human Services spokesman Kurt Larrick said. Those applicants could languish on the waiting list for five to six years before getting a voucher.
