Council hears plan to buy and redevelop Arlington Village Apartments in Fielder Square

Deputy City Manager Randolph and Mindy Cochran, the city—xecutive director of housing, presented a catalytic redevelopment proposal for the Fielder Square area that would begin with acquiring Arlington Village Apartments for redevelopment into new multifamily housing and a childcare campus.

Cochran told the council the complex, built in 1973, contains about 1,278 units and is roughly 91% occupied; a city-commissioned appraisal using the income approach returned a sales-price valuation of $32,600,000. Staff said the owners agreed to operate the property until existing leases expire (the last lease should end no later than July 2026). The proposed purchase terms included a $10,000,000 deposit due in September with the balance due in March; staff emphasized the city would not require tenants to move before lease expiration and would hire a relocation specialist to work with eligible tenants. Nonprofits (cited in the presentation as Y on the Fly and Mission Arlington) had signaled support for tenant assistance.

Cochran and Randolph described complementary elements of the redevelopment: a childcare campus with early Head Start, Head Start and pre-K programming and acceptance of CCMS vouchers; investment in adjacent roadway and infrastructure improvements; a developer-selection process that could include for-profit or nonprofit developers; and potential funding sources such as Federal Home Loan Bank affordable-housing grants. Staff estimated the project—ost and remaining funding needs and said if council approved the evening actions, ground preparation could begin early September with vertical construction documents and financing steps on a fall calendar.

Council members voiced broad support in the work session. Councilmember Peel emphasized neighborhood impacts and constituent complaints about substandard apartment properties, urging the city to act. Other council members and staff discussed avoiding the city becoming a permanent owner of apartments, exploring tools such as the housing finance corporation and the EDC and forming a committee to define community priorities for redevelopment. Council directed staff to pursue neighborhood renewal options and to return with further details on financing and tenant-relocation planning; no formal purchase vote is recorded in the afternoon work session transcript.