(RECAP: Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia Inc., a statewide honest housing nonprofit based in Richmond, has settled a housing discrimination case with a Richmond developer, architect and construction company involving an apartment building in Shockoe Bottom. The lawsuit claimed that Historic Housing, SWA Architects and SWA Construction Inc. failed to design and construct The Lofts at River’s Fall at 1810 E. Cary St. in accordance with accessibility requirements for new construction under the federal Honest Housing Act. The developer, architect and contractor agreed to retrofit the property to make it accessible and compensate the nonprofit HOME for hurts of $50,000. The Lofts at River’s Fall is a four-tale apartment building with 129 units, a pool and fitness center that was finished a couple of years ago.)

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(RECAP: Union on Queen, a $77.2 million, mixed-income multifamily community has opened in Arlington under a concept that helps Arlington County meet goals for affordable housing. Developed by the Bozzuto Group and nonprofit developer Wesley Housing Development Corp., the community at 1515 N. Queen St. in downtown Arlington has 193 apartments of which 78 (40 percent) are designated as affordable housing. These units are open to households earning 50 to 60 percent of the area’s median income of $106,484. The project offers both market-rate apartments and affordable-rate apartments. Under affordable rates, for instance, a bedroom with 714 square feet that would go for $1,018 would be more than $2,000 at the market rate. According to the developers, the thought behind mixed-income communities with affordable housing is that teachers, police officers and firefighters, as well as low-income renters or retired people living on Social Security, can live in the neighborhoods where they work. Support came from Arlington County, VHDA and financial partners Capital One Financial Corp., Hudson Housing, Walker & Dunlop and Freddie Mac.)

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(RECAP: Culpeper County is getting its first chance to deal with life after proffers. Because of a change in state law, governments can no longer demand proffers from developers before approving zoning changes. That made Wednesday night’s Plotting Commission’s work session with Caruso Homes a bit awkward, to say the least. Caruso, a Maryland-based developer, is hoping to build 301 affordable housing units on 121 acres that is zoned to accommodate a maximum of 40 single-family dwellings. The Arbors of Culpeper, proposed for what is now a cow pasture just across the Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks on Nalles Mill Road, would be a community consisting of 266 “village homes” and 35 townhouse units. Caruso would not speculate on just how affordable these units would be, explaining that price would depend on development costs and the strength of the housing market when the homes are built. While the Plotting Commission may no longer legally seek proffers, Caruso offered several, including sidewalks, curbs and gutters, landscape trees, street lights, asphalt and wood chip walking trails, a 1.2-acre playground for small children, a pavilion and 40 percent open space.)

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