(RECAP: Windy Hill Foundation’s proposal to save ancient Arcola Elementary School by converting the building into affordable housing is under fire. Last March, the county questioned for proposals for a public-private partnership to save ancient Arcola Elementary School, which is listed on both state and federal registers of historic places. The Windy Hill Foundation, which builds affordable housing in Northern Virginia, made the only proposal that met all of the request’s requirements. Windy Hill proposes to renovate the building into apartments and build a separate two-tale, 36-unit apartment building on the property. The foundation would also include five units for the intellectually and developmentally disabled. But the building is about two and a half miles from the end of one of Dulles Airport’s runways. Airport representatives and some supervisors wonder whether putting in housing there might not be doing future residents any favors.)

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(RECAP: Earlier today, HUD published the draft Assessment of Honest Housing (AFH) Tool for States and Insular Areas and accompanying Federal Register Notice. The tool is intended to guide states through the AFH process required under HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Honest Housing (AFFH) regulation. AFFH requires all entities that receive HUD funding from HOME, Community Development Block Grants, Emergency Solutions Grants and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS and public housing agencies (PHA) to take part in the AFH process. The AFH replaces the Analysis of Impediments requirement, which HUD program participants previously undertook to assess impediments to housing choice. HUD already has finalized an assessment tool for local governments and intends to publish a third assessment tool for PHAs.)

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(RECAP: The City Council will hold a public hearing April 12 on a local developer’s request for incentives so he can start a mixed-use project in downtown Fredericksburg. Tom Wack, president of Wack General Contractor, questioned City for a 45 percent reduction of Liberty Place’s real estate tax bill for the next 10 years. Plans for the project, designed to look like repurposed brick warehouses, include 44 residential condominiums, office space, restaurant space, retail space and a three-level parking garage. Liberty Place was originally a $36 million project. Since then, another floor of office space has been added and costs for the parking garage have increased, driving the total cost to $46.3 million. No tenants have been publicly announced, but many deals are close, Wack said, and the incentives will help finance and close lease agreements. He hopes to have Liberty Place go-in ready by October 2017.)

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