The Green Gobbler

Historic garden apartments originally crafted as quality housing for the working class of the 1930′s Buckingham Village is an icon of the Ballston area of Arlington meant to be preserved.

Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that these homes were a fine example of green space in her time, and as such were meant to be preserved. Having seen their share of potential demolition, Buckingham Village was purchased by Arlington County from the last owners who intended to demolish the property to build luxury town homes in their place; taking with them their rich history of being some of the first garden style apartment homes who housed the federal workers of our great country. These charming apartments with lushly landscaped courtyards in their federal style served as a main source for affordable housing in the 1930 and 1940′s and even now, are home to many recent Central and South American immigrant families looking for affordable housing.

In 2007, there was a request for proposal, RFP, through Paradigm who wanted to demolish the 140 units and construct those luxury building mentioned above; however, there was a lot of push back from the neighborhood associations and the uproar from the activism caught the attention of Arlington County who then purchased the property and  designated Buckingham Village a historic district! As you are probably aware, some portions of the original neighborhood have been torn down but this section of Buckingham Village III has been preserved; it needed substantial rehabilitation, but the renovations provided “historical preservation, lower operating costs and a better quality of life for the tenants.” Reshma Holla of Telesis Corp, the developer of Buckingham Village III states that “the goal of the project  was to improve the quality of the housing stock, to create housing stock as modern as it can be in terms of efficiency and comfort for the tenants and of course, preservation.”   Holla also mentioned that in regards to the “greening of the buildings, [Telesis was] interested in green measures that the tenants were interested in such as control of the thermostats, preservation of the original hardwoods for health and comfort.”

When asked why the organization chose the EarthCraft program what chosen over LEED for the green certification process, Holla noted that the EarthCraft Multifamily certification for rehabilitation projects was much more focused on the goals of the project scope that that of what LEED would require. It suited the project and would allow for the affordable housing incentives through the Virginia Housing Development Authority, VHDA, to come through with much greater ease. “The proposed renovation of {Buckingham Village III] would involve completely renovating the interiors of the buildings and replacing windows, roofs, and all major systems; preserving the historic character and features of the buildings; and producing an environmentally sensitive and highly energy-efficient property. The energy efficiency measures would include additional insulation and installation of energy efficient windows, heating, cooling and water systems, as well as Energy Star kitchen and bathroom appliances.” EarthCraft is to oversee that all of the energy efficient upgrades meet the regional green building standards as set forth by their program and as laid out by the goals of the construction team.

Overall, this Arlington based project has created a sustainable and historical preservation project in an area which craved affordable housing. Smart Communities at NCAT.ORG said something great that resonated for me and hits the nail on the head for projects such as Buckingham Village: “That’s because truly sustainable development produces enduring benefits, not just today, but for our children and their children as well. But sustainable development projects offer real benefits in the short term, too. They create jobs. They lower operating costs for homes, businesses and taxpayers. They reduce pollution control costs.”  The current and future residents will thank Arlington County for allowing this 75 year land lease to remain in effect and endure healthy, comfortable, lower cost of living for many years to come.