|  | ![]() | Arbor Glen Named Nation’s Best Affordable Housing CommunityCharlotte, N.C., October 17, 2005 – Arbor Glen II, the second phase of Crosland’s revitalization of the former Dalton Village public housing community off West Boulevard, has been named the Affordable Housing Project of the Year by Multifamily Executive magazine.
This is Crosland’s second national affordable housing honor earned in 2005, as well as the second major award bestowed on Arbor Glen. This spring, Crosland was named one of four finalists for a National Association of Home Builders’ Pillars of the Industry award for The Park at Oaklawn, a revitalization of Charlotte’s former Fairview Homes public housing project. In 2003, Arbor Glen’s first phase won the Housing North Carolina Award from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.
Developed through a partnership between Crosland, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and the Charlotte Housing Authority, with funds from HOPE VI, the city of Charlotte, and federal and state housing tax credits, Arbor Glen is a mixed-income community that will provide 308 affordable apartments and 54 single-family homes. The next steps of the $46 million revitalization effort will be the completion of the 23 apartments in Arbor Glen’s third and final apartment phase and the construction of 47 single family homes Made available for occupancy a year ago, Arbor Glen’s second phase consists of 91 two- and three-bedroom apartments, 51 of which are allocated to families earning 50 percent or less of the area’s median income, and 25 of which are handicapped-accessible. With the exception of the seniors, all Arbor Glen residents participate in a Family Self-Sufficiency program, designed to provide the skills necessary to achieve full economic independence within five years. The FSS program is supported by a $123,000 annual subsidy generated through Arbor Glen’s rent income.
Just a decade ago, Dalton Village was the city’s worst public housing, a deteriorated, crime-filled complex that not only endangered its residents but those of the surrounding neighborhoods. Furthermore, an initial revitalization effort in the late 1990s stalled when a previous developer abandoned the project, compounding negative perceptions of the property.
Today, Arbor Glen is a beacon of hope – a stable, attractive, economically viable and ethnically integrated community. Not only are the apartments 100 percent occupied with a five-year waiting list, but neglected houses in nearby neighborhoods are being purchased and rehabilitated. Private investment is bringing mixed-use and retail development back to the area, and a new YMCA branch 200 yards away is planned for a December 2006 opening.
“The success of Arbor Glen shows that wise application of HOPE VI funds not only stimulates the initial involvement of developers like Crosland, but serves as a magnet for private investment in surrounding areas as well,” said CHA Chief Executive Officer Charles Woodyard. “When coupled with educational programs designed to lift residents up into self-sufficiency, redevelopment efforts like Arbor Glen can have an impact spanning generations.”
Located at the intersection of Clanton Road and West Boulevard, Arbor Glen provides access to two community buildings, a four-lane swimming pool, a playground, and an adjacent community outreach center that provides job training, after-school services and other educational resources. Both of the community buildings feature large meeting and conference rooms and kitchens where residents can enjoy social functions.
One community building provides activities and resources specific to the elderly, and includes a health examination room and visits from a public health nurse who supervises free health screenings and other services. Other successful programs at Arbor Glen include a youth swim team supported by the YMCA and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, student tutoring led by the local Tuskegee University alumni chapter, advocacy programs designed to stimulate interest in college, and even the recent establishment of a Girl Scouts/Brownies troop.
“Crosland invests as much time and attention to our affordable housing neighborhoods as we do our market-rate housing because of the message it sends,” said Jud Little, president of Crosland’s apartments division. “These are more than homes – they are a lifeline. Like many of Charlotte’s leading companies, Crosland believes the measurement of this city’s success is demonstrated not only through uptown’s skyscrapers, but in the neighborhoods throughout the City.”
Working with co-owner Charlotte Housing Authority, Crosland’s apartments division developed and manages Arbor Glen, while Crosland’s contracting division oversees construction. Since the 1980s, Crosland has developed, built, renovated and/or managed approximately 2,000 affordable apartment homes in 24 communities throughout the Southeast. The company received the Affordable Housing Project of the Year award on Oct. 18 at an industry conference in Las Vegas, and Multifamily Executive magazine will profile Arbor Glen in its November issue.
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