Located just one block away from Columbia Pike and directly adjacent to APAH’s Columbia Grove, Columbia Hills Apartments consists of 229 affordable homes in the Columbia Forest neighborhood. This modern development was built to meet the diverse needs of the community, including families, seniors, and residents with disabilities. Built in 2018, Columbia Hills includes studio and one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. All units are accessible, with 14 units designated as Type-A accessible, meaning they are fully accessible to residents who use wheelchairs. Columbia Hills is a water and energy efficient building rated EarthCraft Multifamily Platinum. Residents enjoy a community room and multipurpose spaces, underground parking, and controlled access bicycle storage.

Financing

The $91 million project pioneered a complex and innovative hybrid financing structure, which combines the 9% and 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs to maximize equity for the project. Virginia Housing Development Authority is a long-time partner of APAH and administers the LIHTC program in Virginia. When APAH proposed the hybrid financing model to VHDA, it was the first developer in Virginia to do so. Now about one-third of LIHTC applications use this financing model. Bank of America is both the equity investor and construction debt lender at Columbia Hills.

Additional financing for the project included $18.5 million from Arlington County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund and a donation from M&T Bank of the 1.2 acres of land on which Columbia Hills was built.

Collaboration with Arlington County Government

Columbia Hills was the first multifamily project approved under Arlington County’s award-winning Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan. 6,200 affordable apartments were inventoried in 2012, and many were at risk. The Neighborhoods Plan envisioned no net loss of affordable homes on Columbia Pike through a combination of preservation and new density at existing affordable sites. Columbia Hills provides a major contribution towards the Neighborhoods Plan’s vision and the County’s Affordable Housing Master Plan. The Master Plan set a goal that by 2040, 17.7% of the County’s housing stock would be affordable to households earning 60% or less of the AMI.

Stories from Columbia Hills

APAH Celebrates Grand Opening of Columbia Hills, January 31, 2019

Governor McAuliffe Awards APAH $750,000 for Columbia Hills Apartments – January 19, 2016, January 19, 2016

Columbia Hills in the News

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing Breaks Ground on Columbia Hills, HAND Housing, June 13, 2016

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing breaks ground on $91 million project, Virginia Business, June 8, 2016

Leasing Office

703-566-5760

Property Information Sheets

Columbia Hills – Investor
Columbia Hills – Resident
Columbia Hills – Resident (Spanish)

See APAH’s Portfolio Fees and Information here.