Some of Affordable Homes & Communities’ (AHC’s) most impactful work begins with properties others might overlook: aging buildings, foreclosure sales, or communities at a crossroads. In honor of our 50th anniversary, we’re spotlighting four stories of acquisition and preservation: The Gates of Ballston, MonteVerde, Woodbury Park, and Union Rowe. Each one shows how AHC takes a property and builds a community.
Gates of Ballston
Construction workers put the finishing touches on bump-outs at the Gates of Ballston during the property’s 2006 renovation.
Built from 1938 to 1940 in the Buckingham Historic District of Arlington, Virginia, The Gates of Ballston is a prime example of early Garden City apartment design. By the early 2000s, the 465-apartment community faced pressure from developers seeking to convert it to market-rate housing.
In 2003, AHC stepped in with financial support from Arlington County to acquire and preserve the community. Between 2005 and 2007, AHC completed a $33 million rehabilitation, preserving the Colonial Revival exteriors in accordance with historic guidelines while fully modernizing interiors, relandscaping the grounds, and building a new community center. The new community center, which was updated in 2023, has become a hub for resident life, providing space for programming and services.
As part of the renovation, AHC constructed exterior bump-outs to create larger units, better serving families who needed more space.
The project earned recognition from the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (now Housing&) as Best Project in Virginia in 2008 and received the Board of Advisors Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2009.
MonteVerde
Originally built in 1979, MonteVerde serves seniors and people with disabilities in the Lower Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The two 13-story towers, containing 301 federally subsidized apartments, needed substantial investment when AHC acquired the property in 2008.
Following the MonteVerde’s acquisition, AHC completed a $30 million rehabilitation by 2010, modernizing kitchens and bathrooms, upgrading energy systems, and refurbishing hallways. To create a more unified community, AHC built an addition connecting the two high rises with a shared entryway, and expanded the community space to include a computer lab and wellness center. More recently, in 2019, AHC won Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition’s 2019 Innovation Award for its health & wellness programs for seniors.
The community has continued to evolve. In 2024, AHC held a grand opening for the MonteVerde Health and Wellness Suite, bringing substance misuse treatment and other health services directly to residents.
Woodbury Park
Built between 1949 and 1950 as a leading example of garden-style apartment design, Woodbury Park is a 9-acre, 364-apartment, mixed-income community in Arlington, Virginia. AHC acquired the property in 1987, stepping in to preserve it and then undertaking an extensive renovation.
Decades later, AHC undertook a second, more ambitious preservation effort. In 2014, a $110 million interior and exterior renovation commenced, which included updated interior finishes, fixtures, and appliances, as well as new windows and roofs.
In 1993, AHC launched Resident Services (RS) at Woodbury Park, the program’s founding site. Today, RS at Woodbury Park serves over 300 residents annually and has expanded to include afterschool programs, weekly food distributions, computer training, and more.
Union Rowe
In 2010, Union Rowe‘s 72 affordable rowhouse apartments in Baltimore, Maryland’s Franklin Square neighborhood were headed for a foreclosure auction. AHC secured Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds from the City of Baltimore to acquire the property and keep it affordable.
Next, AHC completed a $4.4 million rehabilitation that updated kitchens and bathrooms, replaced windows, upgraded heating and cooling systems, and improved the facade and landscaping. In 2013, the property received the Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award in the Metropolitan/Urban category.
But the investment went beyond the building itself. Since launching onsite resident services at Union Rowe, AHC has connected residents to job readiness support, financial education, eviction prevention, and community-building opportunities.
Learn more about AHC’s history and how we’re celebrating 50 years of transforming lives: ahcommunities.org/50years.
2230 North Fairfax Drive
Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22201
703-486-0626
1501 Saint Paul Street
Suite 130
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-685-0366
