FAQs

Development

  • Crystal House Three (AKA CH-3) is planned as a four-hundred-thirty-two-unit affordable apartment community designed for families.

    Crystal House Six (AKA CH-6) is planned as an eighty-unit affordable apartment community designated for seniors (age 62+).

  • The buildings have been designed to fit the context of the neighborhood, particularly the existing Crystal House buildings. The new buildings will have façades with a combination of brick, fiber cement panels, metal panels, and glazing (windows and doors) in a color palette complementary to the surrounding buildings.

  • CH-3 (TRUE GROUND) will be an eleven-story building with two levels of underground parking.

    CH-4 (EYA) is anticipated to be an eleven-story building with two levels of underground parking.

    CH-5 (TRUE GROUND) is anticipated to be a seven-story building with two levels of underground parking.

    CH-6 (TRUE GROUND) will be a five-story building with one level of underground parking.

    CH-7/8 (EYA) is anticipated to be three two-story buildings with one level of underground parking.

  • EYA will be developing the for-sale units in CH-7/8 along Fern Street South. These units are anticipated to be market-rate. Pricing and delivery dates have yet to be determined, and EYA will also be meeting with residents ahead of future construction plans. You may contact EYA at: 301-918-5548.

  • CH-3 will be a multi-family residential community separate from the CH-1 and CH-2 community. Access through the building is limited to CH-3 residents, guests, and staff – similar to CH-1/CH-2 access for their respective residents.

  • The approved park plan was laid out in a public process that included input from the community. The location of the play area was decided through that process. However, TRUE GROUND is looking into adding fencing along the play area to prevent children from running into the roadways from the play area.

Construction

  • We have provided a webpage that is updated regularly with current construction information: https://www.crystalhouseprogress.com/.

    QR codes are posted onsite which link to our progress website.

  • As of December 2024, the anticipated construction schedule is as follows:

    • Early Utility Work: September 2024 - February 2025

    • CH-3: May 2025 - Q4 2027

    • CH-7/8: TBD - Q4 2027 

    • CH-6: Q3 2026 - Q4 2028

    • Eads Park: Q4 2027 – Q3 2028

    • CH-4: TBD - early 2030

    • Neighborhood Park: TBD - late 2030

    • CH-5: TBD - early 2030

    * Note that all dates are subject to change and do not include early site/utility work

  • CH-3’s new building footprint will be located where much of the site’s current stormwater infrastructure is located. The final stormwater infrastructure will account for the new and existing buildings and will need to be removed with new infrastructure built prior to the start of CH-3. Additionally, a sanitary sewer line that services CH-1 will also need to be relocated. While service interruption is not anticipated for this work, any interruption to service will be scheduled during non-peak hours (typically late night/early morning) and will be limited in duration.

    CH-6’s new building footprint will be located where Crystal House One currently has underground power and gas lines running to the building. To build CH-6 these will need to be relocated along with the existing transformer and switch.

  • Prior to the start of construction for CH-6, shut-offs for gas and power will be required to switch over to the new service as the lines are relocated. This work will be carefully coordinated with the utility companies and contractors. Residents will receive ample notice ahead of any shut down. Shutdowns are typically late evening to very early morning to minimize impact. These should happen once for each utility but may require additional shutdowns depending on utility providers and safety precautions. Shut-offs are not anticipated for CH-3 construction and are not currently known for future phases.

  • Yes, prior to CH-3 the relocation of current stormwater and sanitary sewer infrastructure will need to be relocated, and prior to CH-6 gas and electrical infrastructure will need to be relocated. Future sitework on other phases is not known as of February 2024.

  • Depending on the County’s review this date can change. We hope to start CH-3 sitework in September 2024, with materials arriving late August.

    CH-6 sitework start is TBD due to the change in phasing (CH-3 is now Phase I), anticipated late 2025/early 2026.

  • Depending on the County’s review the start date is subject to change. The schedule for CH-3 site work is anticipated to run from September 2024 to February/March 2025. Once sitework is started for CH-6 it is expected to run for approximately five to six months.

  • CH-3 Details for Early Work:

    • Phase 1 – Complete

    • Phase 2 – Anticipated October 2024 to December 2024: work continues from phase 1 moving away from the building façade towards and along the main vehicle entrance along the connection to 20th Street S, and away from the main entrance and North along South Eads Street.

    • Phase 3 – Anticipated December 2024 to February 2025: work continues from prior phases concluding the work along the vehicle entrance and moving to the breezeway passage underneath CH-1 (retail access to be maintained through construction). Work continues along South Eads Street and along 18th Street S.

    Notes for CH-3 Early Work

    • The current schedule and work plan is what is anticipated prior to the start of work. Unforeseen circumstances may alter this plan.

    • The sidewalk along the building should remain open, any disruptions will be limited to working hours with safe passage for pedestrians provided.

    • The main building entrance to CH-1 will remain open.

    • Work along CH-1 Eastern building façade is approximately 15 feet from the face of the building.

    • Work hours are 7am to 7pm (M-F), Saturday 10am to 6pm (subs do not prefer Saturday work – used for makeup hours if needed).

    • Soils are stockpiled and removed from the site in a controlled manner.

    • During the initial phases of early work, the goal is to maintain one open lane for traffic along the South Eads Street entrance. Any shutdowns will be limited to work hours and should not be longer than a few hours.

    • New structures are placed at 18 feet deep which may require temporary shut down of the intersection at 20th Street S and South Eads Street. Noise levels are the same for each phase, but most intense when work is nearest to the building – Mitigating this by working in two crews to speed up the work and get away from the building as soon as possible.

      Details on future phases are under development and will be provided ahead of work.

  • Yes, TRUE GROUND will work closely with our General Contractor and subcontractors to ensure access to the loading dock and trash areas. There may be times when access is limited, but our team will be in close contact with your property management when these instances occur.

  • Most likely, yes – fire and life safety will be considered for CH-1/CH-2 throughout the development process with egress and safety precautions. All building entrances/exits will be maintained with safe to protected pathways around the construction sites.

  • On-site construction activity, including, by way of illustration and not limitation, delivery of materials and equipment, except for construction worker arrival to the construction site and indoor construction activity, shall commence no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, and shall commence no earlier than 9:00 a.m. and end by 9:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

  • The development across the site remains in accordance with the 2019 4.1 Site Plan which determined the protection of some mature trees and the replacement of tress that will need to be removed. The full landscape plan is provided in the approved plan set and updated to reflect the current conditions with minimal (and approved) changes.

  • Yes, common dust prevention practices will be adhered to. Additional meetings will be held with current CH-1/CH-2 resident prior to construction where greater details will be provided.

  • Parking will be provided for construction workers during construction. Construction workers are not permitted to park in Crystal House resident parking, except in areas where construction is taking place. However, it generally is not intended for workers to park within construction areas, as paid parking is provided for them. Additionally, directions to/from Metro are shared with workers prior to the start of work.

Parking

  • Parking during construction will be relocated to other areas within the community. Parking space may also be available in Crystal House parking garages. There will not be any impact to the parking garage or parking outside of the construction zones. Additional off-site parking may also be available at times of limited on-site parking during construction. Please speak with property management regarding your parking location during construction if you currently park inside the construction zone.

  • No, CH-6 is designed to park only the new residents of that building. However, the next phase (CH-3) will be delivered with additional parking for CH-1 and CH-2 residents inside of a new parking garage.

  • Overall, there will be more parking once all construction is completed although the parking ratio across the site at full buildout will be less. The location and access of the parking will be different. CH-1 and CH-2 parking garages will remain. There will be additional surface parking along the internal streets, as well as replacement parking garages in CH-3 and CH-4. CH-3 will provide 199 replacement parking stalls in addition to the 190 CH-3 resident parking stalls. It is anticipated that CH-4 will provide an additional 74 replacement parking stalls. Once available, you may lease parking in CH-3 or CH-4 garages through your current management company as you do today. The overall final parking replacement plan will follow the 2019 4.1 Site Plan and any subsequent amendments as approved by the County Board.

  • Replacement parking will be available once the respective building (CH-3 or CH-4) achieves certificate of occupancy, plus some additional time to clean and prepare the garage for CH-1/CH-2 residents. More information on availability and timing will be provided when this information is known.

    • CH-1 and CH-2 Garages: 164 stalls

    • Surface parking: TBD; estimated 62

    • CH-3 Total: 389

    • CH-4 Total: Anticipated 236

    • CH-5 Total: Anticipated 132

    • CH-6 (Senior) Total: 37

    • CH-7/8 (For-Sale): Anticipated 90

    *Note that future sites have not been completely designed further than the 2019 site plan approvals and may need additional updating.

  • There will be a combination of garage and surface parking. Surface parking will follow the internal street network similar to surrounding city streets, but most of these will be reserved for Crystal House residents only. Underground/garage parking will remain available at CH-1 and CH-2. The proposed parking at CH-3 would be in an at-grade garage with additional underground parking. Otherwise, all additional parking will be underground.

  • No, parking will be assigned per building with only CH-3 and CH-4 allowing the reserved parking for CH-1/CH-2 residents in designated areas within these respective garages. Please contact your management office for more information regarding leasing these spaces when they are available.

Operations

  • Some new amenities will be shared in the new parks, which will also be open to the public. However, the pool and CH-1/CH-2 amenity spaces will remain limited to CH-1/CH-2 residents. Similarly, future phases of Crystal House will have their own private amenity spaces serving the residents of their respective buildings.

  • Parking charges for CH-1 and CH-2 residents are determined by the respective owner and management companies. You should contact your management office regarding parking charges.

  • The full scope of the project (sitewide) includes two new public parks. These parks will deliver towards the end of the overall construction period so that parking and construction staging can be accommodated.

  • No, TRUE GROUND is developing and constructing CH-3, CH-6, and CH-5. TRUE GROUND will own and manage these properties along with a management partner. EYA is developing and constructing CH-7/8 and Ch-4. CH-7/8 units will be individually sold to private owners and CH-4 will be managed by EYA or an EYA management partner.

  • Who: True Ground Housing Partners, formerly known as Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) is a nonprofit real estate developer

    What we do: ….develop, preserve, and own quality, affordable places to live;

    ….promote stability and opportunity for our residents;

    …and advocate with the people and communities we serve.

  • Families, individuals, young professionals, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

  • There is something called Area Median Income, AMI, determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    Based on household size, if an individual or family is making a certain percentage under the AMI, they may qualify to live at one of our affordable properties.

    • 30% AMI = single person earning < $32,000/year

    • 60% AMI = single person earning < $63k/year or a family of four earning < $130k/year