TM Associates Develops Geothermal Workforce Housing in Brambleton, Va.
Shreveport Ridge, a workforce housing project in Brambleton, Va., has been dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state and local dignitaries.
By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer
Brambleton, Va.—Shreveport Ridge, a workforce housing project in Brambleton, Va., has been dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by state and local dignitaries. Developed by TM Associates in partnership with Windy Hill foundation, and designed by LeMay Erikson Willcox Architects, it is one of the two largest apartment developments in Virginia to be entirely geothermal. Harkins Builders of Marriottsville, Md., served as the general contractor.
The 98-unit multifamily rental community is comprised of four three-story structures. In each building, two-story townhouses are built above one-story flats. All multi-bedroom first-floor units are accessible by individuals with disabilities, in compliance with VHDA’s Universal Design criteria.
A certified EarthCraft community, Shreveport Ridge features insulated wall sheathing, high-efficiency water heaters, Energy Star appliances, low-flow water sense plumbing and fixtures, and a geothermal mechanical system.
“Shreveport Ridge was built in the wealthiest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Loudoun County,” Adam J. Stockmaster, vice president of Rockville, Md.-based TM Associates, tells MHN. The Area Median Income (AMI) in Loudoun County is $107,000 in 2014, he adds.
“With this high AMI comes very expensive housing prices for both for-sale and rental housing,” Stockmaster says. “The need for affordable housing opportunities in this county, in excess of 10,000 units currently, especially in the eastern portion in the Ashburn and Chantilly areas near Dulles Airport, is tremendous. Shreveport Ridge is a step in meeting this need.”
The lack of affordable land in such an affluent area proved a very serious headwind to overcome, Stockmaster adds. “But the master developer of the Brambleton community where this property is located was very amenable to providing this opportunity to help address this larger community need,” he says.
The people who will be served by Shreveport Ridge aren’t just from the immediate Brambleton-Ashburn area, Stockmaster points out.
They are also those from the entire eastern portion of Loudoun County and parts of western Fairfax County, which both face a serious deficiency of truly affordable housing. The rental rates being charged at Shreveport Ridge are 30 to 50 percent lower than market rates. As a result, Stockmaster says Shreveport Ridge is “providing truly affordable housing to the workforce.”
