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ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board has agreed to purchase a home in the Waverly Hills neighborhood for stormwater mitigation purposes.
At its regular meeting on Saturday, the county board approved an agreement to buy the property at 4437 18th Street N. for $969,200. The agreement to purchase the home was on the consent agenda approved by the board at the meeting.
The property was one of 38 in flood prone areas in the Waverly Hills and Cherrydale neighborhoods that county officials identified for purchase on a voluntary basis. It is the first home that the county reached an agreement with the owner to purchase as part of its flood prevention efforts.
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In July 2019, 18th Street N. and other neighborhoods in Arlington were hit by flash floods that caused extensive damage.
Under the agreement, the sale will include the home, a detached garage and the land. The owner is required to hand over the title to the property free of all mortgages and liens at settlement.
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Along with paying $969,200 for the purchase of the home, the county anticipates spending about $350,000 to demolish the home and garage once they are bought from the owner to “naturalize” the property, according to the county.
“This strategy opens the opportunity for potential dual-purposing of the property acquisition for water quality credits,” county said.
In 2022, the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services’ Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management launched a voluntary program to pursue acquisitions of properties whose owners are willing to sell to the county as part of its flood mitigation efforts.
Along with a sufficient budget to cover the costs of purchasing the home on 18th Street N., the county said the Department of Environmental Services’ Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management has funds for the estimated demolition costs in its program budget.
The purchase of the 38 properties identified by the county would allow for greater access to existing stormwater infrastructure for potential future upgrades, provide overland relief during periods of intense rainfall, and other potential future engineering solutions, the county said.
The Department of Environmental Services’ Real Estate Bureau sent letters of interest to the owners of the 38 properties, including the owner of the home on 18th Street N., in the Spout Run watershed that would be of the most useful to the county for flood prevention.
Several property owners responded to the letters, indicating an interest in pursuing a sale with the county, according to the county.
For the property on 18th Street N., the Department of Environmental Services will coordinate with the county’s Historic Preservation Program (HPP) after the acquisition to take photos of the interior and exterior of the house for the HPP’s building archives.
The HPP will also contract with companies to salvage materials and items in the house and garage of any historical significance.
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