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In the Spring of 1998, rumors began to circulate within Arna Valley, a low-income community of garden apartments in Arlington, Virginia, that the property was going to be bought by a company that wanted to redevelop it. The prospective buyer, Avalon Bay Communities, is one of the largest real estate development corporations within the United States.

Formed as a result of a 1998 merger between East Coast dominant Avalon Properties and West Coast dominant Bay Communities, Avalon Bay Communities wanted to level the existing two story apartment buildings and rebuild an “urban village” of luxury apartments.

In order to implement their plan, Avalon Bay needed not just financial capital, much of which they had, but political permission in the form of a building permit which would allow them to build at a higher density.

Redeveloping the property by building at a higher density would ensure greater financial returns for the developer by packing more people in the same space. Avalon Bay was planning to construct a 924 unit complex which would be a combination of town homes and garden-style apartments.

However, to ensure financial success, Avalon Bay needed more. They requested assistance in infrastructure development, a $4 million low-interest loan, and county tax concessions. In return for this financial and political assistance, Avalon Bay would agree to set aside 123 units as “affordable.”

The rents for the new development are projected to range from $900 - $1100, for a one-bedroom which is substantially more than the $450- $500 residents are currently paying. An affordable unit would cost renters around $650.

Arna Valley is currently home to 3,000 people who have come to the United States looking for economic prosperity and a democratic and peaceful way of life. Arna Valley is the 700-unit apartment complex situated about 2 miles from the Pentagon and within another couple of miles of the D.C./Virginia border.

Searching for jobs for themselves, a better living for their families, and running from war and political turmoil in Central America, many of the residents of Arna Valley neighborhood settled into this suburb of Washington, D.C., in the mid-1980s. Drawn by stories which proclaimed that Arna Valley was a relatively low-cost environment populated by other recent migrants to the United States, families came to call Arna Valley home.

For many the changes from the wide open public spaces of El Salvador or the Dominican Republic to the setting of this South Arlington neighborhood was dramatic. Language barriers, cultural differences, weather, and assumptions about laws and society, which simply do not hold across borders were just a few of the changes in life that many of the Arna Valley residents had to undergo.

In some ways though, these changes are routine and expected when relocating one’s family to another country. People adjusted, found work, and became part of the working class backbone of Arlington and neighboring D.C. Performing tasks that others have either refused or have little interest in doing, such as asbestos removal or hotel housekeeping, the people developed bonds and matured into a community. But the eviction of the entire community was an unexpected threat to their way of life.

When word of the Avalon Bay project spread throughout the community, the residents sprung into action. Primarily motivated by not wanting to lose their homes, but also looking for an opportunity to ensure more control over the space where they lived, the residents began to put together a plan to form a resident-owned housing cooperative. Borrowing from the example of the Arlandria-Chirilagua Housing Cooperative (formed in 1996), which is located about a mile from Arna Valley, the residents began having dual discussions. On the one hand, they talked about how to prevent Avalon Bay Communities from proceeding, but on the other they worked to find the answer to the bigger question of what is it that they wanted. Finally, the residents reasoned that if the county was willing to essentially give $9 million to Avalon Bay Community, then provided with that same amount of capital, the residents would have the up-front money necessary to buy the property.

The question on the minds of the residents, Avalon Bay Communities, and other interested parties was what the County Board was going to do. Would they honor the wishes of the developer, Avalon Bay? Would they honor the request of the residents of Arna Valley? Or would they attempt to forge a compromise of the two positions? The final decision was scheduled to be made at a hearing on January 2, 1999.

Close to 150 supporters of the residents packed the room on the day of the hearing. Although the residents were not scheduled to make a presentation, shortly after the meeting began they demanded to be heard. Disrupting the meeting and not allowing the County Board to continue, the residents and their supporters demanded to make a statement. The members of the Board, confused and baffled, abandoned the meeting and met in a back room to determine what to do.

After about twenty minutes, the Board agreed to allow two representatives of the residents speak. The residents spoke of the insidious racism of giving $9 million dollars to a developer while giving the Latino and Black residents eviction notices. Ultimately, they made the point that without the County money, Avalon Bay could not carry out their plan and would in all probability forego development of Arna Valley.

At the end of the day, the Board approved the demolition of the community to make way for the upscale development. As a result of community pressure, the Board also approved several concessions. The residents gained relocation assistance and funds for rental assistance in their new location. But the real victory went to Avalon Bay, who got all the money they wanted, in spite of some stern talking to by County commissioners.

This complete removal of a community is the devastating, yet completely legal result of an economic system where the pursuit of profit takes priority over any and everything else. The government, which many thought was in place to ensure fair play and a level playing field, ended up siding with the developer under the notion that it is facilitating progress. Economic justice advocates must begin to measure progress differently and creatively develop strategies and tactics in order to win battles such as these, recognizing that the struggle is on-going even in the absence of conflict.

Cameron Barron is a member of the Tenant and Workers Support Committee.

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