Fairstead breaks ground on $120M Samuel Madden Homes redevelopment
Developer, city partners transform historic public housing site into 207-unit sustainable community with permanent affordability
Fairstead and its development partners broke ground Wednesday on the $120 million redevelopment of Samuel Madden Homes, a project that will replace 66 aging townhomes with a six-story, 207-unit affordable housing community in Old Town.
The development marks one of the most ambitious affordable housing projects in the city’s history, featuring net zero energy-ready design, universal accessibility standards, and a commitment to permanent affordability for families earning 30% to 80% of the area median income.
“At the end of the day, what we are going to create and have created together are 207 new affordable homes,” said Noah Hale, managing director of development at Fairstead. “This community is also in partnership with ALIVE. We’re targeting food insecurity here in Alexandria.”
The 295,000-square-foot development at 999 North Henry Street will include approximately 7,500 square feet of open space and nearly 500 square feet of ground-floor community space for a food hub operated by ALIVE, a local nonprofit. Additional amenities include a creative studio for podcast recording, a game room with free high-speed internet access, and an interior courtyard.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins attended the ceremony alongside Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and council members Canek Aguirre and Jacinta Greene.
Historic significance
Gaskins emphasized the project’s connection to its namesake, the Rev. Samuel Madden, a prominent African American figure who served as a reverend at what is now Alfred Street Baptist Church. The original Samuel Madden Homes were constructed in 1945 as segregated housing for African American workers in the defense workforce during World War II.
“At the end of the day, we are creating more than just affordable housing. We are creating homes,” Gaskins said. “Homes where people will live in some of the greenest, healthiest places imaginable in our city and across our commonwealth and across our country.”
Right to return
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority maintains its one-for-one replacement policy, ensuring that all current residents have the right to return to new units when construction is complete in the fall of 2027.
“Everyone who was here who called Samuel Madden home has a home in the new Samuel Madden,” Hale said. “No one’s being displaced. Everyone will be able to find a new home, right-sized, high-quality luxury with services for as long as they want.”
A former resident, who had lived at Samuel Madden for 13 years, told the crowd that her children are eager to return. “All they want to know is how much longer, how much longer they want to come back,” she said.
Innovative financing
The project uses what Hale described as a “9, 4 hybrid” financial structure, representing two separate ownerships and investments built simultaneously to maximize available resources.
“This community is one of the most complex financial structures in society,” Hale said. “It’s not just affordable housing. These are two deals that will be built simultaneously. No one here will ever see the difference. But for us in the development community, it really is an innovation that’s allowed us to maximize the resources that we have out there.”
Steve Napolitano, senior vice president at Boston Financial, noted that Freddie Mac invested more than $50 million in the development and plans to invest $2 billion nationally in affordable housing next year.
Mark Jinks, chair of ARHA’s board, likened the complex financing to a parfait. “It’s got layers. All the layers support each other, and you need to get to the top of the glass to get the whole thing done,” he said.
Sustainability and design
Hale described the project as “one of the first net-zero energy-ready homes over four stories in America.” The development also meets universal design standards throughout, making it accessible to residents with varying mobility needs.
The development team includes architecture and landscaping by Torti Gallas & Partners and interior design by Determined by Design, a firm specializing in affordable and supportive housing.
Fairstead CEO Jeff Goldberg emphasized the company’s commitment to quality. “The way we look at people’s homes is they should be homes that we’d be proud to live in, that'd be proud to have our families living in,” he said.
Preserving history
As part of honoring the site’s history, the development team is collecting oral histories from former and current residents, with a goal of capturing at least 10 stories. Archaeological trenches have been studied to understand the site’s physical legacy, and a comprehensive documentary study will be archived by the city.
Long-term affordability
The community will remain affordable permanently, with Fairstead, The Communities Group, and ARHA serving as owners for 15 years before transitioning to long-term affordable housing preservation.
The redevelopment represents the second phase of ARHA’s broader portfolio transformation, following the Ramsey Homes redevelopment. Additional communities including Chatham Square are planned for future development.
Jinks noted Alexandria’s decades-long commitment to affordable housing, pointing to the successful redevelopment of a Samuel Madden site downtown 20 years ago that received national recognition from the National Home Builders Association.
“The challenge is out here for Fairstead to equal that kind of national recognition of doing absolutely great work,” Jinks said.
Hale emphasized that the project’s impact extends beyond the current development partnership. “We’ve always designed this deal to set up the city and ARHA to be the most successful that they can be in the future,” he said. “Partnership is beyond financial interest. It’s the true interest of each party.”