Hunter's Park

Hunter’s Park is a four-story apartment community built in 2004 as affordable housing for independent seniors. It is one of Arlington’s best examples of high-quality, affordable housing, situated in the heart of Langston Boulevard, near shops, restaurants, and public transportation. The community offers 74 affordable apartments, a business center, a library, a dining hall, and shared community spaces. It features a great hall with a fireplace for gatherings and a rooftop terrace for lounging on nicer days. Hunter’s Park offers more than just apartments; it also provides a vibrant social life. Residents can participate in a variety of groups and activities, including book clubs, bingo, gardening clubs, knitting groups, movie nights, and walking groups. During our interview, we watched a group of residents lovingly planting and tending to flowers in the courtyards. Classes and on-site health screenings are also available to the residents. It is home to approximately 85 Arlington seniors, of whom 80% have remained in the community since its opening. 

Hunter’s Park was made possible by Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC), a local nonprofit founded in 1975 as the Arlington Housing Corporation, in response to rising housing costs in our area. AHC is now one of the largest affordable housing developers in the region, with 22 projects completed in Arlington, and 55 properties and 8,700+ homes total in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Working with Arlington County, they transformed the block where Hunter’s Park sits by replacing an aging strip mall with a lovely four-story building containing ground-floor retail. Hunter’s Park was selected by Affordable Housing Finance magazine as one of five nationwide finalists for new senior developments and received a 2012 Property Management Association's Apartment Community Excellence (PACE) Award for outstanding multifamily housing in the DC area.

We sat down with property manager Cinthia Friedman, who has been with Hunter’s Park since the day it opened its doors. Cinthia sees Hunter’s Park as more than a building. She said it is more like a family, where everyone looks out for each other and takes care of one another. Cynthia, along with the resident services staff, has worked hard to ensure that anyone who moves in or lives there feels welcome and included. She says that Hunter’s Park has been her dream job. Cinthia was able to connect us with two of her favorite longtime residents, William “Bill” Howe and Violet Fenty, to hear about their experiences.

Violet is originally from Guyana, immigrating to the US in 1989. She moved to the area with her family, as her son-in-law had taken a job at the Pentagon. She eventually settled in Hunter’s Park in 2006. Violet loves that everyone at Hunter’s Park is friendly and easy to talk to. She enjoys attending Bingo and participating in various activities. She is also active at the John M. Langston Community Center, taking the bus up there multiple times a week for exercise and activities. 

Bill was born and raised during the Dust Bowl in the panhandle of Texas and then lived a full life, moving to multiple states throughout the US. Full life indeed; Bill told us he was at the helm of our nation’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, as it made the first submerged transit to the North Pole. He moved to Hunter’s Park in 2005 after his oldest daughter, who lives in DC, wanted him to be closer to family. Bill likes the convenience of Hunter’s Park; he can easily get to the store, his doctors, and the library, and with just a couple of metro stops, he can enjoy being at a baseball game. He also enjoys the diversity of the residents. He said you can hear Greek, Ethiopian, French, German, Spanish, Hindi, and other languages being spoken throughout the building.

Listening to Bill and Violet’s stories was a wonderful experience, and we couldn’t help but wonder how many other stories of our shared cultural heritage are kept by the residents of Hunter’s Park. While we were there, we noticed the numerous activities taking place and how everyone we met seemed to have a smile on their face. We are lucky to have a facility like Hunter’s Park along the corridor. Finding affordable housing for seniors in Arlington can be difficult, let alone at such a pleasant and friendly facility.