ARLINGTON ’ S ENDURING SISTERHOOD WITH BAD KÖNIGSHOFEN : A TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND
GENEROSITY
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON WYNN TERRACE SENIOR COTTAGE COMMUNITY IN EAST ARLINGTON ✅
ARLINGTON ’ S ENDURING SISTERHOOD WITH BAD KÖNIGSHOFEN : A TALE OF FRIENDSHIP AND
GENEROSITY
The City of Arlington celebrated the 72nd anniversary of its Sister City partnership with Bad Königshofen , Germany , with a recommitment signing ceremony and the dedication of a new state historical marker in Downtown .
The Arlington community was invited to the event , held on Sept . 27 at the historic train depot site just north of the George W . Hawkes Downtown Library at 100 S . Center St . Bürgermeister Thomas Helbling and a delegation from Bad Königshofen attended the event , which also included city leaders , members of the Sister Cities of Arlington , Texas , and special guests , including former City Council member Doland Maner and Victor Vandergriff and family , among others .
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON WYNN TERRACE SENIOR COTTAGE COMMUNITY IN EAST ARLINGTON ✅
Construction is underway for the Wynn Terrace Senior Cottage Community , an affordable rental housing development for Arlington residents aged 55 and up . This “ micro-community ” in East Arlington features a dozen one-bedroom homes under 600 square feet , designed for energy efficiency . Half of these homes are available at below-market rental prices for lowincome seniors . Additional amenities include private patios , a communal space , and covered parking .
The project costs approximately $ 1.5 million , with $ 650,000 in federal funding . The homes will be ready for rent by summer 2024 . Housing Channel , a local nonprofit , leads the project in collaboration with the City of Arlington and UTA ’ s College of Architecture Public Planning and Administration . Various contributors and donors support the project .
The friendship between The American Dream City and the small northern Bavarian town in West Germany began in 1951 when German town manager Kurt Zühlke visited Arlington during a study tour of the United States . Local historians suggest the town manager made an unscheduled stop in the city because Irene von Falkenried , a German tour participant , had a pen pal in Arlington , Theda Howell . Through this pen pal relationship , the town manager had an opportunity to meet and visit with then Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff .
During their meeting , the visiting town manager informed Vandergriff about the difficulties his town was facing because of its location at the border between West and East Germany . Hundreds of people from the communist east had overwhelmed his small German town , resulting in shortages of food and clothing .
Moved by the plight of the town , Mayor Vandergriff and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce decided to “ adopt ” Königshofen and coordinated a community drive to collect food , clothing , and gifts . In 1952 , the first of four railroad boxcar shipments left Arlington from the former Texas & Pacific Railroad depot , at which the Texas Historical Commission installed a state historical marker during the September event . For more details about the history of this friendship , click here .
According to the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers , the median income for Texas seniors on a fixed income is $ 25,601 , but a renter must earn $ 46,889 annually to afford the current fair market rent of $ 1,172 for a two-bedroom apartment .
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