Applause and cheers broke out from the usually decorous Arlington County Board room when the board approved plans for redevelopment at two Buckingham apartment complexes and purchased a third complex.

About two years ago, Buckingham tenants feared their homes would be torn down and redeveloped into townhouses they couldn’t afford. But in a deal struck in March, the developer agreed to sell the county one apartment complex and include some below-market-rate apartments in its new buildings.

“Last year, we lost one of our villages, and the rest of our community seemed threatened,” said Patricia McCullough, a tenant who has lived in the neighborhood since 1990.

Before the developer, Paradigm, and the county reached the agreement, the county considered delaying redevelopment by declaring the properties part of a historic district.

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“I think because of the county’s tough stance, the applicant was willing to come to the table,” County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson said.

As part of its votes Saturday, the board designated the complex it is buying for $32.1 million a historic district. That means its 140 apartments will be permanently preserved as affordable housing for those who earn 60 percent of the area’s median income or less. The Buckingham apartments were built between 1939 and 1953 to house the influx of federal workers.

Paradigm will being building its first new apartment complex before the end of the year, Paradigm President Stan Sloter said. Tenants in Buckingham Village 1 will receive notices to move in the next few months, he said Saturday. The county and the developer will help the tenants find new homes in the neighborhood and move.

The board on Saturday approved Paradigm’s plans to build two four-story apartment buildings and 68 townhouses on the site of Village 1. The first building, with 234 units, will contain 100 affordable apartments. The second will have 272 units.

mhegstad@dcexaminer.com