A CURATED LIST OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS AND ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTERS
NOVEMBER
Alexandria
Public Hearings around Zoning for Housing/Housing for All will be held on November 1 at 7 pm by the Planning Commission, followed by City Council Public Hearings on November 14 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m. Consideration for potential approval will be held at the Tuesday, November 28 City Council meeting (no public comment). Community members may submit comments in advance to the Department of Planning & Zoning staff at [email protected] or at [email protected] or speak in person at the meetings. Advocacy is needed in support of the initiatives to allow for additional affordable housing development.
The Alexandria West Planning process has two more remaining Community Workshops on Nov. 4 at 1 pm and Nov. 8 at 7 pm. This process will address housing vulnerability and affordability and will set clear expectations for future development.
The City of Alexandria will host a webinar on Navigating the New Normal: Virginia’s Landlord Tenant Legal Landscape After COVID on November 9 from 10 - noon. Please register in advance online.
Arlington
Kudos to Arlington County for their work on creating a comprehensive and informative Affordable Housing Dashboard, including links to current affordable housing vacancies (updated monthly).
The Planning Commission will vote on Plan Langston Blvd tonight, Nov. 1, and the County Board will vote on the plan at their Nov. 11 meeting. Advocacy is still needed on the following:
2,500 CAFs, with a focus on 30% AMI units.
A date within the next year by which the EFC and Cherrydale area plans will be scheduled to begin.
A plan to explore additional development tools to bring CAFs to Langston Blvd, through both new construction and preservation.
Commitment to More AHIF (Affordable Housing Investment Fund) in the next budget.
Online feedback for the siteplan review of AHC Inc. & Goodwill’s Site proposal at 10 South Glebe Rd. for 128 affordable rental homes and on-site childcare is open until November 3.
Online feedback for a special GLUP study on behalf of Melwood’s Site proposal at 50 23rd St. South for 104 Affordable Units, of which 30% will be for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and retaining the Melwood Training Center for those individuals is open until November 14.
The Alliance for Housing Solutions will mark its 20th anniversary on November 20 at the National Landing Experience Center. This year's celebration will bring together the Thomas P. Leckey Forum and the Ellen M. Bozman Awards. The Leckey Forum will delve into the potential of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) as a solution to address the shortage of affordable housing in Arlington. Meanwhile, the Bozman Awards will honor formidable leaders like Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey for their incredible contributions to the advancement of affordable housing. Registrations closes on Friday, Nov 10, 2023.
Fairfax
Fairfax County RHA will hold a virtual information session for rental property owners to participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program on November 8, at 12 p.m.
HUD and the VA announced that the Fairfax County RHA is receiving Twenty additional HUD-Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers, increasing the total number of local vouchers available to 183.
Register for the Tysons Community Alliance’s upcoming interactive workshop, Accessing Attainable Housing in Tysons, on Nov. 8 from 2 to 7 pm at the Boro Station Conference Center.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors wrote a letter to Governor Youngkin to oppose Virginia's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This carbon emissions cap and trade program brought over $15.4 M to Fairfax County, and over $650 M to Virginia, for flood prevention and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income residents.
Loudoun
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to reallocate $500,000 in ARPA funds to help families facing eviction in the coming months. The $500,000 in ARPA funds were already included in a $1.5 million for housing preservation. The proposal will also allow the county administrator to implement the program and contract a vendor to allocate the funds.
On Oct. 30, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Board endorsed Chapter 9: Attainable Housing, including a significant number of motions approved by the Board during the Work Session. The Board will hold a public hearing to adopt the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite on Dec. 13.
Prince William
At recent work sessions, the Prince William County Supervisors and Planning Commission were briefed on an Affordable Housing Zoning Update, as their work to create an Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance continues.
Northern Virginia
The Community Foundation of Northern Virginia and the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis released a recent report on the Economic Impact of Mental Health on the region.
Don’t forget to vote early or on Election Day on Nov 7. Our partners at DCist.com have an excellent Northern Virginia Election Guide about how you can find out who is running in your district.
DMV
Last week, MWCOG announced $500,000 in Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) grants for affordable housing projects near transit through this partnership funded by Amazon. Four of the seven grantees were for planning projects in Northern Virginia.
MWCOG is also intending to apply for a
PRO Housing Grant this month through HUD. The application is designed to support activities that remove barriers and increase the production of affordable housing in the metropolitan Washington region. Advocates can review their
draft application available on their website.
Virginia
Virginia Housing recently announced that beginning on January 1, 2024, 4% LIHTC applications will be taken in two application rounds per calendar year, with deadlines at noon on January 25, 2024, and July 18, 2024. After the application deadline, Virginia Housing will issue Section 42m letters to successful applicants after review of individual applications in the order in which the review is completed by Virginia Housing staff.
The Attorney General recently released an official opinion about the assessment of affordable housing property for real estate taxation.
NLIHC and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released new updates to the Rental Housing Programs Database (RHPD), a publicly available collection of information on state and locally funded programs that create, preserve, or increase access to affordable rental housing. Note that information is provided for states and large cities (not counties).
Articles of Interest
