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A CURATED LIST OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING INITIATIVES, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENTS AND ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY FOR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTERS
February 2024
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Alexandria
On January 17, a group of Alexandria residents filed a lawsuit seeking to void the recently passed Zoning for Housing reforms, which enable up to four units, with restrictions, to be developed on parcels previously zoned only for single-family homes.
City Council approved the redevelopment of ARHA’s Ladrey senior housing community, granting a change to the RMF/Residential multifamily zone to construct a 270 unit multifamily affordable building. The project can utilize special use permits to increase the floor area ratio to 3.0 in the RMF zone, for the utilization of Section 7-700 for bonus density for the provision of affordable housing, and for a parking reduction.
Monumental Sports and JBGSmith recently announced a Housing fact sheet with information about affordable, workforce and market rate housing investments associated with the proposed development of a new Sports and Entertainment District.
Arlington
A circuit court judge rejected Arlington County’s request for appeal of a lawsuit over Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Options zoning reforms. The five-day trial is scheduled for July 8, 2024.
Arlington County is requesting Letters of Intent (LOI) from eligible partners to submit project proposals that aim to increase or preserve the supply of affordable housing rental properties affordable to households at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI) in Arlington. Priority will be given to LOIs submitted by February 13, 2024. After that, LOIs will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
Advocacy is needed in support of the Goodwill and AHC’s mixed-use project, including affordable housing, Goodwill facilities and an on-site affordable childcare center. The Goodwill project will be voted on at the Planning Commission on Wed, Feb 14th. It then goes to the Housing Commision for a vote on Thursday, Feb 15th. And the final County Board vote will be on Saturday, Feb 24th.
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Fairfax
Registration is now open for the 2024 Fairfax County Housing Symposium, which brings together elected leaders, industry professionals, policy experts, housing advocates, and county residents to discuss the value of affordable housing within our community. The symposium will take place on Wednesday, March 6 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Harris Theatre of George Mason University.
Fairfax County is seeking qualified housing providers and development firms to join the Preservation Partner Pool for 2024. The Pool will be utilized for potential collaborations to further the County’s affordable housing preservation policy and goal of no net loss of affordable units. Housing providers are asked to respond to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) by February 23, 2024.
Enterprise Community Development recently announced last week that it has acquired the Coralain Gardens Apartments in West Falls Church for $21.7 million, setting the stage for a rehabilitation that will enable the property to remain fully affordable.
The
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to defer its decision on the transfer of the
Franconia Governmental Center property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority to March 5. Advocacy and input is needed, especially from residents of the Franconia District, about the need for quality affordable housing in that community. Supervisor Lusk will be conducting additional community engagement in February. The site was previously approved for a
land transfer back in March 2021.
Loudoun County
In December, Loudoun County presented the 2024 1Q Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan update to the Transportation and Land Use Committee. While Loudoun County has been making progress, more progress is needed to achieve the housing production and preservation goals.
Prince William County
Prince William County is hosting an Open Comment Period and Notice of
Draft 5-Year Consolidated Plan for Housing Choice Vouchers for PWC FY2024-28. Informational briefings of the Plan will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in the McCoart Building, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192 in the Occoquan Room.
Northern Virginia
The 2024 Northern Virginia Housing Expo will be held on March 23, at Charles Colgan High School in Manassas. As always, the event will be free and open to the public, offering an exhibit hall full of experts as well as more than a dozen free workshops and free one-on-one financial coaching. Registration for the March 23 event includes a virtual booth in the online exhibit hall, which is available to visitors 24/7 all year long.
The Office of Community Housing at DBHDS is soliciting proposals from qualified public or private service providers to operate one or more Supportive Housing Teams (SH Teams) in the following Northern Virginia localities: County of Fairfax, Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, Alexandria City, Prince William County, Manassas City and Manassas Park. Teams will provide supportive housing services to individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) who are prioritized for DBHDS’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) resources based on their experiences of homelessness and/or institutional use. Offerors must complete a response in the DBHDS WebGrants application and grant management system. For more information on registering for the WebGrants account, reach out to Georgi Fisher.
DMV
Join the Urban Institute for a virtual and in-person event on Zoning Reforms That Improve Access to Housing for All: Evidence and Lessons for Advocates on Monday, February 5 at 3:00 pm. Speakers will draw from their expertise and knowledge about places like Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Austin, Texas; and Charlottesville and Alexandria, Virginia.
The MWCOG Regional Fair Housing Plan is finalized. For the first time in 25 years, eight local jurisdictions across metropolitan Washington have finalized a Regional Fair Housing Plan, submitted their portions of the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in December, and are now looking ahead at implementing its goals and strategies.
State
The General Assembly Session is in full swing. NVAHA has signed onto the Virginia Housing Alliance Legislative Agenda and the Commonwealth Housing Coalition Legislative Agenda. We also support VPLC and VICPP’s housing priorities. Track your favorite Housing Bills through VHA’s Legislative Tracker and contact your state representative to show your support for affordable housing legislative and budgetary priorities.
Virginia DHCD has been holding input sessions on the Affordable and Special Needs Housing (ASNH) program. If you were unable to attend an in-person input session, ASNH staff is holding a virtual input session on Wednesday, February 7 from 1 - 3 p.m.
Virginia Housing Alliance in partnership with Housing Forward Virginia recently released the Virginia Housing Trust Fund Impact Report highlighting the successes of the program as we work to bring the total amount of funding for the Housing Trust Fund to $300M over the FY25-26 biennium. The Fund has helped create 15,000 affordable units across VA since its inception.
Join the Virginia Housing Alliance for their upcoming training sessions in February and March on the Virginia Eviction Process (Feb. 16 at 11 am), Landlord Tenant Law (Feb. 27 at 11 am), and Fair Housing Law (March 28, 11 am).
Virginia Housing Alliance is hosting Advocacy Day on February 20 at St. Paul’s Church, 815 E Grace Street, in Richmond, VA. Register here and if you are interested in carpooling with NVAHA, please email [email protected] with “Advocacy Day” in the subject line.
National
The House voted to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 last night, which could provide a long-awaited boost for the LIHTC program. The bill now moves to the Senate. This tax package promises to expand the Child Tax Credit and suspend certain tax increases on business investment that took effect in 2022 and 2023. For affordable housing, this bill would:
Articles of Interest
Place the Blame Where it Belongs: Lack of Housing Supply is Largely Responsible for High Home Prices and Rents, Urban Institute
A Snapshot Of Growing Homelessness In Wealthy Loudoun County, DCist
Why affordable housing can’t pay for itself, GG Washington
Three interesting bills: medical debt, mobile home park tenant rights and state data breaches, Virginia Mercury
Rent has never been less affordable, especially for the middle class, Washington Post
To increase housing, Fairfax County pursues alternatives to ending single-family-only zoning, FFXNow
Demystifying Development Math, Terner Center
Preserving, Protecting, and Building Climate-Resilient Affordable Housing, Urban Institute
