Housing Alexandria will release their application for 31 two- and three-bedroom townhomes for the Cardinal Path homeownership community (formally called the Seminary Road project) on Tuesday, July 15, at 9am. To receive an application on July 15, prospective applicants must first fill out and submit this screening form.

The City of Alexandria has launched an 18-month planning process to update the land use plan for the Duke Street Corridor, from Union Station to the future Landmark/West End development. Community feedback is open through July 3.

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) has proposed to relocate 167 senior and disabled residents from the aging Landrey property to the Alate, a newly constructed senior complex. Last Tuesday, City Council approved ARHA’s plan to acquire the property, soon to be renamed “Silver Fox”, using Virginia Resource Authority (VRA) bonds.

In an earlier than expected turn of events, Arlington’s 2023 Expanded Housing Options Ordinance (EHO or Missing Middle Housing ordinance) was upheld by the VA Court of Appeals last week. The court “remanded and reversed” the initial court ruling that stopped EHO in 2024. So, for the moment, and unless the decision is again appealed and again stopped, the County’s EHO program can proceed as it was prior to the initial lawsuit opposing it. We will update as we learn how and if the County plans to jump-start EHO permitting.  News coverage included: County press release, Washington Post article, ArlNOW posting, and an excellent explainer by Arlingtonians for Welcoming and Inclusive Neighborhoods, a group supporting and tracking Arlington’s EHO progress, which you can join at www.ArlingtonWINs.org

Arlington’s Housing Commission has a Community Engagement Task Force to identify barriers to and make recommendations to promote participation in housing policy decision-making for historically marginalized communities within Arlington. Please complete this Community Engagement Survey in English and Spanish to share your feedback and please share the survey links in your networks, particularly to those who may not participate often or are unaware of public comment opportunities.

The Housing Commission also has initiated an Affordable Housing Ordinance Working Group to assess the County’s Affordable Housing Ordinance enabling legislation and develop recommended changes to recalibrate the formula with updated market conditions, in alignment with the Affordable Housing Master Plan goals. 

ICYMI: NAACP-Arlington Branch’s ​4th Annual Arlington Fair Housing Conference video recording from May 2025 is now available: The Buck Stops Here: Fair Housing and the Importance of Local Enforcement.

NVAHA~Arlington hosts a monthly meeting as part of its Housing Action Arlington (HAA) group of housing stakeholders, advocates, practitioners, and residents. You can sign up here to attend a monthly virtual meeting or to receive periodic updates.

Affordable housing in Merrifield is officially underway. Construction to start soon on Merrifield office-to-affordable housing conversion. Officials with Fairfax County, Conifer Realty and Joseph Browne Development Associates broke ground on June 23 to repurpose the currently vacant, four-floor office building at 2990 Telestar Court, as an 80-unit affordable apartment building. The one- and two-bedroom units will eventually be available at rental rates aimed at households that earn between 30 and 80% of the area median income.

HUD released its Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 formula allocations for various programs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). HUD awarded Fairfax County $8.3 million in total entitlement funding: $5.8 million for CDBG, $2 million for HOME, and $510,107 in ESG funding. The Board of Supervisors reviewed the FY 2026 One-Year Action Plan last month.

Earlier this year, HUD announced the new timeline of effective dates for the 2025 HOME Final Rule. As previously reported, HUD’s new final rule seeks to update, simplify, and streamline HOME Program regulations, and better align the program with other Federal housing programs. As Fairfax County works to ensure program compliance with this new final rule, Grants Management will provide additional guidance to all housing partners with HOME-assisted projects that may be impacted.

On June 3, the Board approved a loan of $5.4M from the county’s Housing Fund to TMAssociates and the Knutson Companies to build Goose Creek Village West Apartments. All 72 units will be affordable, serving households at 70% AMI and below. The Board also reauthorized loans to Wellington Development Partners and Cornerstones Inc. for three previously approved projects - Old Arcola School Apartments and Tuscarora Crossing Phases I and II, which will provide an additional combined 253 units of affordable housing to Loudoun.

The new Attainable Housing Loan Program and Program Guidelines were passed by the Board of Supervisors at the June 17 Business Meeting.  The Attainable Housing Loan Program consolidates and replaces the existing Affordable Multifamily Housing and the Rental Housing Acquisition and Preservation Loan Programs with a more comprehensive financing program to support the expansion of rental and homeownership units.

The search for a Director for Loudoun’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) continues, with a final round of interviews completed in late June and the goal of having a new Director in place by September.

DHCD staff shared updates with the Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) at their May meeting on the Expedited Process for Legislative Affordable Housing Applications. Staff intends to present TLUC with a recommended policy for approval at their July 15 meeting with the intention of presenting the policy to the Board shortly after.

On June 26, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was posted seeking proposals from organizations with expertise in public housing authorities to implement a Public Housing Authority Study. The RFP will close on July 23.

Congratulations to Prince William County who passed an amendment to their Zoning Ordinance supporting their first Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance (AfDU) under state-enabling authority, Section 2305.1 The adoption of an AfDU Ordinance unlocks their Housing Trust Fund, a best practice resource. The effective date of the amendment to the Ordinance is December 1, 2025, as County staff continue to work on the guidelines.

MWCOG's Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) will open grant applications in September, to award small, flexible grants of up to $75,000 to area local governments and non-profit developers (with support from a local jurisdiction) engaged in planning, approving, or developing housing near transit stations. HAPP, administered by COG and funded by the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, aims to advance the region's shared housing targets to increase the amount, affordability, and accessibility of our housing supply and help work toward creating more transit-oriented communities.

Housing &  (formerly HAND) released its 5th annual update to its Housing Indicator Tool 5.0. The latest “HIT” features updated regional data and, for the first time, zoning policy insights. Check out how your jurisdiction is doing to meet its equitable housing goals.

The Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workers and Funding Reductions will meet on Thursday, August 14 at 11:30a (or 30 minutes after the Joint Money Committees adjourn), in the House Appropriations Room (1200), General Assembly Meeting. Public attendance is welcome, and the meeting will also be livestreamed. Sign up to speak or submit feedback here.

The Senate Finance Committee’s version of the Reconciliation Bill (One Big Beautiful Bill) includes long-awaited improvements to Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) and Opportunity Zones (OZ), important programs that help finance affordable housing and community development production. Our partners at Novogradac provide a further explainer.

Our partners at HousingForward Virginia and Virginia Housing Alliance created this Federal Housing Action Tracker to help keep track of changes happening in real time at the federal level to housing policies, programs and resources.

The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will relocate its headquarters from D.C to Alexandria, Virginia, moving into a building currently occupied by the National Science Foundation. This will bring approximately 2,700 HUD employees to the city, while displacing 1,00 NSF employees. According to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, the move will save taxpayers millions. However, Senator Warner, Kaine, and Bayer have called for a full cost-analysis, citing concerns about transparency and the lack of relocation plans for NSF workers.

Join us for a conversation exploring how housing and health are deeply connected. Hear from HealthWorks about how housing stability functions as a key social determinant of health, and Pathway Homes on how access to safe and supportive housing improves health outcomes.

Mark your calendars!
NVAHA is turning 20, and we’re celebrating with an afternoon of learning and an evening of recognition on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the National Landing Experience Center in Arlington.

This year’s Educate & Celebrate will take a hopeful look at What is Working, featuring stories of progress from national housing leaders and local changemakers. We’ll close out the day with a reception to honor those making a difference in housing and equity across our region.

• A Smack in the Face: Voucher Holders Fear Federal Cuts, Virginia Mercury

• Landlords Can Sue Government for Missed Rent Payments during Pandemic Court Rules, Bisnow

• Fairfax Co. Teachers Can’t Afford to Live Near Where They Work, WTOP News

• Zoning Reform is Evergreen, HousingForward VA 

• Unease in the Housing Market Amid a Worsening Affordability Crisis, JCHS

• Study Shows Historically Redlined Virginia Neighborhoods are Hotter in the Summer, Virginia Mercury

• A Plan to End the Housing Crisis, YouTube Video from VA US Sen. Warner

• Implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for Housing and Community Development Programs, Policy Map

• What Happened to Big Techs Housing Fix, Bisnow 

• Scaling Impact - How Mergers Can Advance Housing in Communities, Nonprofit Quarterly