Alexandria’s FY 2027 budget process is underway, with key public meetings and hearings scheduled from February through April. The City Manager will present the proposed budget on February 26, followed by work sessions and public hearings through March. The City Council will adopt the final budget on April 29.

Alexandria voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, February 10 for special elections to fill a State Senate seat (39th District) and a House of Delegates seat (5th District) following the departure of Sen. Adam Ebbin. Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker is running for State Senate against Republican Julie Robben Lineberry, and Alexandria City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike is running for House of Delegates against Republican Mason Butler. Early in-person voting is now open at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections (132 N. Royal St), and voter registration/updates must be completed by Tuesday, February 3rd.

Former Alexandria Democratic Committee chair, Sandy Marks, and executive director of Cornerstone Craftsman, Roberto Gomez, have announced their candidacy for City Council, contingent on Councilmember R. Kirk McPike winning his February 10 special election for the House of Delegates. Housing affordability and stability were named their top priorities.

Alexandria’s Office of Housing will host a Housing 2040 Open House on Saturday, February 28, from 10am - 3pm at the Nannie J Lee Center (1108 Jefferson St). Residents can learn about draft policy recommendations and share feedback on topics including Tenant-Landord Rights, Homeowner Resources & Common Interest Communities, Affordable Housing Preservation, and Housing for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities. Registration is required.

Victory Center, a long-vacant office building at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria’s West End, will be converted into 377 affordable housing units after securing $130 million in financing. The deal includes a $33.9 million loan from Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund, along with support from Kennedy Wilson, Criterion Real Estate Capital, and a 25-year city tax abatement. Half of the units will serve households earning 50-60% AMI, and half will serve those at 80% AMI, with affordability locked in for 99 years. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.

In response to the County Board’s FY2027 Budget Guidance, we now await the County Manager’s Proposed FY27 Budget to be released at the Saturday, February 21 County Board Meeting. The budget deficit could be up to $45M. Among many suggested remedies was the ‘restructuring’ of many housing-related programs, with a note to prioritize reductions that do not “disproportionately burden vulnerable community members.” The Budget Public Hearing will be on Tuesday, March 24. The Tax Rate Public Hearing will be on Thursday, March 26.

The Housing Division has announced it will release a FY27 NOFA for AHIF funding, creating a competition for the remaining AHIF balance for one affordable rental housing project. Details coming in February.

The County Board is hosting Open Door Mondays to chat with a Board member, every week except holidays, from 6-8pm with pre-registration. In-person ODM’s are held on the 2nd and 4th Monday: ODM 2026 Schedule.

The Arlington Community Foundation and Just Neighbors will hold the next (Virtual) Immigration Q&A on Tuesday, February 3 at 2pm. They will discuss the suspension of immigrant visa processing and other immigration-related questions. Submitting questions in advance is highly encouraged. Please register here.

The Leckey Gardens redevelopment proposal will be heard at the Planning Commission on Feb 9^th and at the County Board on February 21st. Please sign up for public comment in support of this project that will deliver nearly 250 new (up to 4-BR and as low as 30% AMI) CAF units just off Langton Blvd.  

County Commission Vacancies: The Housing, Planning, and Tenant-Landlord Commissions all have open seats available. If you or another advocate have time and expertise, please apply today! For more information, email [email protected].

Our NVAHA~Arlington coalition, Housing Action Arlington (HAA) meets again on Wednesday, February 11 at 12 noon (virtually). We’ll have two guest speakers plus do some budget strategizing.  Register now to join us!

Fairfax County has announced their 2027 Budget Process and Timeline. On February 17, the County Executive will release the FY2027 Advertised Budget Plan. The Board of Supervisors will hold public hearings on FY2027 Budget on April 14-16.

On Wednesday, February 4, the Fairfax County Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the rezoning application submitted by the Franconia Redevelopment Partners, LLC, for the Franconia Government Center property. The Board of Supervisors (BOS) is currently scheduled to hold its public hearing on February 17. Please support the rezoning application by giving testimony either in person, by written statement, by telephone, or by pre-recorded YouTube video (videos to be submitted no later than 9:00 am on Tuesday, February 3).

Potential updates to the county’s zoning regulations for Accessory Living Units (ALUs) are under consideration, and the community is invited to weigh-in through an online survey. ALUs are a secondary dwelling area of a single-family detached residence, often known as in-law suites, basement apartments, or guest houses. The community survey offers county residents an opportunity to submit feedback on potential changes for ALU regulations, and will remain open through February 28.

There will be upcoming public hearings on a proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment for improvements to Congregate Living Facilities. The Planning Commission Public Hearing will be on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. and the Board of Supervisors Public Hearing will be Tuesday, March 17 at 4:00 p.m.

FCRHA and its development partners, NHP Foundation and Gibson Spyre LLC, will commence pre-development activities on a site in Falls Church on Columbia Pike.  FCRHA and its development partners are considering 160 affordable homes.

FCRHA and True Ground Housing Partners will begin pre-development activities on a site in Herndon near the Innovation Center Metro Station. For planning purposes, the FCRHA and its development partner are currently considering approximately 435 affordable homes.

The Loudoun County Administrator is expected to release Loudoun County's Proposed FY2027 budget on February 11. Budget Public hearings will be held on Thursday, February 26 at 3pm and 6pm and on Saturday, February 28 at 9am. NVAHA will convene a virtual meeting of Loudoun partners on February 23 at 11am to review the proposed budget and discuss our advocacy strategy and talking points.

In January, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved uses of the unassigned FY2025 general fund balance of $194M, including a one-time allocation of $10.5M to the county’s Housing Fund. The Board also discussed dedicating the revenue of a local cigarette tax to funding down payment and closing cost assistance.

On January 21, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a series of amendments to the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan, which is part of the Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan. The amendments, in part, address items in the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan, which is currently under review.

On January 22, Department of Housing and Community Development staff presented the Transportation and Land Use Committee with the results of a suitability analysis for using land owned by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) for the development of attainable housing. The report found 25 LCPS-owned parcels that are “potentially suitable.” There is concern that, while LCPS strongly prefers that units on LCPS-owned land be reserved for LCPS or county employees, there is no statutory authority to establish that policy. Another concern involves competing policy priorities, in which parcels of land are already being used for a specific use or are in the planning or pre development phase of being developed for a non-residential purpose.  

Loudoun County is accepting applications for affordable rental units at The William Apartment Complex in South Riding. Through the Midway Rental Program, units are available for rent for households earning 50-80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), or $81,950-$131,150 for a family of four. For information on eligibility, program requirements, and the application process, contact the Loudoun County Housing Program Specialist at 571-627-7712 or [email protected].

At a January 14 BOS public hearing, plans were discussed to rezone 27 acres in Ashburn at the corner of Belmont Ridge Rd. and Portsmouth Blvd. to replace a shopping center with commercial space and 318 units of housing. 44 units would be reserved for the county’s Affordable Dwelling Unit program. While some speakers at the public hearing supported the project, citing the county’s need for more affordable housing, neighbors expressed concerns including increased traffic on local roads. The application is expected to come before the BOS in February.

The Prince William County FY2027 budget process is tentatively scheduled to kick off on February 17, with the budget presentation and a public hearing tentatively scheduled for March 17.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will meet onTuesday, February 3 at 2:00 pm to review and approve the Affordable Housing Fund Policies and Guidelines.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) recently announced that the joint Prince William County and City of Manassas Park’s Yorkshire/Manassas Park Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) grant application was selected. This grant application was developed through an inter-jurisdictional partnership. The HAPP grant will fund $75,000 for the development of the Yorkshire/Manassas Park Affordable Housing Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan. 

NVAHA kicked off our monthly Prince William County Local Alliance meetings with an in-person event last week. If you are interested in joining our PWC Alliance meetings, we will meet on Thursday, February 26 from 4pm - 5pm via Zoom. To join us, please email [email protected]. We will compare calendars and set a regular monthly meeting date on 2/26.

Exhibitors and sponsors are welcomed at the 16th Annual Northern Virginia Housing Expo, Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 10am - 3pm at Fairfax High School - 3501 Lion Run, Fairfax.  Meet hundreds of engaged homebuyers, renters, and housing professionals. Build partnerships with other exhibitors—lenders, builders, nonprofits, real estate pros, and the region's local government agencies.

Many jurisdictions and CoCs (Continuum of Care) in our region working with HUD and MWCOG have rescheduled the date of this year’s annual Point in Time count from the night of January 28, 2026, to February 4, 2026 due to the inclement weather. 

Virginia Housing is hosting a series of meetings around the Commonwealth to showcase its variety of programs available to support affordable and workforce housing projects, and housing-related organizations. In Northern Virginia, the meeting will be held on February 26, in Warrenton, from 1pm- 3pm. Registration required. Sign up for Virginia Housing’s Strategic Housing Newsletter to receive updates and announcements.

The 2026 Session of the Virginia General Assembly is underway and there are over 175 housing-related bills to track. NVAHA partners with the Virginia Housing Alliance and other organizations to support statewide housing legislation and budgetary actions. Follow VHA’s General Assembly Legislative Tracker for up to date information.

NVAHA is also a member of the Commonwealth Housing Coalition. Here is a summary of their priority bills this Session.

We also work with Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Virginia Poverty and Law Center, and Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, if you are interested in learning more about their affordable housing-related platforms and legislative agendas.

A partial government shutdown is underway and is expected to last until at least Tuesday, when the House is set to hold critical votes on a group of bills to fund the federal government. The proposed package would fund most departments through September but provide only a two-week extension for Homeland Security as lawmakers discuss potential reforms to federal immigration enforcement.

Last week, the Corporation for Supportive Housing reported that Congress released the FY2026 HUD appropriations bill after several months of negotiations. The final agreement provides $77.3 billion for HUD in FY2026, representing an increase of over $7 billion for the agency from FY2025 levels.

The bill also includes important policy updates to the CoC program. It directs HUD to renew all contracts expiring in the first quarter of 2026 for a 12-month period. Contracts expiring later in the year are dependent on HUD’s actions surrounding the FY2025 NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) that is currently in litigation. If the litigation continues or the FY25 NOFO is not issued and awards made, additional renewals will be triggered automatically for the second-quarter on April 1, and for the remainder of the year on July 1.

HUD informed CoC recipients of the steps needed to start the process for renewals according to the FY24-25 NOFO. The FY24-25 CoC NOFO opened January 9, 2026, and will remain open until February 9, 2026. HUD anticipates being able to select awardees by late March 2026.

NAHRO reports that as of January 2026, HUD ordered public housing authorities and owners to immediately verify the immigration status of nearly 200,000 tenants using the EIV-SAVE Tenant Matching Report. Providers have 30 days to address discrepancies between HUD-50058 data and USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) data. 

The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund recently allocated $10 billion in New Market Tax Credit authority to 142 Community Development Entities. Investment capital will flow through these financial intermediaries to support affordable housing, small businesses, health care facilities, manufacturing, and community infrastructure in low-income communities.

In this session, NVAHA Fairfax Director Anika Rahman reviews the top 10 housing bills to watch this General Assembly session and provides key policy context. Former Delegate Ken Plum explains how the session works, where major decisions are made, and how housing advocates can effectively engage with state legislators and communicate their priorities. For copies of the slides, please email [email protected].

• NVAHA’s Leadership Council member, Brian Goggin, of True Ground Housing Partners, writes about the costs of developing affordable housing:

  • How much does it Cost to Build Subsidized Housing

  • How Much Does it Cost to Operate Subsidized Housing

• Spanberger's One Day Housing Moves, HousingForward Virginia 

• Higher Utility Bills Hit DC, Northern Virginia as Rate Hikes Take Effect, ABC 7

• Housing Shortage and Rising Rents Pose Growing Economic Risk for Greater DC Region, WTOP

• Enterprise Green Communities Releases its 2026 Edition of Green Affordable Home Criteria and Standards, Enterprise 

• D.C. Region Leaders Warn Against Disruptions to Federal Funds for Homeless Services, FfxNow

• HUD Orders Citizenship Verification, MSN 

• More Seniors are Becoming Homeless: Shelters Are Trying to Adapt, NPR

• Virginia Democrats Campaigned on Housing Affordability, Now the Question is How to Deliver, WAMU