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HOUSING IN ACTION NEWSLETTER — JULY 2026 EDITION

July 7, 2026

ALEXANDRIA

Alexandria City Council has approved the Housing 2040 Plan, establishing a new framework to guide housing policy in the City. Over the coming months, staff will establish new housing production and preservation targets, develop an online progress dashboard, and begin the work of advancing the plan’s recommendations. 

ARLINGTON

The Arlington County Board is inviting residents to help inform the County’s 2027 Legislative Package to the 2027 General Assembly session. The feedback form is open until July 31st. Advocates are backing issues including important updates to Arlington’s own Affordable Housing Ordinance, statewide fair housing enforcement, the “5,000 Families” statewide rental assistance pilot, substantially increasing the VA Housing Trust Fund, more zoning reforms, allowing more housing near jobs, expedited permitting processes, Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) zoning, and aging condominium maintenance funding and condo insurance programs (both as efforts to support more affordable homeownership opportunities), among others.

The Melwood/Wesley Housing affordable housing development proposal overcame the latest obstacle on its redevelopment path after the County Board voted against an attempt to declare the property a local historic district. Thank you to the many housing advocates who wrote and spoke in support of the redevelopment.

Arlington Community Foundation ​opened its “Meeting the Moment” Arlington Capacity Building Grants application until July 19th. Grants will cover one-time capacity-building projects that increase readiness, build infrastructure, or support staff and volunteer well-being.​

The Arlington County 2026 Point in Time (“PIT”) survey results have been released. In ​February 2026, the Arlington County CoC counted ​a total of 268 persons, a 1% decrease (reduction of 3 people) as compared to the 2025 PIT Count. ​Arlington’s 2026 PIT results reflected reductions in family homelessness and unsheltered homelessness but saw increases in single adult homelessness. DMV regional results varied, from minor decreases to increases of up to 25% in some jurisdictions.

During the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) presentation, County Manager Mark Schwartz recommended the County Board consider floating a HOUSING Bond in 2028, for approx $160M. This would be the County’s first housing bond and would help double today’s total of 13K CAF (committed affordable) units toward meeting the County’s goal of 26K CAFs by 2040.

Register now for our July Housing Action Arlington (HAA), meeting on Wed., July 8th at 12 noon (virtually). The HAA does not meet in August, but we will resume again on Wed., Sept. 9th, at 12 noon.

FAIRFAX COUNTY

Fairfax County is considering updates to its Zoning Ordinance related to Accessory Living Units (ALUs), also known as in-law suites, basement apartments, or accessory dwelling units. ALUs are secondary dwellings that are attached to or detached from a single-family home. Residents are encouraged to attend one of the meetings to learn more, ask questions, and share their thoughts. County staff will host two virtual community meetings to provide an overview of the proposed zoning changes, discuss next steps, and gather public feedback:

  • Wednesday, July 15th at 12pm
  • Monday, July 20th at 7pm

The Board of Supervisors Land Use Policy Committee is scheduled to meet at 9:30am on July 7th at the Fairfax County Government Center (Conference Room 11). All committee meetings are televised on Channel 16, streamed live online and available to view on demand (with captions in English or con subtítulos en español) following the meeting.

Plan Forward: Phase 2 kicked off with a Planning Commission Policy Plan Committee meeting on Thursday, June 25. Phase 2 will focus on updating the following elements: Housing, Economic Development, Heritage Resources, Parks & Recreation, Revitalization, the Chesapeake Bay Supplement, and the Glossary. Community meetings are expected to begin in the fall, following the release of draft text for several elements.

The recently adopted Comprehensive Plan for the Centreville Area covers approximately 2,700 acres and includes land use recommendations for a broad mix of residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional uses within the Centreville area and Suburban Center. 

CITY OF FALLS CHURCH

City officials plan to rehabilitate or redevelop at least a portion of the 40 fourplex apartment buildings on the Virginia Village site through a future partnership with a housing developer. The draft request for proposal lays out three alternative development scenarios for prospective partners to address. Proposals are due July 31, 2026.

LOUDOUN

Loudoun County has published its 2026 Loudoun County Apartment Guide. The Apartment Guide, available in English or Spanish, contains information about both affordable and market-rate apartment communities in Loudoun County. It features an online map and searchable directory of complexes, including a search-by-school, and by feature and community amenities, such as hospitals, fire and rescue stations, community and senior centers, parks, and public libraries.

Representatives from Loudoun County’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) presented The Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan (UHNSP) 3rd Quarter FY26 Report to the Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC) on June 17. DHCD’s report included data from the county’s attainable housing inventory and progress toward attainable housing goals. Findings and recommendations from the Urban Institute’s review of the UHNSP have been shared with TLUC and with the Housing Advisory Board and are expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors in September.

CITY OF MANASSAS

At the Monday, June 22nd Manassas City Council Meeting an ordinance was unanimously approved to allow the locality to make grants or loans for affordable housing opportunities through the established FY27 Housing Investment Fund. 

At the same meeting, the City of Manassas Council unanimously approved a resolution to provide financing for a 100-unit affordable apartment development located at the old DMV site at 9800 Godwin Drive. The units are intended to provide housing to those between 40-70% AMI with priority leasing to City employees. The groundbreaking of the property is anticipated in January 2027. 

At its July 13th public hearing, Community Development Staff will propose the adoption of an Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance (ADU) to City Council. Details will be available here. 

PRINCE WILLIAM

The Prince William Area Continuum of Care (PWA CoC) is pleased to announce the release of the FY2026 New Project Application. All application materials are now posted on the Continuum of Care Funding page. While all eligible applications will be considered, the CoC is prioritizing proposals for the following project types, which have dedicated funding set-asides in the FY2026 HUD CoC NOFO:

  • New Transitional Housing (TH)
  • New Supportive Services Only – Standalone (SSO)
  • New Supportive Services Only for Street Outreach (SSO-SO)
  • New Supportive Services Only for Coordinated Entry (SSO-CE)

HUD has also prioritized Domestic Violence Bonus funding, with additional priority given to projects that offer on-site treatment and permanent housing for families with children. Applicants whose proposals align with these priorities will help the CoC maximize its competitiveness for this year’s funding round. All New Project Applications are due by Friday, July 24th at 11:59pm.

The Prince William County Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) Program application period closed on July 1, 2026. Applications were received from eligible non-profit and for-profit developers seeking funding to support the development and preservation of affordable housing opportunities throughout Prince William County. The county’s Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) Review Team will now begin the evaluation process. Funding recommendations are anticipated to be announced in October 2026.

In addition, the OHCD continues to offer monthly Homebuyer Orientations for individuals interested in purchasing Committed Affordable Units made available through developer proffers. The next orientation will be held on Wednesday, August 12th from 6-8pm in the Auditorium of the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building. Registration is required using the County’s housing website at www.pwcva.gov/housing.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

HUD’s 2026 Household Income Limits and Maximum Allowable Rents were released and went into effect May 1st. The Area Median Income (AMI) for the Washington DC/NOVA region has risen again, such that 60% of AMI for a 1-person household is now $70K/year and 60% AMI is now $100K/year for a 4-person household. By comparison, one full-time salary at VA’s minimum wage of $12.77 pays $27K/year.

YIMBY’s of Northern Virginia will host a “Faith in Housing” Legislation Workshop on July 16 at 1 pm, highlighting how Virginia’s new legislation can help faith communities develop affordable housing on church-owned land. The workshop is designed for congregations, developers, legal and finance professionals, and advocates, and will be held at Central United Methodist Church/Unity Homes, at the Ballston Metro in Arlington, VA.

VIRGINIA

Virginia’s $207B FY2027 budget was signed into law on June 29, after the General Assembly approved Gov. Spanberger’s amendments. The budget includes more than $100M in new housing investments, including an additional $40M for the VHTF (Virginia Housing Trust Fund) bringing the total to $127.5M in 2027 and a new $20M mixed-income housing pilot, an additional $14M to expand homelessness services, and an additional $11.5M for eviction prevention and housing stability assistance, bringing the total to $14.95M. Most of this funding is non-reverting, meaning that any unspent balances can be used in FY28 as well. Review the Housing General Assembly Wrap Up from our partners at Virginia Housing Alliance.

FEDERAL | NATIONAL

With overwhelming bipartisan support, Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, representing the most comprehensive federal housing legislation in a generation. President Trump abruptly canceled a Capitol Hill signing ceremony last week. Nonetheless, the bill was officially sent to the President for signature on June 29. The bill can now either be vetoed by the President or signed into law, or, absent the president’s signature, the bill will become law with no action after 10 days not counting Sundays — around July 10.

HUD published the FY 2026 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homeless Demonstration Program Grants NOFO, authorizing homeless services organizations to apply for more than $4 billion in competitive funding to provide supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. The FY 2026 Application Submission Deadline is August 26th at 5pm.

Last week HUD released a Request For Information (RFI) to gather input on the availability of housing materials under the federal Buy America, Build America (BABA) Act. This feedback will help HUD understand the factors that may impact BABA implementation as it pertains to affordable housing development using HUD financial assistance programs. The HUD public comment period will remain open through July 20th. 

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