This post was written by Jill Norcross, Executive Director.
Last month, several Northern Virginia affordable housing experts had the opportunity to teach segments of the Affordable Housing Fundamentals course offered by the George Mason University’s Center for Real Estate Entrepreneurship. As a part of the curriculum, the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA) was invited to speak about regional policies and funding sources, and I was able to share insights on the driving forces behind development in local jurisdictions.
During our discussion, we emphasized the importance of two distinct tools – the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance – in shaping our communities’ built environment. Several local governments in the region recently made, or are in the process of making significant changes to these tools through comprehensive planning amendments and updates to zoning ordinances. These changes have been driven by community conversations around current land use policies that have not served all residents and constituents equitably. Much conversation, data and awareness of past discriminatory housing and land use policies have led to the need for systemic change. Are we learning how to operationalize equity and address the unjust history of our region’s zoning? How will these policy changes affect the MWCOG-led Regional Fair Housing Plan goals? While we have a long way to go, we are seeing some movement and change.
First and most symbolic, as you probably have heard, the Arlington County Board unanimously passed the Missing Middle zoning ordinance last month, a historic vote to effectively end single family, noted as exclusionary zoning, in all parts of the County.This contentious and long process began in 2016, and truly shed a spotlight on how current zoning in our regional jurisdictions limits equitable growth. The debate resulted in a series of land use and zoning changes allowing development for up to 6 units per residential lot, developed within the same building height, setbacks, and size allowed for single-detached homes. The adoption also limits annual permits to 58, which will be distributed throughout the County.
The City of Alexandria recently launched their Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative with a symposium focused on racial equity and the use of zoning as a tool to end exclusionary practices. Alexandria will continue this effort throughout 2023 by examining 9 potential zoning reforms. The impetus for the City’s Zoning for Housing program is driven by the data on the high number of cost burdened renter households who pay more than 30 percent of their income of $75,000 or below on housing, which is 15,000 in the City of Alexandria (Source: American Community Survey 2015-2020 Estimates).
In Fairfax County, last month, the Board of Supervisors voted to adopt an Affordable Housing Preservation policy amendment to the Comp Plan, establishing a one-for-one replacement policy for affordable units serving 60% of the AMI and below (and in some cases for Workforce Dwelling Units, 80% AMI). While the critical details will be provided in the Administrative Guidelines which are currently being drafted, this “no net loss” policy is a best practice for affordable housing preservation.
Loudoun County is also in the middle of their own Zoning Ordinance Rewrite which includes Chapter 9 on Attainable Housing (redline version). Through this multi-year process, the Loudoun County Planning Commission will continue to hold work sessions on the Zoning Ordinance rewrite throughout the summer and possibly fall of 2023, at which point the Board of Supervisors will take action on the proposed changes.
Finally, in December of 2022, Prince William County approved a significant update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which will guide the growth, redevelopment and preservation of the county through 2040. The Planning Department developed a Housing Chapter as part of their update to their Comp Plan 2040. One of the initiatives of the updated Prince William Comp Plan is to implement a policy to create an Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit or (ADU) Ordinance. (ADU is a confusing acronym in current housing policy as it can refer to both an affordable dwelling unit and accessory dwelling unit). Note that Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County and Loudoun County, along with the majority of NoVa jurisdictions, have Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinances.
Moving forward, NVAHA will focus more of our education and advocacy work in Prince William County. We welcome you to join us for a virtual Lunch & Learn conversation on Wednesday, April 26 from noon – 1 pm, as a debrief on what is happening in Prince William around affordable housing. If you are interested in joining April’s Lunch & Learn, please RSVP here.
NVAHA will continue to track jurisdictional updates to existing Comprehensive Plans and Zoning Ordinances, many of which have not been refreshed in the past 50, 60 or more years. Your support amplifies our collective work to increase the production and preservation of affordable housing as we promote healthy, sustainable and equitable communities that meet the diverse housing needs of Northern Virginia residents. Please consider joining us for our Celebrate and Elevate reception on Thursday, May 18 from 5:30pm to 8pm, as we come together to celebrate the progress made and the work ahead towards a more just and equitable housing landscape for our region.