A new county initiative aims to help find ways to solve Arlington鈥檚 affordable housing shortage.
County Manager Mark Schwartz introduced 鈥淗ousing Arlington鈥澛燿uring Thursday night鈥檚 Arlington County Board meeting. Billed as an 鈥渦mbrella initiative鈥� for the county鈥檚 existing affordable housing programs, Schwartz said it will help officials and the public brainstorm solutions together.
During presentations, county staff said Arlington has lost 17,000 market-rate housing units since 2005. With 58,000 more residents expected by 2045 and current rent for a two-bedroom apartment averaging $3,000 per month, they said the squeeze for affordable housing is likely to worsen.
鈥淚f we are successful in this event, we will create and preserve more housing for Arlington residents,鈥� said聽the Housing Division Chief David Cristeal.
The county currently creates affordable housing in a couple ways, including by subsidizing its construction with the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund (AHIF) and by subsidizing rent for low-income residents.
In 2015, county officials pledged to create聽15,800 affordable housing units before 2040, but have since of the yearly creation benchmarks.
鈥淗ousing Arlington is different first because it鈥檚 a county board priority to bring solutions sooner鈥� and the expectations are higher,鈥� said Cristeal, adding that the initiative means Arlington will be 鈥渆ven more focused on this challenge鈥� and will be 鈥渕ore proactive鈥� in collaborating between public and private sectors.
The initiative will focus on addressing the shortage of affordable homes for low-income and middle-income residents, and聽plans to leverage the county鈥檚 existing housing programs along with zoning tools and private-public partnerships to accomplish that goal.
Schwartz noted that Arlington鈥檚 鈥渄ilemmas of costly housing can鈥檛, and should not, be solved with AHIF funding.鈥�
He added that for AHIF鈥檚 budget this year 鈥渋s a really good step鈥� but that 鈥渋t will never meet the full scope of the need.鈥�
鈥淲e know residents across generations are facing pressures from multiple angles, and this interconnected solution allows our community to be responsive and efficient,鈥� said County Board Chair Christian Dorsey in .
“The challenges don鈥檛 exist in silos, and their solutions don鈥檛 either.鈥�
Schwartz said the public has submitted ideas to the county before which are now research-able due to the Housing Arlington initiative. The ideas include:
- Can publicly-funded housing be created specifically for teachers?
- Should individuals let public safety staff live in accessory dwellings on their property?
Schwartz mentioned the initiative was also a response to the 鈥渟trong headwinds鈥� the county faces in addressing affordable housing with .
The hearing to approve Amazon鈥檚 incentive package was 聽who fear the company鈥檚 鈥淗Q2鈥� will hasten gentrification. Several residents shared how their rent has already increased since the company scouted its new headquarters in Pentagon City and Crystal City.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 sensing is a real concern about loss and vulnerability,鈥� Dorsey during the March hearing in between protests. At the time, Dorsey added that the 鈥渢he history鈥� of Arlington neighborhoods was that of gentrification and increasing property values.
鈥淲e never really had a way to stop it,鈥� Dorsey said.
The Housing Arlington initiative will be housed in the Housing Division of the county鈥檚 Community Planning, Housing and Development Department, per . Funding details for the new initiative were not shared.
The Housing Arlington initiative is scheduled to hold its first聽 at聽Kenmore Middle School on Wednesday, May 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Flickr photo via
