This article is from Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board Chairman.
Access to housing is a human right, but it's also an opportunity. We all do better when we all have access to housing. Housing is important for one's personal finances, the success of the economy at large, and it is also better for businesses and transportation.
During the pandemic access to housing also became a public health issue. We were told we were safer at home, which meant people needed and continue to need access to affordable housing.
In
Fairfax County we believe people deserve a safe and affordable place to live.
Before the pandemic, we were well positioned to prioritize our housing needs by
setting aside a penny in our tax rate. Because of the impact of COVID-19, we
were not able to do that in the FY21 budget.
We
remained optimistic. The pandemic forced us to think more creatively about
housing and making systemic changes to make it easier to increase our
affordable housing stock in the years to come. Thanks to the great work of our
housing team we currently have over 1,700 units of affordable rental housing in the pipeline.- In FY22, the County expects to
spend $148 million on housing through the Department of Housing and Community
Development and Fairfax County Redevelopment Housing Authority (FCRHA).
- The Board was able to dedicate a
half-penny over the County Executive's original budget proposal and allocate
$13.6 million more to housing for a total of at least $23 million available for
construction of new units or preservation of existing affordable units.
- Fairfax County is becoming
increasingly efficient in maximizing the funds available by investing in
creative financing tools and leveraging community partnerships across
non-profit and private sectors.
- Under my leadership in Lee
District and as Chairman, the Board has transferred five properties from our
ownership to the FCRHA. This has created approximately 600 units of affordable
housing.
- Learn about the Board transferring
a portion of the Government Center Parking Lot to be used for affordable
housing here.
Last fall the Fairfax NAACP Housing Committee requested a study be conducted of possible racial inequities in Fairfax County’s property taxation. Similar studies have found that African American and Hispanic people face a 10-13% higher property tax burden in the US and 5.5% in Virginia. The study conducted of Fairfax County found that African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans do not face higher property tax assessments.
In February 2021, the Board
approved an updated Workforce Dwelling Unit (WDU) Policy that incentivizes
builders to include affordable units for households with low- and
moderate-incomes within their market-rate residential properties.
- The WDU Policy provides builders with a “density bonus” in exchange for the inclusion of committed affordable units as a component of their residential development. This means if they commit to including housing for a variety of affordability levels, that can build more market rate rental units.
- Under the new policy, WDU targets those making 60-80% of the area's median income (AMI) and eliminate those targeting the 100- 120% tiers.
Learn more about WDU policy here.
