<< backHousing Plan Profile: Fairfax County, VA
Plan title: Affordable Housing Preservation Action Committee Recommendations Implementation Plan [PDF], available at e-ffordable.org.
Issued: September 2005
Overview:
This plan update was issued in September 2005, and prepared by the
Affordable Housing Preservation Action Committee, which was appointed
by the County's Board of Supervisors in August 2004. This phase of the
plan focuses primarily on the preservation of existing affordable
units, and is presented in matrix form, with each recommendation
followed by detailed strategic steps, identification of lead and
supporting agencies, a timeline for achievement, and status as of the
date of publication. Many of the recommendations focus on refining
existing programs. |
Photo credit: Curtis Hall 2007, courtesy of Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development
|
Click here
[PDF] to view a presentation on Affordable Housing Solutions in Fairfax County
delivered by Paula Sampson, Director of Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development.
Selected Strategies:- Offer a tool box of incentives for the preservation of affordable housing, including regulatory flexibility, and form-based zoning options and overlay districts to facilitate design approvals.
- Preserve long-term affordability by offering incentives to owners of existing Affordable Dwelling Units (ADU) to record a new covenant and extend the control period of the unit to 30 years and/or restart the control period upon sale to a new owner, and revise the ADU ordinance to extend the control period to 30 years for new ADUs.
- Create a dedicated funding source for the preservation of affordable housing by setting aside one penny of the real estate tax, and train developers in how to access funds.
- Assist in the preservation of affordable rental units in condominium conversions, by providing mortgage, closing cost, and down payment assistance for tenants who purchase their units, or allowing purchase of units by the housing authority for resale to non-profits, for rental as affordable units.
- Create an advocacy and public education campaign to work with other agencies and promote the need for affordable and workforce housing, and resources to fund the Committee’s recommendations
- Create an affordable housing "SWAT" team to prevent the loss of at-risk homes.
- Consider restructuring the State Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), and increase use of the Federal LIHTC, to emphasize preservation.
- Study the use of accessory dwelling units as a way of expanding the affordable housing stock while preserving neighborhood character.
Financing Sources Identified:- Affordable housing trust fund, capitalized by one penny of the real estate tax (proposed)
- Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority resources
- Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credit
- Virginia Community Development Bank, initially capitalized with state appropriations (proposed)
Background:Written by the Affordable Housing Preservation Action Committee, appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The lead agencies are the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, other partners identified include the Department of Planning and Zoning, Fairfax County Planning Commission, County Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, Department of Cable and Consumer Protection, and Virginia Housing Development Authority.
A timeline has been identified for each proposed strategy.
