Smart Development & Housing Options

Arlington should be a place of opportunity where people from all walks of life can call home. But our housing market is in crisis. Rents are high and rising,1 with the burden falling heavily on students and working class households.2 Home prices are rising even faster,3 limiting choices for retirees and making young families doubt that they can build their futures here. High housing costs hurt us all: residents have less money to spend on food, healthcare, and other essentials, while those who can't find homes here have to live farther away, which shrinks our workforce, reduces tax revenue, worsens traffic, and contributes to climate change.

As president of NAACP Arlington Branch, I successfully pushed the county to develop a comprehensive fair housing plan, end exclusionary zoning, and improve living conditions for low-income households. Nonetheless, we are falling behind on achieving affordable housing targets that the county set almost a decade ago and it’s time to fix this. As a homeowner in south Arlington, I recognize the need to do right by our longtime residents, which means listening to their concerns and collaborating to find common ground. Fixing our housing crisis will take bold leadership, regional engagement, and thoughtful action to:

  • Make homeownership attainable - The dream of owning a home is increasingly unattainable, especially for young adults. We need to increase assistance for first-time homebuyers, push developers to build more family-friendly 3-bedroom homes, strengthen fair housing law enforcement, and further incentivize affordable housing developers to build sustainable, accessible starter homes.

  • Drive down rent - Rent in Arlington is among the highest in the US. We need to build enough homes to keep up with demand, and work with the General Assembly to protect tenants, keep their rents stable, and support residents affected by new development. We also need to increase rental assistance for low-income households.

  • Prioritize affordable housing - Lower-income workers are the backbone of our local economy. Yet, they are severely burdened by Arlington housing costs. The County Board needs to work with the General Assembly to increase funding for affordable housing development and related programs (e.g., Moderate-Income Purchase Assistance Program (MIPAP)). Further, developers who ask to exceed the number of homes allowed under our land use policies should be required to include affordable housing in their project. Despite Arlington’s supports for residents facing housing insecurity, hundreds of residents are chronically homeless.4 We need to fully fund these supports and other actions needed to implement our newly adopted Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness so that no Arlington resident needs to resort to homelessness. 

1  ARLnow. Report: Arlington moves up to No. 7 priciest rental market in U.S. February 27, 2024.

2   Housing Arlington. Ownership Housing & Barriers to Homeownership in Arlington County. October 2022.

 3   ARLnow. Ask Eli: 2023 Arlington single-family housing review. February 6, 2024.

4   Arlington Virginia Continuum of Care. Action Plan for Ending Homelessness. 2021-2022 Annual Report.