As members of the Virginia General Assembly prepare to gavel into session next week, the word to watch is affordability.
Last year, Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have allowed Prince William County to require developers there to include affordable housing in their building plans. This year, Delegate Sam Rasoul has a bill that would allow Roanoke officials to make similar requirements.
"We've got to make sure that when we have new developments that at least a portion of those new developments is accessible to everyday people in our communities like our teachers, law enforcement and firefighters," Rasoul says. "People who deserve to be able to live in the very communities they are serving."
Members of the General Assembly will also be considering a separate bill that would give every city council and board of supervisors across Virginia the ability to make demands for affordability on developers.
"That is the essence of what zoning is: local governments telling developers what they are allowed to build and where," says Sheila Herlihy Hennessee at the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. And when localities prioritize affordable housing, it makes sense that they would say if you want to build in our jurisdiction, you have to include some affordable housing in your development."
Now that Democrats have a trifecta with the House, Senate and governor's office, they'll be able to move much more of their affordability agenda into law.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
