Bill of the Day: Creating Safe, Affordable Housing
Lack of affordable housing leads to car-dependent suburban sprawl. Photo of Prince William County, VA. Photo by William Parson.
How Are Housing and the Environment Connected?
Where and how we build housing shapes where we work, how we get around, and the community around us. Providing safe, affordable housing reduces carbon emissions, protects our natural areas and forests, and protects homeowners and renters from increasing housing and transportation costs. Allowing more and diverse types of housing allows all Virginians (and those who want to call Virginia home) to find homes that fit their needs and reduce their carbon emissions.
We are in a statewide housing shortage, causing increased home and rent costs. Restrictive zoning and land use policies are limiting the amount of housing being built. When housing in cities and older suburbs is unaffordable or altogether unavailable, residents tend to move farther out. This “suburban sprawl” contributes to dependence on cars; more carbon pollution from longer commutes; loss of valuable farmland, forests, and wetlands to new development; and the destruction of carbon sinks and natural resilience for our communities. Localities must take stronger action to meet growing housing demand.
Access to safe, affordable housing creates stronger communities and healthier lives. You can take a deeper dive into housing in Our Common Agenda. To learn more, read our “Housing for the Climate” policy paper.
Housing Bills to Support in the General Assembly
Legislators have introduced bills that would update zoning and land use policies to create more safe, affordable housing across the Commonwealth:
(Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker) Enables localities to adopt a right of first refusal ordinance to purchase and preserve affordable housing.
(Delegate Katrina Callsen) Incentives infill development by allowing Charlottesville, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Newport News to join four existing jurisdictions in setting different tax rates for land and for improvements made on that land (including housing).
(Delegate Shelly Simonds) Enables localities to implement an expedited approval process to develop affordable housing after meeting specific requirements.
(Delegate Rae Cousins) Enables localities to amend their zoning ordinances to create an affordable housing dwelling unit program. Companion to SB74.
(Senator Jeremy McPike) Enables localities to amend their zoning ordinances to create an affordable housing dwelling unit program. Companion to HB867.
(Senator Kannan Srinivasan) Legalizes accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as granny flats or backyard cottages, in single-family residential districts statewide. Companion to HB611.
(Delegate Joshua Cole) Would enable split land value tax statewide. Incorporated into HB282.
(Delegate Shelly Simonds) Would enable split land value tax statewide. Incorporated into HB282.
(Delegate Joseph McNamara) Would enable split land value tax statewide.
(Delegate Laura Jane Cohen) Legalizes accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as granny flats or backyard cottages, in single-family residential districts statewide. Companion to SB531.
Take Action
See the real-time updates from Virginia’s Legislative Information System (LIS) on the bill tracker below: