[vcnva-agenda-items]

Housing has a profound effect on our lives. It shapes where we work, how we get around, and the community around us. Yet, we are not building enough housing near jobs, services, and transit to keep up with demand, fueling a statewide housing shortage and suburban sprawl. This shortage has resulted in large increases in home and rent prices. The pain is real: nearly 2 in 3 renters and 1 in 4 homeowners in Virginia are “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend over 30% of their income on rent or mortgage.¹ To cope with rising rents and home prices, residents move away from walkable cities, into car-dependent suburbs, increasing carbon emissions with longer commutes.²

Zoning policies in Virginia’s cities and counties limit the vast majority of our residential land to single-family only housing, which typically consumes twice the energy of multi-family homes.³ When zoning prohibits small, affordable homes on small lots in our cities, towns, and existing suburbs, people will continue to be forced into living farther out in car-dependent sprawl. Today, Virginians already face one of the nation’s longest commutes, straining household budgets and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.^4,5

Restrictive zoning and land use policies enacted by local governments have contributed to a shortage of over 105,000 housing units in the Commonwealth and are a key factor in an all-time high housing prices.^6,7 Consequently, families are facing financial insecurity, struggling to live close to jobs and amenities, and being priced out of communities they have called home for decades. Because of high demand and systemic failure to provide a diversity of home types and sizes, the same housing stock that was affordable a generation ago is now out of reach for young families.⁸

Zoning provisions that limit the majority of residential land in urban, town, and village centers to large-lot, single-family homes with parking mandates restrict the types and amount of housing built, pushing development out into agricultural and natural areas.^9,10 Additionally, the upfront cost of land, infrastructure, and materials necessitates a higher sale price for these types of homes. This kind of sprawl results in car-dependent development patterns that are defined by long commute times and high vehicle emissions.¹¹

Recently, some localities have adopted zoning codes that allow for a wider diversity of home designs (duplexes, small multi-family, etc.) that use land more efficiently and sustainably while providing homes that are affordable to a wider range of incomes. In response, many of these localities are being sued by residents who disagree with these changes.^12,13,14,15 As a result, other localities are reluctant to implement zoning changes that legalize a variety of homes to avoid the risk of costly litigation.

The General Assembly can support local government efforts to address Virginia’s housing shortage by providing zoning, permitting, and process improvements. These changes, when aligned with zoning flexibility that allows for the conservation of green space and mature tree canopy, can reduce sprawl and the climate vulnerabilities sprawl creates.¹⁶

Virginia can leverage housing and land use policy to reach the Commonwealth’s sustainability goals and ensure that Virginians (and those who want to call Virginia home) can afford a home that is safe and stable. In Virginia’s urban cores, any of the following policy opportunities could contain provisions to allow for flexibility within zoning codes and create incentives to promote the preservation of existing trees. Adding more homes of varied styles in urban, town, and village centers preserves natural areas, reduces car-dependency, and allows for smaller, more energy-efficient homes.

Transit-Oriented Development

Incentivize local governments to zone for multi-family housing and eliminate parking minimums within a half mile of all high-frequency transit, light-rail, and Metro routes in Virginia. Incentives could include a Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development grant program or awarding extra weight when evaluating funding for infrastructure projects in localities that upzone such areas.¹⁷

Accessory Dwelling Units

Allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), including mother-in-law suites and backyard cottages, without an expensive and confusing special use process. ADUs support multi-generational living, can supplement household income if rented, and provide new homes in communities of opportunity. Localities would still require these units to meet building code standards, water and sewer capacity, as well as floodplain and stormwater standards.

Housing in Job Centers

Allow for the conversion of acres of commercial parking lots, vacant storefronts, and office buildings into mixed-use, walkable, and tree-lined communities. Allowing housing and mixed-use development in commercial areas without expensive and lengthy rezonings within urban, town, and village cores would encourage infill development, adding new homes where people can drive less, reduce stormwater runoff, and remove tree-less surface parking lots that contribute to urban heat islands (see PRESERVING & EXPANDING TREE CANOPY).

Affordable Housing on Faith-Based Properties

Many faith institutions are looking to support their congregations and communities using their most valuable asset – their land – to provide income-restricted homes. However, the process of building new multi-family homes, especially affordable homes, is extremely challenging. Removing zoning barriers and shortening development timeframes while preserving green space will enable faith-based organizations to build income-restricted homes in urban centers with access to jobs, services, and transit.

¹ Housing Costs as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months. (2023). U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B25140?q=virginia&t=Mortgage+Costs:Renter+Costs

² Hochstenbach, C., & Musterd, S. (2018). Gentrification and the suburbanization of poverty: Changing urban geographies through boom and bust periods. Urban Geography, 39(1), 26–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2016.1276718 

³ Virginia Zoning Atlas, by-right housing. (2023). HousingForward Virginia. https://housingforwardva.github.io/virginiazoningatlas/part-2-2.html

⁴ Stebbins, S. (April 23, 2022). States With the Longest Commutes. 24/7 Wall St. https://247wallst.com/special-report/2022/04/23/states-with-the-longest-commutes/

⁵ Location efficiency and housing type: Boiling it down to BTUs. (2023). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-03/documents/location_efficiency_btu.pdf

⁶ Housing underproduction in the United States. (2024). Up for Growth. https://upforgrowth.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024_Housing-Underproduction-in-the-U.S.-Report_Final-c-1.pdf

⁷ Horowitz, A., and Hatchett, C. (January 22, 2024). How Restrictive Zoning in Virginia Has Hurt Housing Affordability. The Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2024/01/22/how-restrictive-zoning-in-virginia-has-hurt-housing-affordability

⁸ Virginia Zoning Atlas, by-right housing. (2023). HousingForward Virginia. https://housingforwardva.github.io/virginiazoningatlas/part-2-2.html

⁹ Virginia Zoning Atlas, by-right housing. (2023). HousingForward Virginia. https://housingforwardva.github.io/virginiazoningatlas/part-2-2.html

¹⁰ Badger, E., & Bui, Q. (2019, June 18). Cities start to question an American ideal: A house with a yard on every lot. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/18/upshot/cities-across-america-question-single-family-zoning.html

¹¹ Hudson, S. (May 2, 2022). This Map Shows How Low-Density Sprawl Makes Climate Change Worse. Greater Greater Washington. https://ggwash.org/view/84816/this-map-shows-how-low-density-sprawl-makes-climate-change-worse

¹² Armus, T. (2025, June 25). Virginia appeals court says Arlington can end single‑family‑only zoning. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/25/arlington-missing-middle-housing-appeals-court-ruling/

¹³ Armus, T. (2024, August 26). Lawsuit to keep single‑family zoning in Alexandria likely heading to trial. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/08/26/alexandria-zoning-housing-lawsuit-trial/

¹⁴ Higgins, J. (2024, November 22). Lawsuit to stop Charlottesville’s new zoning ordinance can proceed, says judge. Charlottesville Tomorrow. https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/newsletter/lawsuit-to-stop-charlottesvilles-new-zoning-ordinance-can-proceed-says-judge/

¹⁵ Willis, K. (2025, April 8). Mass rezoning lawsuit against the City of Roanoke moves forward. WDBJ7. https://www.wdbj7.com/2025/04/08/mass-rezoning-lawsuit-against-city-roanoke-moves-forward/

¹⁶ Hoffman, J. (2023, October 12). Conservation has a housing problem. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im3BZvRNeSc

¹⁷ Sharma, S. (2015, November 10). U.S. homes have gotten huge — offsetting the gains from energy efficiency. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2015/11/10/9705824/home-size-efficiency