Zoning For Housing Approved, A 'Powerful Tool' For Housing Supply

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Before the vote to approve the full Zoning for Housing, members of City Council spoke about the resourcefulness of zoning tools to diversify housing options.

Councilmember Kirk McPike, who introduced the motion for City Council to vote, said for people affected by the housing crisis, the discussion wasn’t about density or parking but rather whether they had enough money for necessities after housing costs.

“The question facing Alexandria is whether we’re willing to commit the effort and resources to make our city more inclusive, one where low and middle income families and seniors aren’t driven out by skyrocketing housing costs, or if we will continue down a path of exclusivity where only those among us who have the most are able to remain,” said Councilmember Kirk McPike. “My values, driven by my own life experience, the experience of my friends and people I love, my faith, demand the former.”

Councilmember John Taylor Chapman said he wasn’t initially supportive of components like the single-family home zone changes, but had a “moment of clarity” learning about housing supply challenges in other areas. Chapman, a native Alexandrian, said he was directly impacted by the city’s housing investments, as he grew up in public housing and his family stayed in a homeless shelter at one point. His mother bought a townhouse with a loan from the city.

Chapman believes there are locations around the city, such as the Victory Center, that are housing opportunities for people of his generation who don’t make enough money to buy a house in Alexandria now.

“I’m only here because I was able to buy the house my mother had. Without that I’d probably be in a condo on the West End,” said Chapman. “But more than likely would have been in a much larger house somewhere in Fairfax County because those were some of the housing choices that I had.”

Mayor Justin Wilson shared his experience with housing as a result of zoning decisions. The mayor said his parents’ condo purchase in Alexandria was possible due to a 1970s zoning decision. He and his wife later bought a townhouse that was built due to another zoning decision. Now the family lives in a single-family home.

But for issues like Zoning for Housing where the community is divided, Wilson said he feels “uneasy” taking a vote. The mayor said that speaks to homeownership being out of reach for people, and many current homeowners in Virginia have kept housing costs down with low interest rates.

“This one is unique in that I have never seen a generational divide in the input quite like this one,” said Wilson. “And there are exceptions for sure on both sides of this issue, but the age of people advocating on this was a pretty safe determinant of which side of the issue you were on.”

Wilson expressed support for the proposal, saying zoning is something that gives the city some control over what housing is being built.

“We can’t control all the results and we have to take a little bit because we have to, but it’s also the more impactful thing that we can do as relates to housing,” said Wilson. “We’re never gonna be able to spend enough dollars up here no matter how much we throw at this to really impact this, but our zoning authority is a powerful tool and it’s one that it gives us the ability to actually shape the supply of housing in our community.”

On the single-family zone issue, McPike noted the change allowing multi-unit buildings doesn’t change the building heights on those zones. According to the council member, the newly-approved zoning tools could create an estimated 2,800 new homes over a decade. For single-family zones, an estimated 66 of 9,100 lots are expected to turn into two-unit to four-unit buildings.

“That is a number so small, it has to be imperceptible in terms of impact our neighborhoods, but the housing types they will create will fill an essential and underserved role for young and growing families who may never be able to afford the million dollar or more price tag of a detached house,” said McPike. “These new options will let them stay in Alexandria or return here if they were from here and they went off to college and get a job but came back to find they couldn’t afford to live in the place that they grew up.”

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Councilmember Canek Aguirre drew his support from personal experience, noting he grew up in a single-family home that was split into three units and later lived in a duplex next to two single-family homes. As a young professional, he moved to Alexandria and lived in areas with mixes of single-family homes, garden-style apartments and duplexes, as well as single-family homes and condos. The councilmember expressed frustration with “rhetoric, fear mongering and the misinformation” about Zoning for Housing.

“I want you all to know that you don’t need to fear. We don’t have some ulterior motive, some secret agenda,” said Aguirre. “Everybody up here on this dais cares about the city as much as everybody else in this room does and watching online that couldn’t make it here. We’re going to be okay as a community.”

Councilmember Sarah Bagley noted that reconsidering zoning to provide housing at different price points and associated services like school and infrastructure is a goal City Council set. She also mentioned the goal of addressing climate change, which may be more of a goal for younger generations than homeownership.

“We need to reassess and reprioritize our zoning laws in order to foster a more inclusive community, where not just a select few can benefit from Alexandria,” said Bagley. “We need to think of the future of this community as the population grows, as the climate continues to change and as local priorities continue to evolve. We can maintain our current built environment while allowing everyone to benefit. I promise we just need to put in the work.”

Gaskins said she did not take the matter lightly, knowing homes are places for family memories and have investments made by homeowners. She noted that asking questions like impacts on infrastructure are important during the process.

“I do think that is not doom and gloom. I think the research and the data and the things that we have are things that we can manage and support,” said Gaskins. “When we get to the future state, I think we need some measures. We need some performance metrics. We need a system for how we go back and reassess. If we’re not achieving what the goals are that we set out to do, then, part of being in leadership is we shift in a change, and we come up with different plans or we come up with other ways to mitigate and address those things.”

The initiative drew plentiful public feedback on both sides. Speakers in favor of Zoning for Housing support efforts to improve affordable housing and add more housing options so more people of varying incomes can live in Alexandria. Opponents raised concerns about additional density and population affecting livability factors like traffic, neighborhood character and infrastructure. One of the more controversial components for opposed residents was the changes to single-family home zones with the allowance of multi-unit dwellings.

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