On January 23, 2023, the Tysons Community Alliance’s Attainable Housing Initiative held their second virtual meeting of the year. During the gathering, they discussed the goals for their four newly established strike forces. The group’s primary purpose is to increase the number of attainable housing units in Tysons.
This meeting was a follow-up discussion to the “Exploring the Toolbox for Creating Affordable Housing in Tysons” workshop held in June 2022. Throughout the workshop, landowners, policy makers, and Fairfax County leaders alike collaborated to identify resources at their disposal, emerging and existing affordable housing options, and what is needed to meet Tysons’ affordable housing goals.
During the 2022 workshop, participants were asked what barriers and challenges they believed prevented the addition of affordable living options in Tysons. After receiving feedback from participants, the group compiled a comprehensive list of the responses, and, from there, identified four core areas, their goals, and the strike forces to champion them.
The latest virtual meeting, which delved into the goals and action plans of each of the four strike forces, was open to the public and included active participation and feedback from community participants.
The four strike areas are as follows:
- Corporate Partnerships:
Housing, particularly affordable housing, is a core component of a robust economy and developing sustainable economic development. A lack of affordable housing options poses major challenges to attracting and retaining corporations.
The Corporate Partnerships Strike Force’s goal is to identify ways for employers to develop solutions to increase the amount of attainable housing opportunities in Tysons. During the virtual meeting, the force emphasized the importance of creating a value proposition to help these corporations understand the need for their participation. By looking at different models of corporate engagement in housing in similar metropolitan areas, this strike force is exploring different ways to engage the corporate community in affordable housing investments in Tysons, VA.
- County Land Use Partnerships:
Land use and zoning policies play an important role in shaping the accessibility of affordable housing opportunities. Zoning regulations can either hinder or accelerate the development of said housing.
The goal of this strike force is to solicit various ideas and feedback on proposed initiatives in the area. They are particularly focused on zoning ordinances, the Fairfax Comprehensive Plan policies, and identifying potential regulatory barriers as well as future legislative initiatives. The County Land Use Partnerships Strike Force will create a specialized matrix that identifies said opportunities for modifications and select a key number of goals to launch this year in accordance with other stakeholders.
- State and Federal Partnerships:
State and federal laws set the groundwork for affordable housing policy by providing funds and resources to support housing development. These laws also regulate various aspects of the housing market to promote affordability.
The goal of the State and Federal Partnerships Strike Force is to research, identify, and propose two federal or state policies that would increase the number of attainable housing projects in Tysons. Furthermore, through identifying resources, making connections, and developing timelines, the force hopes to fast-track the development process. The group plans to launch this effort in 2023.
- Land Acquisition Strike Force & Others Partnerships:
In order to meet the community’s need for affordable housing options, land suitable for future housing development must be identified.
This group will work to identify properties in Tysons that are potential locations for attainable housing and explore partnerships with the property owners. The strike force’s goals are to highlight best practices, provide recommendations for discovering potential locations and connect developers of attainable housing with interested landowners.
If you are interested in joining the effort to support new opportunities for sustainable, affordable, and inclusive housing in Tysons, please contact Linda T. Nguyen, Elletienne Property Partners at Linda@elletienne.com.
