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Do you have feedback on proposed affordable housing policies and tools?

72 responses on forum


Question: Is the 17.7% target for a sufficient supply of affordable rental housing appropriate?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, this target is appropriate. 50.0% 36
No, this target is not appropriate. 38.9% 28
I am not sure. 11.1% 8

Comments (optional):

Answered
47
Skipped
25

Question: What are your thoughts regarding the approach to the geographic distribution of committed affordable housing?

Response Percent Response Count
I agree with the proposed policies. 31.9% 23
I agree with the proposed policies, but I would add other considerations (explain below). 34.7% 25
I do not agree with the proposed policies. 33.3% 24

Comments (optional):

Answered
53
Skipped
19

Question: Should Arlington County residents and workers receive a preference for committed affordable housing?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, I agree that Arlington residents and workers should receive preference. 66.7% 48
I support preference for Arlington residents, but not for workers. 9.7% 7
I support preference for Arlington workers, but not for residents. 4.2% 3
No, I do not support giving preferences. 12.5% 9
I am not sure. 6.9% 5

Comments (optional):

Answered
31
Skipped
41

Question: Is it appropriate for this plan to address middle income ownership housing demands?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, it is appropriate. 56.9% 41
No, it is not appropriate. 29.2% 21
I am not sure. 13.9% 10

Question: Should we be using public funds for higher-income households?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, I agree. 15.3% 11
No, I do not agree. 63.9% 46
I am not sure. 20.8% 15

Question: Would it be more appropriate to address this demand through land use provisions rather than financing?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, that is more appropriate. 46.5% 33
No, that is not more appropriate. 19.7% 14
I am not sure. 33.8% 24

Comments (optional)

Answered
28
Skipped
44

Question: Should opportunities for creating greater flexibility of housing types beyond the urban corridors that support both rental and ownership options be further studied?

Response Percent Response Count
Yes, I agree they should be further studied. 76.4% 55
No, I do not agree they should be further studied. 22.2% 16
I am not sure. 1.4% 1

Comments (optional):

Answered
36
Skipped
36

Additional comments on the Draft Affordable Housing Master Plan & Implementation Framework (optional):

Answered
46
Skipped
26
Name not shown inside Arlington
April 12, 2015, 10:02 AM
  • Question: Is the 17.7% target for a sufficient supply of affordable rental housing appropriate?
    • No, this target is not appropriate.
  • Comments (optional):

    First, the 17.7% target is based on the assumption that every person with AMI below 60% needs to LIVE in Arlington in order to WORK in Arlington. The assumption is false. Arlington business say they want workers to live "nearby" to be reliable workers, but in a region with extensive public transportation, "nearby" does not necessarily mean living in Arlington. Some of this could be resolved by improved public transportation (with subsidies for Arlington employees) rather than by housing. Second, whatever percentage is used WILL NOT create "social diversity" in Arlington UNLESS the housing plan keeps as a goal, and enforces the goal, of GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION of affordable housing throughout the county, rather than concentrated within certain neighborhoods, as exists now.

  • Question: What are your thoughts regarding the approach to the geographic distribution of committed affordable housing?
    • I do not agree with the proposed policies.
  • Comments (optional):

    The policies are skewed and uncreative. You do NOT need to locate affordable housing near existing transportation routes. The county can and should CREATE transportation routes, by expanding ART bus services as needed, and align them with affordable housing, rather than the other way around. By largely limiting affordable housing to the metro corridor or existing major bus routes the county artificially makes it impossible to carry out the goal of GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION of affordable housing.

  • Question: Should Arlington County residents and workers receive a preference for committed affordable housing?
    • I support preference for Arlington residents, but not for workers.
  • Comments (optional):
    No response.
  • Question: Is it appropriate for this plan to address middle income ownership housing demands?
    • Yes, it is appropriate.
  • Question: Should we be using public funds for higher-income households?
    • I am not sure.
  • Question: Would it be more appropriate to address this demand through land use provisions rather than financing?
    • I am not sure.
  • Comments (optional)
    No response.
  • Question: Should opportunities for creating greater flexibility of housing types beyond the urban corridors that support both rental and ownership options be further studied?
    • Yes, I agree they should be further studied.
  • Comments (optional):

    I agree with exploring this proposal, but ONLY if the flexibility is provided throughout the county, and not limited to certain neighborhoods with existing concentrations of affordable housing.

  • Additional comments on the Draft Affordable Housing Master Plan & Implementation Framework (optional):

    The master plan should not abandon the goal of geographic distribution of affordable housing. Affordable housing is already over-concentrated, particularly along Columbia Pike, as measured by the county's own 2011 goals. Columbia Pike's goal was 15% of affordable housing, while the reality is 38% (and 75% of all new affordable housing in 2009-12). North Arlington, by contrast, is under-represented. The goal was 25%, the reality is 7%. This has two principal negative effects. First, the housing policy does not truly bring diversity to Arlington, but concentrates low-income household in certain areas, rather than providing income integration in the county. Second, by concentrating low-income households, the housing policy creates school districts with high concentration of poverty, which decades of research shows has a detrimental effect on student performance. If the county works comprehensively, it can come up with solutions -- opening up new areas (by changing zoning, if necessary) to affordable housing, shifting the emphasis on FAMILY-oriented affordable housing to other areas, supplementing affordable housing policy with a transportation plan to bring in employees to Arlington from nearby jurisdiction, expanding choice schools (ATS, HBW) and north Arlington schools to include more children from affordable housing, etc. The housing plan should also explicitly recognize that building as much affordable housing as possible for the least amount of money is NOT the most desirable goal -- that some balance of geographic distribution must be maintained, even if this means slightly less affordable housing at a higher costs, but which more evenly balances all community goals, including school and student performance, and not just exclusively serving the goal of more affordable housing.

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Question 1 of 5: SUPPLY OF RENTAL HOUSING

Objective: Produce and preserve a sufficient supply of affordable rental housing to meet current and future needs. Preserve the economic and social diversity of our community.

Proposed Target: By 2040, have 17.7% of the housing supply affordable to households earning below 60% AMI. 

Background: Preserving the economic and social diversity that Arlington currently has is important for the long-term sustainability of our community. Current gaps in affordable housing needs and supply threaten our community’s ability to maintain our diversity.

Based on the study’s housing needs analysis, the greatest area of unmet need was rental housing for households with incomes below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). 60% AMI is equal to a family of four with income up to $65,520 or a single-person household with income up to $45,900.

Today, 17,000 households (16.4% of Arlington) are renters with incomes at or below 60% AMI. There are only 9,500 apartments affordable to that income group. By 2040, forecasts show 17.7% of households in Arlington will be renters at or below 60% AMI. The Plan proposes to close this affordability gap and meet the forecasted need.

Current Affordability GapProposed Target

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many units is that? Forecasts show that 17.7% of the housing supply will be equal to 22,800 units in 2040. To meet the proposed target, the share of housing considered affordable includes both market rate apartments and committed affordable units (CAFs). If the private market does not provide units at this affordability level, these households will depend on the County’s CAFs. Today there are approximately 7,000 CAFs in the County.

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