Advocates of a more streamlined way to get affordable housing built on religious-owned land on Saturday (Nov. 16) made one more appeal to Arlington County Board members.
But they may be facing an uphill battle convincing Arlington, and other Northern Virginia localities, to come on board with the proposal during the 2025 General Assembly session.
A coalition of religious and housing groups earlier this year pressed the legislature for broader powers to allow for the by-right development of affordable housing on parcels that had been owned for at least five years by religious organizations.
The proposal considered in the 2024 General Assembly session would have scaled back governmental power in regulating density, height and other facets that developers typically must abide by.
It received a tepid reception in Richmond, as local governments and organizations representing them voiced concern about giving up local authority over zoning. Local control is an issue that seems to transcend political divisions among elected officials in Virginia’s counties, cities and towns.
Given the opposition, state legislators opted to punt the matter to the 2025 session, where advocates will try again.
While the Arlington Housing Commission recommended that the policy proposal be included in the County Board’s 2025 legislative-priorities package, it is not part of the draft now circulating.
That omission drew Pat Findikoglu as the lone speaker at the Nov. 16 public hearing on the legislative package.
She represented Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, or VOICE, one of the key backers of the proposal.
Many faith organizations currently have “surplus land, aging buildings and high overhead,” Findikoglu told Board members. Building apartments would be a win-win, advocates say, aiding broader affordable-housing goals while assisting congregations that typically would be housed in space within the redeveloped property.
But because of bureaucratic hurdles, “too many congregations don’t dare contemplate using their land for housing,” Findikoglu said.
One congregation that did — Central United Methodist Church in Ballston — spent a decade or more between conception and opening of housing completed in partnership with the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. (The latter organization is now known as True Ground Housing Partners.)
Katie Wenger, who as vice chair represented the Housing Commission at the hearing, said that affordable housing continues to face opposition from neighborhoods. Opponents have the resources to outflank and outlast efforts by religious organizations to develop more housing, advocates contend.
Board members largely were silent on issues raised at the public hearing, but member Matt de Ferranti said he planned to follow up on some of the Housing Commission recommendations that had not made the cut.
Whether Board members will be swayed on the faith-in-housing lobbying will be known Dec. 14, when a final vote on the legislative package is slated to be held. On Dec. 3, county leaders will meet with members of Arlington’s legislative delegation to discuss the upcoming session.
At a recent meeting of the Falls Church City Council’s legislative committee, elected officials were iffy about the faith-housing proposal, noting concerns about local zoning power being diminished. Fairfax County officials do not reference the proposal in their draft legislative package.
The 2025 General Assembly session will begin Jan. 8. Democrats hold narrow majorities in both houses, but the final composition will depend on the results of upcoming special elections.
