New polling suggests broad support among Virginians for state-level legislation to support building more housing.
A survey of about 1,300 Virginia voters found that the vast majority of respondents — about 73% — believe that the state lacks enough homes that people can afford to rent or buy.
Overall, the cost and availability of housing emerged as respondents’ top concern in Virginia, just above inflation, according to polling commissioned by the Commonwealth Housing Coalition.
Among Northern Virginians, 64% of respondents said that building more affordable housing is more important than protecting the character of neighborhoods from change, while 55% rated their town or county’s efforts to keep housing affordable as “poor” or “very poor.”
Just 33% of the region’s respondents said that they trust their municipal government to effectively address the cost and availability of housing on its own.
“These results make clear that Virginians want state lawmakers to lower housing costs,” Laura Dobbs, director of policy at HOME of VA, said in a press release. “Virginia voters are ready to support lawmakers who champion policies that make housing more affordable and accessible. If legislators stand up for housing solutions, they can count on having constituents behind them.”
A total of 79% of Northern Virginia respondents supported allowing homes to be built on slightly smaller lots, 77% supported a cap on increasing rental costs at older properties and another 77% supported placing requirements on local governments that allow homes to be built faster.
Another 68% supported a simpler process for constructing apartment buildings in areas near businesses and shopping districts, and 65% supported a more streamlined process for houses of worship that want to build affordable housing on land that they own.
Jessica Sarriot, co-lead organizer of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) — a member of the Commonwealth Housing Coalition — told ARLnow that her group is gearing up for a push to prioritize several housing policies in the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session.
Sarriot underscored efforts to allow Virginia congregations to build subsidized affordable housing by-right. She noted the recent struggles of Clarendon Presbyterian Church, which had sought to build a 102-unit affordable housing development in Lyon Village but dropped those plans earlier this year following opposition from some neighbors.
“Their project right now is not moving because of the … overly bureaucratic process and the strong NIMBY pushback,” Sarriot said. “This bill would basically create a clear path for congregations that want to follow their missional call to serve their neighbors, and to be able to do that without as much red tape.”
While VOICE isn’t specifically a housing advocacy group, Sarriot said that housing has consistently shown up as a core issue during listening sessions and outreach that the group has conducted across Northern Virginia.
“Everyone knows someone in their own family, and certainly a ton of people in their community, that are struggling to afford rent, that have been priced out of their neighborhood,” she said. “They can’t live near their grandkids. They can’t live near their parents. They can’t live near their job.”
VOICE is currently aiming for a large turnout at an October meeting in Herndon, where Sarriot hopes to see from both major candidates for Virginia governor. Ideally, she said she “would love to hear from them about putting housing at the top of the agenda.”
Some housing policies, like Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning changes, have revealed deep divides in community members’ support for some reforms. However, even some of Missing Middle’s sharpest critics focus on the need for greater housing affordability in Arlington and across the state.
Neighbors for Neighborhoods, which is currently fundraising for an ongoing lawsuit against Arlington’s Expanded Housing Option, supports the Commonwealth Housing Coalition’s goals of building more housing close to jobs and businesses, as well as more family size apartments. The group also told ARLnow that “Accessory Dwelling Units can be part of the answer to affordable housing needs.”
“Increasing the supply of affordable housing requires funding and sufficient funding has not been provided by the federal, state, or local government to meet the needs of those who are most cost-burdened,” the organization said in response to the polling data. “Letting developers have free rein to build what they want is no solution.”
Last year, the Arlington County Board included three housing priorities in its legislative package for the General Assembly: tenant rights, the Virginia Housing Trust Fund and land use policies.
The Board hasn’t yet decided what it will advocate for this year.
“The County is currently in the process of putting together the legislative package, and details on the timeline for public input will be provided at the upcoming September recessed meeting,” County Board spokesperson David Barrera told ARLnow. “While it is too soon to discuss specifics of the package, the Board expects housing issues will remain a priority for its legislative agenda this coming session.”
