Update: Agenda Alexandria has rescheduled this event to 7 p.m. March 23, due to inclement weather.
Housing development and affordability will be the subject of Agenda: Alexandria’s next program, now expected to take place in March.
The discourse-dedicated nonprofit is hosting an expert panel discussion with guests “representing multiple sides of the housing issue” at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, with further details to be released on its website.
The goal is “to shed light where there has been much heat,” Agenda: Alexandria said.
“Housing is a contentious issue that has been with us (seemingly) forever,” the nonprofit said. “For some housing is an investment and for others it’s a human right.”
Agenda: Alexandria is still confirming participants, the nonprofit told ALXnow. The panel is currently slated to include the City of Alexandria’s housing director, the director of nonprofit Housing Alexandria and an economics professor who specializes in housing and regional economies.
It will also include the chair of the Coalition for a Livable Alexandria — a group of plaintiffs who are attempting to appeal the dismissed lawsuit they brought forth against the City of Alexandria for its Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative.
The following topics are all up for discussion at the Feb. 23 panel, according to the Agenda: Alexandria release.
- The state of Alexandria housing development
- The economics of housing (e.g., does increasing supply in Alexandria really lead to reduced cost)
- Density (must we maximize it to create affordability, impacts on city services and city character)
- How to balance the conflicting interests of developers, homeowners, and residents in need
- The impact of federal and state policies on local decisions
- Alexandria’s role in the regional housing shortage
- What we really mean by “affordable” and other housing buzzwords
- Property tax implications
- How many affordable units will it take before we are out of the housing crisis?
Questions from attendees and the nonprofit board will be addressed, as well as questions sent to [email protected].
Photo via Agenda: Alexandria/Facebook.
