Leaders from religious communities, development groups and financial institutions are gathering in Old Town North today (Tuesday) for a summit on faith-based housing development.
The sold-out event, “Restoring Hope and Building Opportunities,” is taking place now at United Way Worldwide’s Alexandria headquarters, where speakers and attendees “will examine how faith-based institutions can move beyond advocacy to serve as structured development partners — leveraging land, capital, and community trust to address housing shortages and expand economic opportunity,” according to a release.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins started opening remarks with an anecdote about the recent Walk for Peace that passed through Old Town earlier this month.
“It’s a reminder that peace is not something you can just wish for. It’s something you have to work for. That love is not simply an emotion, it’s an action,” Gaskins said. “I think the same is true when we talk about affordable housing and when we talk about some of the issues of affordability that we’re seeing — not just here in Alexandria, but I’m sure in your communities, as well. We can talk about these conversations, we can hope for it to be better, but it’s not going to change until we actually pass the policies and build the housing that we need.”
The summit comes as a city-supported “Yes in God’s Backyard” bill, the Faith in Housing Act sponsored by State Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-29), approaches the finish line in the General Assembly.
The bill would allow religious organizations to develop housing on their property by right, without requiring special exception, special use or conditional use permits, or a rezoning process. It would also require at least 60% of a development’s homes to be committed affordable for at least 30 years.
“I’ve heard from many of my local government counterparts. They say, ‘Why do you want to take away our control?’ … and what I’ve tried to say to them is that I can’t do this alone,” Gaskins said. “Alexandria cannot build enough by itself. There are too many places across Northern Virginia that also need to be building at an accelerated rate.”
The city is continuing to plan updates to its long-term housing principles, goals and strategies through Housing 2040. The changes aim to address Alexandria’s dwindling affordable housing stock, as the city is down to roughly 10,500 naturally occurring and committed affordable units, as opposed to 18,000 recorded 25 years ago, according to a city presentation in November.
Over the next 15 years, Alexandria could lose up to 900 more affordable units whose commitments are slated to expire.
A planned open house this Saturday will allow attendees to view the city’s Housing 2040 draft recommendations and offer feedback. The current draft plan outlines ten goals, which include items like strengthening tenant protections, preserving existing affordable units and expanding housing options for seniors and people with disabilities.
In remarks, Gaskins also talked about some of Alexandria’s existing faith-based affordable housing projects. These include The Waypoint, an 81-unit building on Fairlington Presbyterian Church’s former parking lot, and The Spire, an eight-story, 113-unit West End building constructed on land donated by The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
City Council in December also approved plans for the Alfred Street Baptist Church to construct 145 affordable units at the site of the 1970s-era Old Towne West building.
“I think what’s exciting about each of these projects is, not only are they high quality housing and affordable housing opportunities — they’re also in communities where they’re near transit, they’re near jobs, they’re walkable and sort of, really, a part of the connected fabric within our city,” Gaskins said.
Today’s summit is hosted by the International Institute for Business Information and Growth and the Faith Opportunity Zone Initiative (FOZI), with sponsors Presidential Cottage Homes and Walls of Troy.
Speakers today include the Rev. Steven Moore of First Christian Church in Falls Church, Eugene H. Dibble of FOZI, Wayne Johnson of Presidential Cottage Homes and John Farden of United Way Worldwide. David Bowers, an executive at Enterprise Community Partners, delivered the keynote address.
Gaskins said Alexandria is trying to be “a government of possibility” where projects don’t start “from a place of ‘no.'”
“If you are here in Alexandria, I hope you’ll continue to work with us,” she said. “Our doors are open, and we’re excited for the ideas that you have.”
Photo via Wesley Housing/Facebook.
