The plaintiffs in Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing/Housing for All lawsuit say they have raised the $28,000 required to pay for attorneys in their appeal against the Circuit Court’s November dismissal.
The plaintiff group, the Coalition for a Livable Alexandria, announced this morning (Friday) that it raised the funds for a fee agreement to move forward with attorneys at Dunn, Craig and Francuzenko. Last month, members of the group asked for donations in their continuing effort to reverse the city’s 2023 zoning overhaul, setting a Feb. 27 deadline.
“We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the generosity of so many, and the final contributions from two supporters who closed the remaining gap, we have successfully achieved our $28,000 flat fee agreement goal,” the coalition announced via email. “All plaintiff legal expenses for the ZFH lawsuit appeal before the Virginia Court of Appeals are now fully funded.”
The residents filing the appeal are Phylius Burks, William Corin, David and Meghan Rainey, Joshua and Maria Carias Porto, John E. Craig and Jimm Roberts.
Zoning for Housing/Housing for All includes a single-family zoning provision allowing developers to build homes with up to four units on any property. The plaintiffs argued the zoning amendment would not “broaden access to traditionally single-family neighborhoods” or construct more affordable housing, but rather create more housing while “sacrificing the single-family home and single-family neighborhood in Alexandria.”
In November, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said the court’s dismissal of the case recognized years of deliberation by city leaders.
“The Zoning for Housing initiative is a key city priority that advances our commitment to expanding and diversifying housing options across Alexandria,” Gaskins previously told ALXnow.
As previously reported, on Dec. 12, the coalition filed a notice of appeal against the summary judgment made in November by Judge H. Thomas Padrick, Jr. The group has said they are appealing to “restore residents’ rights and prevent developers and speculators from benefiting at the expense of low and moderate-income residents.”
