Alexandria has released its draft Housing 2040 Plan, which will set new housing goals for the next 15 years, ahead of June public hearings.
The Housing 2040 Plan is slated to replace the city’s current Housing Master Plan, which was first approved in 2013. That plan had a goal of producing and preserving 2,000 affordable housing units by 2025, and the city exceeded that goal when counting units under construction.
The Alexandria Planning Commission will have a public hearing on the draft Housing 2040 Plan on June 2, followed by City Council on June 13.
The proposal does not set a numeric goal for housing production through 2040, instead outlining 10 goals focused on boosting the housing supply, preserving affordable units, expanding homeownership opportunities and more. According to the draft plan, the goal of the Housing 2040 Plan is: “residents and workers of all incomes, ages, abilities, and backgrounds have a place in Alexandria [by 2040] — in healthy, safe, and resilient housing that they can afford and that meets their needs now and in the years ahead.”
Goals outlined in the plan are:
1. EXPAND housing supply to meet the city’s current and future housing needs.
2. PRESERVE the affordability, livability, and long-term financial viability of existing committed and naturally occurring affordable housing to minimize displacement of residents from their neighborhoods.
3. STRENGTHEN tenant protections and ENHANCE resources to support tenants and landlords.
4. CREATE rental housing that prioritizes affordability up to 60% of the area median income to expand opportunities for renters and workers with the fewest housing options.
5. EXPAND affordable homeownership opportunities to enable more residents and workers to become first-time homebuyers and ENHANCE resources to support existing homeowners.
6. STRENGTHEN existing common interest/condominium communities to improve governance and build capacity to address deferred maintenance, capital needs, and other challenges common to such communities.
7. EXPAND resources and options for seniors and persons with disabilities to live and age safely within the city.
8. ENHANCE housing quality, safety, and livability to support resident health, security, and well-being.
9. EMPOWER residents to maintain housing stability and pursue economic mobility and FOSTER pathways to help them build and sustain wealth.
10. SUPPORT energy efficiency improvements and weatherization and ADVANCE green building practices to lower energy costs, make homes healthier, and build resilience to extreme heat, cold, and weather events.
According to the draft plan, Alexandria had 84,200 housing units as of 2025. A majority of residents — 58% — are renters. In Alexandria, 47% of renters are reported to be cost burdened, which means they spend at least 30% of gross income on rent and utility costs.
Challenges identified in the 2024 Quantitative Housing Needs Analysis helped inform the plan. Housing challenges the city faces include expanding opportunities for lower and moderate-income workers to live in the city, mitigating increasing cost burdens for low-income renters and middle-income renters seeking homeownership, addressing racial inequities in homeownership and wealth acquisition, meeting needs of a growing senior population, and producing housing and price points for the 20 to 34 age group that is shrinking in the city.
The city’s Housing 2040 survey found 80% of respondents say the cost of buying a home is a top concern, while 78% identified housing options for middle-income residents and 77% said the cost of renting. The 18 to 24 age group expressed the greatest concerns about housing costs in the survey, and Black and Latino respondents had greater concerns than white residents across 28 housing issues.
The Planning Commission’s hearing will happen June 2 at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive). Public speakers may sign up in advance or in person to provide testimony at the Planning Commission public hearing. Written comments may be submitted to planning and zoning staff at [email protected].
After approval, the city will work on dashboards to track progress on the Housing 2040 Plan’s metrics and begin work on implementing programs recommended in the plan.
