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Fairfax County leaders are considering more than 30 actions to accelerate housing construction as officials warn that the shortage threatens affordability, transportation and the local economy.
The recommendations come from a Housing Task Force created after a Sept. 9 directive from the Board of Supervisors. The board asked for a roadmap to encourage housing production and remove bureaucratic barriers.
The task force, which includes staff from 13 county agencies, spent eight months developing its plan. Project manager Ben Aiken presented the recommendations to supervisors during a Land Use Policy Committee meeting on May 12.
Aiken said the goal is to keep housing at the forefront of the county’s priorities. The plan targets both affordable and market-rate homes through changes ranging from internal planning reforms to stronger coordination with state agencies and developers.
Housing production trails demand
Only about 40,000 homes have been built across Fairfax during the past nine years, far fewer than needed to match employment growth. Just 13% of homes constructed in recent years are affordable to households earning the county’s median income.
Fairfax also trails in rental construction, placing more upward pressure on rents. Northern Virginia is losing population, and people moving into the region earn less than those leaving.
Although Fairfax is outperforming the broader region in affordable-housing production, it remains behind Washington, D.C., and roughly even with comparable jurisdictions in building market-rate homes.
A housing needs assessment released in February found that Fairfax may need as many as 95,000 additional homes by 2035 to keep pace with growth. It also identified a critical shortage of rental housing affordable to people earning no more than 60% of the area median income. As of May 1, the area median income was $166,100 for a four-person household.
Braddock District Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer said the county will need creative approaches. With little undeveloped land available, she argued that taller buildings will likely be an important part of the solution.
Board Chair Jeff McKay said housing has become an economic necessity as well as a moral concern. If workers cannot afford to live in Fairfax, he warned, employers could eventually take their jobs elsewhere. Long commutes also worsen the county’s transportation problems.
Supervisors face zoning and regulatory decisions
The task force’s proposals include possible zoning changes for accessory living units and a more streamlined path for turning aging commercial properties into mid-intensity, mixed-use developments.
McKay urged supervisors to consider aggressive measures and said he believes residents will support concrete action. He challenged the board to determine whether it has the political will to follow through.
The county’s fiscal year 2027 budget, adopted May 5, directs $52.7 million toward affordable-housing initiatives. That is more than in prior years, but it remains below the board’s frequently stated goal of committing the equivalent of two cents from the real estate tax rate.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said the barriers accumulated over decades and that responsibility for addressing them now rests with the board.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity focused on the cost and complexity of county regulations. He called for a development process that is more transparent, responsive and easier to navigate.
Herrity also suggested giving the Fairfax County Planning Commission, which reviews development applications before they reach supervisors, a larger role in streamlining projects. He said commissioners must understand the urgency of the effort and suggested county staff can sometimes be intimidated by the body.
Despite the extensive list of recommendations, Aiken cautioned that few quick or simple measures will produce thousands of homes.
Later on May 12, supervisors attending a Housing Committee meeting received briefings on the county’s communication strategy and its new Housing Solutions webpage.