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Fairfax County housing advocates pressed supervisors to close a roughly $25 million funding gap as officials prepare to finalize the fiscal year 2027 budget.
During an April 15 public hearing, Reston resident John Dister told the Board of Supervisors that the private market is not producing enough affordable homes to meet local needs. The hearing was one of three days devoted to public testimony on the budget.
County leaders have set a goal of directing the equivalent of 2 cents from the real estate tax rate toward housing initiatives. With the rate currently at $1.225 per $100 of assessed value, that commitment would generate approximately $70 million annually.
Housing funding now represents about 1.25 cents of the tax rate after the fiscal year 2026 budget added another quarter-cent.
Dister criticized the county for repeatedly reaffirming the 2-cent target in its annual budget guidance while postponing full funding until a future year.
The Fairfax County NAACP also called for the county to reach the target. Les Shockley, the branch’s budget committee chair and second vice president, said Fairfax has fallen behind on its goal of producing 10,000 affordable units by 2034. Continued underfunding, he warned, could put that objective out of reach.
Other speakers praised supervisors for making housing a priority while urging them to sustain that work.
Lenore Stanton, chair of the Fairfax County Redevelopment & Housing Authority, said the board had advanced beyond promises and begun delivering results. She encouraged supervisors to maintain the vision and determination needed to build the community they want.
John Boylen of the Affordable Housing Advisory Council similarly urged the county to match its financial resources to its stated housing vision.
Shannon Steene also addressed supervisors just two days after becoming CEO of Cornerstones, a Reston-based safety-net nonprofit. Steene, formerly executive director of Carpenter’s Shelter, supported County Executive Bryan Hill’s proposed spending on housing, food assistance and legal aid for residents facing financial and other hardships.
She said comprehensive support services can help people recover from setbacks and keep a crisis from escalating into a catastrophe.
Mitchell Crispell, director of real estate development for Arlington-based True Ground Housing Partners, outlined ways Fairfax could encourage housing development without substantial new spending. His proposals included speeding up permit reviews, opening more publicly owned land to housing and approving site-specific comprehensive plan amendments that incorporate affordable homes.
Donald Booth, a volunteer team leader with Rebuilding Together, asked supervisors to preserve or increase the organization’s $350,000 annual allocation. The group provides home repairs for residents with low incomes.
Booth said he has witnessed serious hazards in some homes and argued that relatively modest repair investments are a cost-effective way to preserve existing affordable housing.
Hill’s proposed budget removed the $350,000 line item, but several supervisors have asked for it to return for consideration before the budget is finalized.
The county executive released his $5.7 billion fiscal year 2027 proposal in mid-February. County officials later presented updated information on economic conditions and their budget effects.
The proposal includes approximately $23 million that has not yet been allocated and could be directed toward housing or other priorities. Supervisors are scheduled to make final budget decisions April 28 and adopt the spending plan May 5. The new budget takes effect July 1.