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One of the most challenging issues that leaders are working on today is the affordable housing crisis. We have seen jurisdictions like Fairfax County declare that they want to construct thousands of new affordable units within the next 10-15 years. If you wonder why we are in the situation we are in as a country, there are multiple factors at play. The growing wage gap and collapse of the middle class in recent decades, skyrocketing land and construction costs for homes, and the 2008 and COVID-19 recessions all contributed to today’s difficult market. The New York Times highlighted how the collapse of the housing market in 2008 drastically impacted our lending and building practices, causing builders to slow down construction due to fiscal concerns. According to a JLARC study, Virginia alone has a statewide shortage of at least 200,000 affordable units for low-income households as median home sales prices have jumped by roughly 30 percent within the last few years [Fairfax has the highest rate of unmet need in the state]. This is likely to be of greater concern as many of our older units under the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program are set to expire within the next few years – opening them to substantial rate increases upon expiration. So, in summary, it is a complex subject that does not have a one-stop solution. There are multiple steps that need to be taken, including increased emphasis on preservation.

My partner and I reside in one of the oldest affordable housing communities in the City of Fairfax. There have been multiple reports regarding pest control problems, stormwater and flooding concerns, and appliance issues. This has taken a central role in my campaign as we need to fix up the affordable housing stock that exists in addition to developing new ones. We can avoid the displacement of residents by not tearing down these older units and, instead, incentivizing property managers to update our current stock through potential abatement programs and an expedited permitting process. The fiscal benefits are clear as newer units can be built upwards of $700,000 per apartment home compared to renovating them at around one-third of the cost on a faster timeline. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also recognizes the importance of preservation – recently announcing $469 million in new funding for this goal. This includes options for climate resilient housing and hazard reduction.

However, there are challenges to these housing rehabilitation projects. Variations in policies fragment these opportunities and discourage owners from going through the process to do it, especially with expiring subsidies as mentioned earlier. Without some kind of expedited process or funding stream, property owners may be limited in what they can do from a budgeting standpoint. While the costs of new housing are not as high as renovating older stock, it is still a financial burden. Strengthening code enforcement can only do so much if additional funding tools are not available. In 2003, the total national rehabilitation investment needed was estimated at $1.3 trillion, so we can imagine it is higher today. 

The good news is that tax programs and government investments can close the affordability gap, so we need to increase the supply of these opportunities. Fairfax County decided to look at this in 2021 through their report from the Affordable Housing Preservation Task Force. This includes ideas like gap financing, predevelopment funds, a preservation warning system, and using reserve funding to meet these goals. In the City of Fairfax’s housing assessment report, they touch on renovations and how we have lost affordable housing units at a higher rate than we have gained. Local policies are crucial to getting preservation efforts started and in complementing federal grants as well to mitigate these trends. 

Preservation is key and a renovation fund can go a long way. I am calling on us to make this more of a focal point when discussing the housing crisis.

Many of you may wonder why your taxes have increased dramatically in the past decade. Multiple factors play into that, but a heavy hitter is the impact of teleworking and the pandemic on commercial/office space. Originally, two-thirds of revenue collection came from taxes on the commercial sector; however, this has transferred to residential without a significant alternative. Addressing affordability and the higher cost of living we are experiencing requires creativity and exploring every opportunity to tackle this disparity – hence this discussion on pop-up stores!

These retail opportunities are deliberately temporary, often introducing unique brands from other regions or countries that would not appear if they had to maintain a permanent location. You are probably familiar with traveling exhibits, farmers markets, or stores like Spirit Halloween, which show up for the Halloween season each year in various locations. Locations and events under this structure produce a slew of benefits, like increasing sales and commercial tax revenue, supporting startup potential for entrepreneurs, and helping provide brand reputation for municipalities. The Association of National Advertisers highlights how brand activation and initiatives to tap into the ever-growing potential of social media have a market of over $740 million. This coincides well with hubs like Downtown Fairfax and revitalization areas seen in the city’s Small Area Plans (SAPs). It results in more pedestrian foot traffic and drives business for all stores – both pop-up and permanent. A global survey of retailing organizations found that more than 80 percent of respondents who implemented a pop-up shop deemed it a success. More residents could engage with new brands and events, which also supports diverse options for a diverse population like ours. 

Our neighbors have already received the memo. The Fairfax County Office of Economic Revitalization developed a pop-up brochure to help guide potential owners in setting one up. This resource includes options for street festivals and parks, too. An area in the region known for its selection of pop-up shops is Fairfax Corner, which just announced that the Vermont-based King Arthur Baking Company is taking a space next to REI for a year. Local shoppers tend to love new business concepts and this method is a great integration of blending online culture with our vacant storefronts. But, to do this, we need to talk about permits.

Existing ordinances and regulations were not designed with pop-ups in mind. There are still significant costs and burdens associated with obtaining temporary special use permits and maintaining compliance. The University of Texas A&M finds that this requires localities to re-evaluate their processes to not deter these opportunities, and advocate for regional cohesiveness in its implementation. We want to build a better business environment with predictable, easy-to-understand standards. Jurisdictions like the District of Columbia are already doing this. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced earlier this year the Pop-Up Permitting (PUPs) pilot program – an initiative to create a streamlined permitting process with the Department of Buildings, allowing businesses to get their Certificate of Occupancy at a significantly faster rate. With a 15-day initial review timeframe and multiple investments through grants and the general fund, both businesses and constituents are looking forward to quite an economic transformation.

There is no single solution to complex issues like affordability and taxes. However, there are supports we can institute that can build off of one another to something better. We could be like St. Louis, which does not encourage a flexible permitting process and drives these types of businesses across state lines, or we can be more like Philadelphia, which bolsters strong public-private partnerships with organizations like Food Trust through grants – producing millions of dollars in economic impact. Our neighbors are figuring it out, and I believe we will, too!

A great deal of attention goes into the national, trending topics surrounding the federal government – especially during years with Presidential campaigns. This is reflected in voter turnout rates in Virginia in recent years, with 2022 and 2023 averaging to about a 43 percent turnout rate compared to 2020’s 75 percent (less than 16 percent and 25 percent in primaries respectively). Local elections are seen as a less important checklist item compared to everything you see on the news. However, the role local government plays in your day-to-day life should not be undermined. In recent years, we have seen localities tackle issues that garner a lot more attention. Data centers, affordable housing, green space – the balance of innovation and regulation often falls under these jurisdictions.

Local government includes everything from development and what is built near you to parks to schools to road maintenance. It is designed to be the most community-engaged mode of government (and the most fun). These essential services and operational items are critical to economic development and infrastructure planning. The National Civic League highlights the undervaluing of local government, which employs over 500,000 officials and manages $2 trillion in spending. The City of Fairfax alone has a total revenue of over $237 million for the Adopted FY2025 Budget. This allocation affects our public safety officials, our transit system, community events and recreational activities, and our schools. This level of government offers a high amount of creativity for programs and partnerships, yet the main focus are the practical issues for you and your neighbors.

As a county employee, my energy is centered on constituent service casework like reporting flooding of a property, citations for overgrown grass and invasive species, and business/home permits. And while it may not sound attractive, I think it is fun and rewarding. I often get to sit down with community members and brainstorm ideas for potential solutions, then see what can be done to help people. One of my favorite stories involves recycling. A community association reached out to me on initiatives to support glass recycling education in their area. After our office spoke with them further, we coordinated on getting them set up with a purple bin from the glass recycling bin program (purple can club). It required negotiation between where the association wanted it and where the state Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) would allow it to be placed. That bin has recycled over 30,000 pounds of glass waste. That is good governance and what makes local government so impactful.

There are a lot of ideas on how to increase civic education on local government and common-sense policymaking. Multiple studies and articles show a consistent theme that needs to be followed – community inclusion. The nation is shrouded in rhetoric of negative political discourse and exhaustion. We have an election every year in Virginia and involvement has been impacted as people feel ignored or a part of a routine. This is evident in discussions around the standard public hearing set up. These studies highlight that hearings often lack young and minority voices, and suggest that the experience of participating in a public hearing actually reduces a participant’s feelings of community attachment. Ideas like volunteer banks, community rewards programs with local businesses, and participatory budgeting are opportunities to engage our youth and citizens in our localities. Government and politics can often seem exclusionary, so mitigating that perception is important. The American Bar Association highlights different voting practices states and localities are adopting to increase voter turnout and civic engagement. We can explore these options and gauge what the community likes.

Elected officials will not know everything nor have all the answers to our most pressing items, but we (especially the City of Fairfax) live in a vibrant community of bright minds. They are flooded with ideas that we should work to explore.