Falls Church work session outlines draft affordable living policy, sets targets and timeline

Dana Jones, director of Housing and Human Services for the City of Falls Church, presented a draft Affordable Living Policy to the Planning Commission during a May 7 work session and asked commissioners for feedback before the plan goes to City Council. The draft is proposed as an amendment to Chapter 10 (Housing) of the comprehensive plan with an adoption goal in August 2025.

Jones said the policy will set goals, priorities and strategies across several focus areas, including rental housing, homeownership, preservation of committed affordable units, housing-stock diversity, services for people experiencing homelessness and funding/governance. “We are hoping to have the policy adopted in August of this year,” Jones told the commission. She added the city will publish an affordable housing dashboard after adoption to monitor progress annually.

Nut graf: The draft seeks to increase the share and depth of affordable housing in Falls Church through a mix of city programs, targeted funding and preservation strategies. The work group that produced the draft proposed stretch and intermediate targets (for example, raising the…