Fairfax reports progress toward 10,000-unit goal and debuts Affordable Housing Dashboard

Fairfax County housing officials told the Board of Supervisors' Housing Committee on March 25 that 13% of the county's 10,000-unit affordable-housing goal has been delivered since 2020 and about 15% of the target is currently under construction.

The update, delivered by Tom Fleetwood, director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, and Anna Shapiro, deputy director, described a mix of large multifamily projects, scattered-site preservation and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) production and introduced an Affordable Housing Dashboard launched by the department.

The dashboard and the committee update are intended to give supervisors and the public a single view of "committed" affordable units, financed projects and market-affordable developments by district. "The chart you see in front of you shows the progress towards our goal. The 13% are the units that have been delivered to date since 2020 when the goal was established," Anna Shapiro said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the county is trying to expand affordable housing supply while responding to market uncertainty and constrained subsidy sources. Supervisors pressed staff about how additional local revenue and possible federal funding changes would affect projects now in the pipeline.

Key details from the update - Delivery and pipeline: Officials said 13% of the 10,000-unit goal has been delivered since 2020, about 15% of the goal is under construction, and roughly 10% of the goal represents opportunities in early due diligence. Several large projects in Tysons were called out as moving forward, and county staff said the Exchange and the Residence at the Government Center are making strong progress. - ADUs/WDUs and scattered-site units: The department reported it has delivered more than 1,300 ADUs and WDUs since 2020 across a range of income tiers; only a subset count toward the 10,000-goal because of income targeting. Staff gave a breakdown described in the presentation of roughly 920 new rental ADU/WDU units and 384 new for-sale units (figures provided in the committee slide deck). - Preservation and specific projects: Staff flagged preservation work at Stonegate Village, the Telestar project (noted as close to closing after a Virginia Housing bond round award), East County and Innovation RFPs currently out for bid, the Chantilly Library and Centerville Park-and-Ride as explored sites, and other potential redevelopment opportunities including the Judicial Center and Burkholder sites. - Manufactured housing and repair pilot: The department said it has convened a Manufactured Housing Roundtable that includes at least two representatives from each park. Staff are finalizing a repair-pilot RFP and expected to select a vendor within about a month, with pilot repairs anticipated to begin in summer. - Dashboard and transparency: The Affordable Housing Dashboard was introduced as a public tool with tabs for committed housing, market-affordable units and financed projects, and with district-level breakdowns. Staff invited supervisors and the public to test and provide feedback.

Funding and federal risk Supervisors asked how an additional quarter-penny on the real estate tax rate (estimated at roughly $8.5 million in local revenue) might be used. Fleetwood and Shapiro said the money would likely be deployed across several areas: strategic acquisitions, preservation and to support pipeline projects such as Stonegate Village, the East County and Innovation proposals, and phases of Agape Senior if the tax-credit application proceeds.

Officials also warned of federal funding uncertainty. Tom Fleetwood noted that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards announced in January increased local Continuum of Care (CoC) funding but that grant agreements and supplemental CoC Builds monies remain uncertain. He described the county's housing voucher program as a major recurring expense (noted in the presentation as roughly $90 million annually, with monthly payments to landlords of about $6 million) and said changes in federal appropriations and the corporate tax rate (which affects Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity) are items being watched closely.

Supervisor follow-ups and next steps Supervisors requested more detail about rental vs. ownership designations on the dashboard, additional reporting on preservation work (a biannual market-affordable survey is nearing completion), and one-on-one briefings for supervisors who want a deeper walk-through of financing structures. Fleetwood offered to provide individual briefings in the coming months.

Ending note: staff asked supervisors to provide hot-spot information and feedback on the dashboard; the department said it will continue to evolve the site and return with more detailed pipeline and preservation data.