City planner outlines regional housing study findings and Staunton housing strategy work group

Rebecca Joyce, Staunton’s housing planner and grants coordinator, presented the Central Shenandoah Regional Housing Study and the city’s housing-strategy work to Staunton City Council on March 13. Joyce said the regional study covers the five-county and multiple-city SAW area and includes both a consumer-friendly report and a more detailed technical document; staff will attach the city strategy as an appendix to the upcoming comprehensive-plan update.

Joyce summarized key regional and local findings: "71% of our households have at least 1 worker," she said, and a high share of householders are age 60 or older. Joyce cited a regional estimate of 265 people and 86 households who are unhoused, and said 90% of chronically unhoused residents would need permanent supportive housing. For the SAW subregion, she reported homeownership rates near 70% but noted that Staunton and Waynesboro have larger rental markets and that 42% of SAW households are cost-burdened (paying more than 30% of income for housing and utilities).

The city’s draft housing strategy — developed by an 18-member work group — centers on three goals: produce housing, preserve housing, and provide housing stability. Joyce described proposed tactics including creation of a local housing fund, use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for rehabilitation, exploring community land trusts or deed-restricted ownership to preserve long-term affordability, promotion of accessory dwelling units, landlord education for voucher programs and a windshield survey of housing conditions.

Joyce said the housing strategy timeline runs through spring, with public engagement meetings planned at the library and by Zoom, and that some implementation steps could be pursued during the current capital-improvement-plan process (the staff requested initial funding for a housing fund). She also reported cooperation with the Staunton Redevelopment and Housing Authority on immediate capital needs (for example, HVAC work in authority-owned units) and noted ongoing regional coordination through the SAW housing group.

Council members asked about CDBG entitlement flexibility, potential community land-trust pilot properties and developer engagement; Joyce said the strategy is intentionally focused on attainable near-term actions and will recommend a housing commission for implementation.

The presentation will be folded into the city’s comprehensive-plan update and staff will return with implementation steps and budget requests as projects are prioritized.