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Board discusses tying site investments to housing plans after governor's Executive Order 42
Summary
Go Virginia board members discussed a state executive order encouraging economic-development site investments to include local housing plans; staff will work with agencies and return recommendations at the March meeting.
Board members at the Nov. 20 Go Virginia State Board meeting discussed an executive order from the governor urging that industrial and economic development site investments be paired with local housing strategies so new jobs can be accommodated by available housing.
Deputy Secretary Maggie Beal of the Virginia Secretariat for Commerce and Trade said the governor asked state economic development investments to consider "having housing plans as part and parcel of grant applications for industrial development to ensure that housing development for those workers will be welcomed and ready to go in the nearby communities." Beal briefed the board on the package announced Nov. 14 and on a new Virginia Housing program that will provide localities a vehicle to support middle-income workforce housing.
Board members and staff discussed how a site-investment application rubric might be adjusted so that projects that can demonstrate housing plans or partnerships receive priority. "All of the site investments we make should have a housing plan associated with the site," Secretary Steve Cummings said during the meeting, urging coordination across agencies.
Some board members raised practical questions. John Peterson, a board member, asked whether a heavy-industrial site that cannot host adjacent housing should be allowed to meet the housing expectation via a nearby substitute site or off-site mitigation. Staff said those implementation details would be part of further work.
Department of Housing and Community Development staff told the board they will work with Virginia Housing, VEDP and other partners to develop recommended language and options for how Go Virginia might incorporate housing readiness into site-investment criteria. Staff said they will present a proposal to the board at its March meeting.
Virginia Housing officials also plan a statewide outreach effort in 2025 to brief localities on a new workforce-housing financing program that supplements local match and encourages housing planning; staff said dates would be set in the months after the legislative session.
No formal board policy change was adopted at the meeting; the board requested staff coordination with the governor’s recovery office and related agencies where appropriate before returning recommended policy language.
