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County staff: hundreds of county and school parcels are 'potentially suitable' for attainable housing, but legal and policy hurdles remain
Summary
Staff told the committee that nearly half of county/school‑owned parcels are constrained by environmental encumbrances or planned uses; about 199 parcels were identified as potentially suitable but would require policy decisions, partnership and in some cases conveyance of school land to develop attainable housing.
County staff on Jan. 22 presented a joint suitability analysis of county and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) land for attainable housing, concluding that most parcels are either not physically developable or only potentially suitable if redevelopment or plan changes occur.
Travis Keeler (Housing & Community Development / Real Property Asset Management) told the committee staff classified parcels into three categories — "Not suitable, potentially suitable, and suitable" — and said no county or school parcel met the narrow definition of "suitable" under current legal and plan constraints. Keeler said LCPS applied slightly narrower criteria than the county; any school‑owned property would need conveyance to an authorized entity to be used for housing if the school system is to retain the land’s public‑use status.
Staff estimated county and school holdings at roughly 5,248 and 3,214 acres respectively (as presented to the committee) and said about 46% of parcels were identified as not suitable, with the remainder largely "potentially suitable" because they have existing or planned non‑residential uses. Staff noted that using public land for housing could reduce loan subsidy costs by up to about 30% if parcels are used instead of acquiring market land, but stressed the need for political and statutory direction for options such as public‑employee preference policies.
Supervisors asked about the housing‑authority study, the possibility of preserving land for public employees, and the feasibility of adaptive reuse (ground‑floor public uses with housing above). Staff said the housing‑authority study is underway and that Fairfax County’s teacher‑preference approach operates through a housing authority and a broad legal interpretation that may differ in Virginia jurisdictions without a housing authority.
Staff said it will use committee feedback to develop next steps, including whether to bring an action item that would seek Board direction on land disposition and any enabling legislative priorities.
