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County considers supporting Exodus Family Institutein applying for $2 million infrastructure grant to build workforce housing
Summary
Exodus Family Institute presented a plan to build 21 single-family homes for buyers at or below 80% AMI and asked the county to be the applicant for a potential $2,000,000 CDBG infrastructure grant; GWRC advised that application-writing and administration require capacity and suggested budgeting ~15% of award for administration if the project is funded.
Exodus Family Institute asked the King George County Board of Supervisors to support a competitive application for a federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) infrastructure award that would fund water and sewer infrastructure necessary to build 21 single-family workforce houses.
Presentation: Miss Parnell, cofounder and president of Exodus Family Institute, outlined a 21-home development on a 16-acre parcel zoned R-1, with three-bedroom, two-bath homes sized 1,200–1,500 square feet planned for buyers at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). She said Virginia Housing and local nonprofit partners (Habitat for Humanity and others) have provided letters of support and that prior planning-grant feedback was positive but funding ran out.
Administration and capacity concerns: Chip Boyles of the George Washington Regional Commission told the board GWRC lacks capacity to prepare a full infrastructure application without a planning grant; he explained the complexity of federal procurement and Davis-Bacon labor requirements. He estimated that administration and project management would typically consume up to about 10–15% of project funds and noted that the grant would not pay for application preparation but would fund administration after award.
Board response and process: Supervisors expressed general support but asked staff to work with Exodus and GWRC to clarify mechanics, CAMS access for submission, and the county role if the county is the applicant and grantee. No formal application authorization was passed that night; supervisors asked staff to meet with the applicant and return with details and a proposed agenda item for April 7.
Why it matters: The project aims to expand affordable homeownership for teachers, public-safety personnel, health-care workers and young families; the infrastructure grant could fund water/sewer lines and related costs that are infeasible for the nonprofit applicant alone.
Next steps: Staff was asked to meet with Exodus and GWRC, confirm CAMS access and clarify upfront and post-award administration costs and responsibilities; the board said it would revisit the request on a future agenda.
