Housing Chapter

Housing is a key component to achieve the County’s vision of being a community of choice for all residents. This chapter addresses affordability concerns and ensures that the implicit connections with mobility, environment, health, and equity are addressed to support the building of healthy equitable communities.

The region is facing an unprecedented demand for new housing which significantly impacts our County. Understanding the diverse needs of the community and the ongoing demographic drivers provides guidance for the development of new residential communities. The vision to include a diversity of housing styles and price points to promote equitable sustainable communities for residents during all phases of their life and across all income bands is the priority, and attainable housing which is housing that is meant to be affordable to households earning within the  Area Median Income (AMI) .

As such the guiding principles of the chapter include:

• Quality, price-appropriate housing - housing that costs 30% of the household’s annual gross income or less, that meets the needs of all current and future residents.
• Implicit in this idea of attainability is the idea that a range of housing options (type, size, tenure, cost) should exist in the local market for a range of household income bands and preferences to support existing and new residents regardless of income.
• Housing is directly tied to public policy priorities such as economic development, education, transportation, environment, and health.

To achieve this vision, seven guiding policies are included in the chapter:

1. Preserve and enhance existing neighborhood communities.
2. Establish new diverse mixed income housing communities that address the demand for additional housing, the demand for a variety of housing, and the demand for affordable housing.
3. Develop implementation tools for both residents and the development community to provide for the construction and financing of affordable dwelling units to reduce housing disparities in the County.
4. Enhance mobility strategies that address the intrinsic relationship between housing and mobility in order to reduce transportation costs in terms of both time and money and encourage multi-modal options that enhance the environment resulting in a greater quality of life for residents.
5. Promote sustainable neighborhoods that support County-wide environmental goals, including reducing energy costs for residents and property owners.
6. Ensure that developments result in equitable healthy communities that provide all neighborhoods the same services, amenities, open space, and recreational components in a quality setting.
7. Identify regulatory changes needed to support the implementation of these housing policies including universal design and accessibility enhancements.

The importance of preserving and improving our existing neighborhood communities is key to supporting County residents. By identifying where infrastructure improvements are needed in aging communities and promoting thoughtful, context sensitive infill developments the County will ensure that our established neighborhoods are not only maintained but thrive. Many of these stabilized communities provide for naturally occurring affordable housing opportunities. The first policy promotes safe, secure, and accessible communities that provide the opportunity for residents to safely age in place, offers options for upward mobility and homeownership opportunities for those seeking to remain in their community and protects residents from gentrification and involuntary displacement.

Housing costs that exceed the recommended 30% of gross income result in a cost burdened lifestyle for individuals and/or families resulting in limited resources for other household necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care. Severe cost burdened is generally defined as households paying more than 50% of their gross income on housing costs. To reduce the number of people living a cost burdened lifestyle is an on-going goal. The greatest need for affordable housing in the County is clustered in the 30% AMI level and below. In addition, the County currently has a lack of housing priced to meet the needs of households making above 100% AMI. It is a goal of the Housing Chapter to ensure quality housing stock is available across all income bands to provide viable alternatives and opportunities, including upward mobility, for all segments of the County’s population.

Another focus area addressed is often referred to as the “missing middle housing” which describes housing styles that fall between detached single-family and large multifamily buildings, such as live/work units, bungalows, duplexes, triplexes, and small-scale multifamily buildings. These types of infill opportunities add variety to the housing supply, support walkable places, and blend in with single-family neighborhoods.

One tool for implementing the Housing Chapter vision is the adoption of an Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance designed to holistically meet the needs of the County for mixed income communities with housing opportunities across all cost bands. The development of an ADU ordinance is included as an action strategy in this chapter. An adopted ADU Ordinance would provide developers, during a rezoning process or through the site plan process opportunities, under the specified guidelines, to voluntarily provide affordable housing.

An ADU ordinance and other funding programs are typically implemented using the AMI thresholds for the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) adjusted for household size, which is determined periodically by the  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) . The AMI thresholds are utilized as a tool for identifying affordability and as a parameter for housing programs and funding requirements. (See Appendix A for an AMI table.)

Appendix A of this chapter provides policy guidance for the voluntary development of affordable housing options that could be utilized as part of the rezoning process.

The mobility policy further supports the affordability and quality of life goals by ensuring that the housing policies address the intersection of residents’ mobility needs with their housing needs. It is generally recommended that the combined cost of housing and commuting should not exceed 42% of a households’ gross income. On average, transportation is the second largest household expenditure after housing, and transportation costs are directly impacted by the location of housing, specifically proximity to employment, schools, and other essential service destinations. The importance of encouraging transit-oriented communities that will bring jobs and housing together – walkable multimodal communities with easy access to desired services is a key to developing vital healthy communities. Residents benefit by incentivizing the creation of connected communities where affordable housing is co‐located with affordable transportation. While mobility policies are primarily addressed in the mobility chapter of this Comprehensive Plan the policies contained in this chapter are specifically related to the intrinsic relationship between housing and mobility.

The mobility policy aims to equitably improve access to transportation options and reduce transportation costs in terms of time, money, and the impact on the environment. The County recognizes the significant environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits gained by bringing housing near transit options. Focusing growth in transit-oriented communities allow the County to be intentional about weaving equity into all planning decisions and to strive to make transit-oriented communities more affordable and accessible to everyone. This policy lays the groundwork for more housing near transit at affordable prices.

Additionally, understanding the regional focus on transit-oriented communities and equity will help achieve multiple, interconnected goals by expanding housing opportunities, maximizing the County’s investment in transit, supporting greener travel options that contribute to the County’s climate goals, and addressing inequities in access to housing, transportation, education, and job opportunities.

Establishing sustainable environmental growth practices, as related to the housing initiative, aligns directly to the goals of the adopted  2021-2024 Strategic Plan  for the County which identifies quality sustainable developments practices as a Countywide priority. The focus on sustainable values for all housing communities enhances the environment, reduces greenhouse emissions, results in lower utility costs for residents, boosts property values, and encourages open space recreational opportunities improving the quality of life for residents on many levels.

Further, addressing the important relationship between quality housing and health provides the incentive to prioritize the importance of building healthy communities in an equitable manner. Stable quality housing, that people can afford, is at the core of ensuring access to economic, social, and educational opportunities. National research bears out the correlation – having quality healthy homes that are affordable correlates to better mental health, less stress on our children, and greater economic mobility. Bringing together quality housing and health goals provide a strong catalyst for change. A goal that resonates with the residents of the County.

The final policy in the housing chapter identifies the regulatory changes needed to successfully implement the Housing Chapter policies. Housing is a foundational element of economic resilience and competitiveness in local communities, it improves the local tax base, stabilizes family units, and communities benefit from the associated public investments helping to ensure that equitable opportunities are available for individuals and families of all income levels. Price appropriate housing is more than assistance, it is a valuable economic resource that benefits the entire community.

 Printable Housing Chapter (PDF) 

It is the goal of the Board of County Supervisors of Prince William County that affordable housing opportunities be available to all who live or work in Prince William County to purchase or rent safe, quality, affordable housing within their means. An Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance serves as a guide for the development of ADUs. This supplement is intended to provide guidance on creating affordable housing through the residential and mixed-use rezoning application process. These policies provide greater flexibility that encourages and incentivizes the voluntary creation of affordable housing and helps the development community align their project with county values and address the site and financing constraints. This supplement is intended to assist in the development of affordable dwelling units across all cost bands to meet the need of County residents including the needs of the work force community and our most vulnerable populations.

In general, affordable housing means, as a guideline, housing that is affordable to households with incomes at or below the area median income, provided that the occupant pays no more than thirty percent of his gross income for gross housings costs, including utilities.” See generally  Section 15.2-2201 VA Code .

The  Area Median Income (AMI)  for the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) adjusted for household size, is determined periodically by the  United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) . The income bands typically fall into the following categories:

Workforce housing typically refers to providing homes for middle-income service workers, such as police officers, firefighters/EMTs, teachers, and nurses, in close proximity to their jobs, who may not qualify for some housing subsidies. Workforce housing (sometimes referred to as middle-income or moderate-income housing) is housing for individuals and families typically earning between 80% and 120% AMI.

From a broader perspective affordable means housing options should exist, for all income levels, to provide residents the opportunity to find housing that does not cost more that 30 percent of their gross income.  Providing options for residents to choose where they live supports the goal to provide housing options at a variety of price points and to have flexibility to “upsize and downsize” as needed throughout their life cycle – ideally within their own community if they so desire. The policy recommendations of this supplement will support advocating for economically integrated communities.

Residential rezoning applications seeking a density bonus or other incentive help address the affordable housing needs of the County, should include the following information:

• Number and types of proposed housing units.
• Transect designation as provided in Long-Range Land use Map to identify proposed density.
• Identification of multi-modal transportation options and opportunities.
• Identification of available community services, including retail services like grocery stores.
• Proposed unit pricing defined in terms of current AMI bands to identify how the project integrates into the context of the surrounding community.
• Description of viable access to recreational amenities onsite and offsite.
• Identify design provisions proposed to support accessibility needs.
• Identify design efforts to support environmentally and sustainable communities.
• Identify how the project is designed to provide a variety of housing units to provide a mixed-income community.

While affordable housing is desirable in every residential and mixed-use project, it is particularly important that projects in Activity Centers, Redevelopment Corridors, and Small Area Plans include an affordable housing component. Affordable housing would be a vital element in high density and mixed-use development projects, especially if located in close proximity to community services and transit.

The following provides a voluntary flexible framework to support the viability of providing affordable housing in residential rezoning applications. Each project will need to be assessed contextually within the parameters of the applicant’s goals and the context of the surrounding community. The analysis should consider supporting a variety of housing options throughout the County.

Every residential development project should be encouraged to incorporate 10% affordable and/or workforce housing. Developers should consider pursuing financial support through other affordable housing tools such as low-interest loans, grants and/or tax credits to achieve a higher percentage up to 20% affordable and/or workforce housing in individual projects.

The following incentives will be considered for providing affordable/workforce housing but is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

• Reduce or eliminate voluntary monetary contributions for mitigation of offsite development impacts for affordable units.
• Density increases above the top of the density range recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan proportionate to twice the amount of affordable/workforce units provided.
• Flexibility in the types of units allowed in the zoning district.
• Modifications of development standards such as height, setback, and/or lot coverage.
• Modifications of  Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM)  should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for affordable projects, and design flexibility may be appropriate to meet the project goals and maintain an attractive and healthy living environment for future residents.

New development that is providing affordable and/or workforce housing onsite is encouraged to provide a mix of affordable and workforce units with 50% of the proffered units available at or below 80% of AMI and 50% of the proffered units available up to 120% AMI with the understanding that projects will provide the AMI level that enables capital providers to meet their risk/return objectives.

When affordable housing is proposed, a project should include an affordability term to maintain and increase the inventory of affordable housing, provide opportunities for residents to create generational wealth, and provide viable development options for the development community.  Flexibility to address the needs of the property owners, the purchasers, and the long-term goals of the County can be realized through an analysis of the project and flexibility should exist during the rezoning process to assess the proposed term.   Financing options provide some restrictions that must be factored into the proposal in terms of the affordability term.  While one critical goal is to create affordable rental options for residents; the ability to build generational wealth, through home ownership, is also significant to residents and the establishment of affordability terms significantly impacts both of these goals.

Where existing, naturally-occurring, affordable housing is proposed to be removed to make way for new development, encourage development proposals to incorporate similar levels of affordable housing opportunities for current or new residents by allowing increased density to incorporate attainable housing opportunities.