Gov. Moore’s Housing Expansion and Affordability Act proposes easing restrictions on new affordable, mixed income housing near transit and on government and non-profit lands. But newly proposed amendments in the House of Delegates Committee on Environment and Transportation would weaken the impact of this important bill. The vote on these amendments will take place Thursday afternoon.

Take action now: email your delegates by Thursday at noon!

The Housing Expansion and Affordability Act (House Bill 538 / Senate Bill 484) would allow:

1. More homes within 1 mile of rail transit stations if 25% are affordable for households earning 60% of area median income and below
2. More homes on non-profit land and a number of state-State owned sites if 50% of the homes are affordable. 
3. For single family-zoned land within the areas listed in 1 and 2 above, the bill would also allow modest increases from the underlying zoning to allow homes of 2, 3 or 4 units or cottage clusters of very small homes.
4. A 30% increase of buildable space for land within areas listed in 1 and 2 above zoned for multifamily homes if it includes at least 25% affordable housing.

Given how expensive housing is — to rent, buy, or build — we support the Governor’s proposal. We need more affordable housing than we are currently producing, and removing barriers like overly restrictive zoning near transit will help.

Email today to oppose the two amendments & support our recommended amendment

However, the Environment and Transportation Committee is considering significantly cutting back the impact of this bill by reducing the radius near transit to ½ mile from 1 mile, and removing entirely any non-profit land and land within transit areas that are currently zoned for single-family homes. We recommend opposing these amendments. 

At the same time, we do support limiting the non-profit land approved for affordable housing to properties within the state’s Priority Funding Areas, or “PFAs”. PFAs are existing communities and places where the state seeks to focus its infrastructure investments to support future growth.

The vote is Thursday afternoon.