During its June 12, 2024, public hearing, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors approved a residential rezoning project comprised entirely of affordable housing, moving the county closer to meeting its housing goals. The Board also acknowledged the accelerated timeline on which the application was received, reviewed, and approved—all of which was accomplished in approximately six months, a significant reduction from the typical 12 to 18 months.
“This is the new platinum standard,” said Supervisor Koran T. Saines, who represents the Sterling District where the project is located. “This application came with 100 percent attainable housing, which is something we desperately need in this county for not just our employees, educators, and firefighters, but also those working in our service industries. This Board voted to approve this unprecedented application within six months to show developers that the county wants to work with you on fast tracking future 100 percent affordable housing applications.”
The Atlantic Boulevard Residential Rezoning project rezoned approximately 3.12 acres of land to allow for 80 multi-family attached affordable residential units. The proposed development will be constructed in Sterling at the intersection of Magnolia Road and Boulevard, just south of the Dulles Town Center adjacent to the W&OD trail and Route 28. The development will offer units for various income ranges not exceeding 80% ($123,800 based on a household of four) of the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area Median Income, currently $154,700.
“I am grateful for this project. I hope this is only the beginning of Loudoun taking on one of the most difficult challenges facing many working families: finding affordable housing,” said Chair At-Large Phyllis J. Randall. “While we still have much work to do in this area, this project shows what we can do when we are at our best.”
Additionally, the Board approved a $6.3 million loan for the Atlantic Boulevard project from the county’s Affordable Multi-family Housing Loan Program during its June 18, 2024, meeting. This program, adopted in 2018, provides low-interest loans through the county’s Housing Trust Fund to help bridge financing gaps for developers building affordable multi-family rental housing.
While this initiative marks a positive step forward, it is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the county’s burgeoning housing crisis. Loudoun County, known for having the highest real estate costs in the U.S., needs far more aggressive measures to ensure affordable housing is available to all its residents. The county’s Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan aims for 8,200 new affordable housing units by 2040, yet current efforts seem insufficient against this ambitious goal.
The approval of 80 units, while commendable, highlights the stark disparity between the county’s needs and its current capacity. With real estate prices soaring, many residents, particularly those in lower income brackets, continue to struggle to find affordable housing options. The county must expedite more projects and increase support for affordable housing initiatives to make a meaningful impact.
