An audience of 140 community and business leaders and curious citizens attended a Monday morning (August 26) program called Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit, held at George Mason University’s Van Metre Hall in Arlington. The program featured members of regional boards of directors and the Mayor of the City of Alexandria in a wide-ranging discussion focusing primarily on supporting and expanding the existing public infrastructure.
Participants included Christian Dorsey, chairman of the Arlington County Board; Penelope Gross, vice chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Phyllis Randall, chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors; Corey Stewart, at-large chairman of Prince William County; and Justin Wilson, mayor of Alexandria.
NBC 4 Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey moderated.
Afterward, the Washington Post asked Terry Clower, Schar School of Policy and Government professor and director of the Center for Regional Analysis, about the issues of housing—both shortages and affordability—as well as the future of the local workforce.
From the Post:
“We just haven’t been building enough units,” Clower said. The oft-observed maxim that new construction in the Washington metro area is luxury rentals or high-end homes is true, he said. “It simply doesn’t pencil out for builders to construct a 1,400-square-foot house for $300,000.”
So buyers downsize, go farther from the job centers inside the Beltway and make compromises.
“The problem with rising housing prices is if you’re staying in the area, any gain you experience with selling will be plowed right back into your new home. A generation ago, it would be unthinkable to build multifamily housing in Loudoun County,” Clower said.