Lars Henriksen, DAAR’s representative to Loudoun County’s Comprehensive Plan Stakeholders Committee, confers with members and staff during a recent meeting.
Loudoun County’s Comprehensive Plan Stakeholders Committee increased their attention on housing by establishing a subcommittee solely focused on developing information and proposals on county-wide housing policies. Lars Henriksen, DAAR’s representative to the stakeholders committee, was selected along with seven other stakeholders to serve on the housing subcommittee. They will work with county staff to develop a housing white paper and present their report to the full stakeholders committee this fall.
Housing subcommittee members include:
Lars Henriksen, Dulles Area Association of REALTORS®
John Andrews, Housing Advisory Board
Gem Bingol, Piedmont Environmental Council
Kathy Blackburn, Planning Commission Vice Chair
Michael Capretti, Northern Virginia Building Industry Association
Packie Crown, Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance
Jeff Salmon, Planning Commission Chair
Wendy Yacoub, Board Appointed Citizen – Leesburg
Developing housing policies has become increasingly important since the release of the 2017 Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) conducted by George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis and Lisa Sturtevant & Associates, LLC. The HNA predicted a need for over 18,000 new housing units by the year 2040 – primarily single-family detached and single-family attached units. By developing housing policies, stakeholders will help determine how that housing gap could be filled. Additionally, since Loudoun County will host a Housing Summit in October 2017, it is anticipated that the stakeholders’ report will be further discussed at that time. On the heals of the DAAR Board of Directors approving a “Housing that’s Affordable” position statement as part of a 2018 Legislative Positions package in May 2017, DAAR commends the creation of the housing subcommittee and looks forward to the release of its report.
Background
The Comprehensive Plan is the community-based vision for Loudoun County’s future development. The Stakeholders Committee was formed to help guide the process of writing the Plan and to provide critical feedback and direction to county officials. Stakeholders include DAAR, other citizens and representatives from various business, developer, and environmental groups in the county, and a representative for each of the Board of Supervisors.
Stakeholders began their monthly meetings in June 2016, and started doubling their efforts in February 2017. They will continue meeting every other week at least through December 2017, and will work through the spring of 2018 to finalize the draft Comprehensive Plan. For more information about the Comprehensive Plan and Stakeholders Committee, visit https://www.loudoun.gov/EnvisionLoudoun.
Questions? Contact Lars Henriksen, Chairman and DAAR Representative on Loudoun County’s Comprehensive Plan Stakeholders Committee via Lars@c21Redwood.com or Brenda Morton, Government Affairs and Communications Manager, at (571) 291-9804 or bmorton@dullesarea.com.