Attainable and Affordable Housing

• Create a separate housing and community development department to increase the visibility, prioritization and effectiveness of Loudoun County’s home ownership and rental housing opportunity programs;
• Promote an increase in public and/or private-sponsored down-payment assistance for workforce families;
• Create a housing authority to develop new housing that would be affordable, rehabilitate housing, and revitalize community infrastructure.
• Promote the use of County-owned land to be used for housing that is affordable;
• Provide incentives for employer-provided and military housing assistance; and
• Conduct regular assessments and studies to determine housing needs.

The most recent U.S. Census indicates that the median household income for Loudoun County residents was $142,299 (in 2019 dollars). A family at this income level could afford to purchase a home priced up to three (3) times their income level – $426,897. In Loudoun County, the average home price climbed from $233,183 in May 2000 to $512,986 in May 2018, according to George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. According to DAAR’s May 2021 market report, the average home price climbed to $630,000. DAAR believes that this increase edges out of the market many individuals who do not make an above-average salary.

Efforts have been made to highlight the need for housing that is affordable in Loudoun County.

• At the 2018 County Housing Summit, over twenty speakers emphasized the importance of providing housing that is affordable in Loudoun County and recommended ways in which additional housing could be developed.
• The County conducted a Post-Housing Summit Workshop where Housing Summit speakers and other interested persons provided in-depth recommendations for the County in three areas: i) proposed revolving loan fund guidelines; ii) barriers to affordable housing; and iii) use of public partnerships and public land.
• The Fiscal Year 2019 included funding for three new positions to be dedicated to housing – a Housing Financier with the financial expertise to assemble the complex financing arrangements; Real Estate Specialist who will identify land that is or could be available for future housing development; and a housing attorney whose sole assignment is to provide legal advice on housing issues. Two of the three new spots will be located in the Family Services Department and one will be located in the County Attorney’s office.
• The Economic Development Advisory Commission established a Housing Ad-Hoc Subcommittee to review best practices and policies related to addressing the need for a diverse housing stock and come up with recommendations by July 2019.
• In 2021, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors adopted the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan (UHNSP) which is designed to assist the county in improving housing accessibility, affordability, and quality for families.

Loudoun County Housing Needs Assessment 2015-2040
Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan
Loudoun County Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan
DAAR Update on UHNSP
U.S. Census Quick Facts: Loudoun County, VA

• Advocate for the inclusion of strategies to address housing attainability concerns as the County begins to implement the Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan and ensure that there is accountability and transparency throughout the process.
• Advocate against restrictive housing and land use policies that do not integrate provisions for affordable and workforce housing.