> Virginia has a problem. The commonwealth doesn’t have enough housing, especially near major job centers. This is holding back the state’s economy and vibrancy, and many signs suggest the problem is getting worse. Last year, Virginia had one of the country’s largest rent hikes, according to an analysis by Construction Coverage. And Richmond, Northern Virginia and the Virginia Beach-Norfolk region are all among the top 50 metro areas with the biggest spikes in home prices, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This is basic economics: When demand is high and supply is low, prices rise.
> In Virginia in November, Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a plan to invest $75 million in creating thousands of housing units near major employment sites. He also issued an executive order meant to spur businesses to come up with housing plans when they expand into the commonwealth. Broadly speaking, these have been good initiatives. But they’re also small-scale and designed to create only about 5,000 more housing units.
> Virginia’s Democratic-controlled legislature is offering its own proposals to boost housing supply. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) would make it easier to build affordable housing on land owned by religious groups. As congregations see the hardships created by the housing shortage, they are increasingly looking to use their land for low-income or senior housing. Legislation from state Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (D-Prince William) would allow any local government in the state to create its own affordable dwelling-unit program. (Currently, this can be done only in certain jurisdictions. Other localities have to seek state government approval.) A bill by Saddam Azlan Salim (D-Fairfax) would require all local governments to approve accessory dwelling units — backyard cottages, for example, or garages that have been turned into separate homes — if they meet some basic requirements. A bill from Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) would require every local government to come up with a plan to grow housing by 7.5 percent over the next five years.
> Republicans often say they fear imposing state authority on local decision-making. But in the case of housing, state lawmakers can help inject common sense into local discussions to overcome the tendency to discourage development — also known as NIBMY (“not in my backyard”) syndrome. Individual homeowners claim they don’t want their views ruined or they don’t want added traffic or noise. But such preferences prevent economic and population growth.
> Virginia and other states have a vested interest in the housing supply, not least because, as they compete with one another for top talent and business expansion, they cannot afford to lose young people who can’t find affordable places to live. This requires breaking ground on new housing today.
!ping YIMBY&USA-DMV
gauchnomics on
I’m surprised there was no mention of Arlington’s [missing middle](https://reason.com/2024/10/01/americas-trial-courts-have-a-nimby-problem/) ordinance that was revoked by an activist judge for without exaggeration failing to give proper notice of a notice/comment period (i.e. pre-notice) for studying how additional duplexes would affect tree shade.
When courts are willing to rip up the most common sense proposals on the filmiest of grounds, how is anything suppose to be built?
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For those who run into a paywall: [https://archive.ph/0ZY2W](https://archive.ph/0ZY2W)
> Virginia has a problem. The commonwealth doesn’t have enough housing, especially near major job centers. This is holding back the state’s economy and vibrancy, and many signs suggest the problem is getting worse. Last year, Virginia had one of the country’s largest rent hikes, according to an analysis by Construction Coverage. And Richmond, Northern Virginia and the Virginia Beach-Norfolk region are all among the top 50 metro areas with the biggest spikes in home prices, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This is basic economics: When demand is high and supply is low, prices rise.
> In Virginia in November, Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled a plan to invest $75 million in creating thousands of housing units near major employment sites. He also issued an executive order meant to spur businesses to come up with housing plans when they expand into the commonwealth. Broadly speaking, these have been good initiatives. But they’re also small-scale and designed to create only about 5,000 more housing units.
> Virginia’s Democratic-controlled legislature is offering its own proposals to boost housing supply. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) would make it easier to build affordable housing on land owned by religious groups. As congregations see the hardships created by the housing shortage, they are increasingly looking to use their land for low-income or senior housing. Legislation from state Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (D-Prince William) would allow any local government in the state to create its own affordable dwelling-unit program. (Currently, this can be done only in certain jurisdictions. Other localities have to seek state government approval.) A bill by Saddam Azlan Salim (D-Fairfax) would require all local governments to approve accessory dwelling units — backyard cottages, for example, or garages that have been turned into separate homes — if they meet some basic requirements. A bill from Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax) would require every local government to come up with a plan to grow housing by 7.5 percent over the next five years.
> Republicans often say they fear imposing state authority on local decision-making. But in the case of housing, state lawmakers can help inject common sense into local discussions to overcome the tendency to discourage development — also known as NIBMY (“not in my backyard”) syndrome. Individual homeowners claim they don’t want their views ruined or they don’t want added traffic or noise. But such preferences prevent economic and population growth.
> Virginia and other states have a vested interest in the housing supply, not least because, as they compete with one another for top talent and business expansion, they cannot afford to lose young people who can’t find affordable places to live. This requires breaking ground on new housing today.
!ping YIMBY&USA-DMV
I’m surprised there was no mention of Arlington’s [missing middle](https://reason.com/2024/10/01/americas-trial-courts-have-a-nimby-problem/) ordinance that was revoked by an activist judge for without exaggeration failing to give proper notice of a notice/comment period (i.e. pre-notice) for studying how additional duplexes would affect tree shade.
When courts are willing to rip up the most common sense proposals on the filmiest of grounds, how is anything suppose to be built?