The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will address three significant topics during their meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, reflecting a focus on housing, infrastructure, and community development.
1. Affordable Dwelling Unit Ordinance Presentation
The Board will discuss a proposed Affordable Dwelling Unit (AfDU) Ordinance designed to expand the county's supply of affordable housing for residents earning 50% to 80% of the area median income. Highlights include:
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Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair, at-large Deshundra Jefferson, is on the mend after having had surgery for Crohnâs disease. This chronic inflammatory bowel condition has affected her health over the past two years.
Now two weeks post-surgery, Jefferson reports feeling âpretty goodâ and looks forward to resuming her duties full-time, including attending Zoom meetings and tackling a backlog of emails next week. Despite her temporary absence, Jefferson is grateful for her colleagues, especially Supervisor Boddye, who stepped up in her absence, as well as her staff, friends, and supportive 16-year-old son. âThese things are kind of frightening until you actually go through them,â she shared, noting the relief of finally addressing symptoms that had worsened over the past few months.
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The Fredericksburg City Council recently heard an update on the ongoing Community Health Assessment from Rappahannock Area Health District Director Dr. Oleg Benga Obasanyo.
Obasanyo's presentation focused on the progress made since the last health assessment and the priorities identified for improving the well-being of the Fredericksburg community and surrounding areas. The three main prioritiesâmental health, affordable housing, and access to healthcareâremain focal points for improvement.
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At the October 15, 2024, Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting, pressing housing issues took center stage as the county faces an unprecedented demand for emergency housing assistance and a growing crisis of affordability for senior citizens.
The countyâs Emergency Housing Assistance Program received an overwhelming number of applications in just one week, with over 500 households seeking support. Joan Duckett, Director of the Office of Housing, reported that this surge in applications reflects the mounting challenges faced by low-income and at-risk populations, including those threatened with homelessness. This rapid influx underscores the urgency of the housing crisis in Prince William, where increasing rent prices have made stable housing out of reach for many residents.
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Prince William County residents are invited to attend a Multi-District Town Hall on Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. Supervisors Yesli Vega, Tom Gordy, and Bob Weir of the Coles, Brentsville, and Gainesville districts will lead a discussion on community safety and the proposed Affordable Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance.
The event, which will occur at Unity Reed High School near Manassas, is designed to allow residents to voice their concerns, ask questions, and gain a deeper understanding of the proposed ordinance.
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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday to consider a proposal to rezone 9.92 acres of agricultural land to mixed residential use. This would pave the way for a new affordable housing project at 14698 Telegraph Road in Woodbridge. Evergreen at Telegraph Road is poised to feature 311 multifamily units, including 31 designated as affordable housing.
The proposed site is located on the west side of Telegraph Road, approximately 791 feet south of the intersection with Opitz Boulevard, near the OmniRide Transit Center. The rezoning application, #REZ2023-00013, seeks to change the land use from A-1 (Agricultural) and B-1 (General Business) to PMR (Planned Mixed Residential).
According to the rezoning application, the new development will contribute to the County's efforts to increase affordable housing. The project includes 31 affordable dwelling units (ADUs), with 15 units available to households earning up to 80% of the area median income (AMI) and 16 units for households earning up to 120% of AMI.
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Standard Communities is developing 240 apartments on Route 1 in Woodbridge. The development aims to remake Jefferson Square, the dilapidated shopping center next to Marumsco Plaza.
The development will be considered low-income housing. Residents must spend no more than 60% of what they earn annually on housing to live there.
Read more in a Standard Communities press release:
The Prince William County project, Jefferson Plaza Apartments, is capitalized at approximately $67.5 million. Nationally, Standard currently has more than 2,000 units in its new construction pipeline. Funding for Jefferson Plaza Apartments was secured through Virginia Housing as the issuer of
tax-exempt bonds, and Freddie Mac provided Low Income Housing Tax Credits through Hudson Housing Capital.Jefferson Plaza Apartments, at 1305 Jefferson Plaza, will comprise seven 3-story buildings with 147 one-bedroom and 93 two-bedroom units. The community, being built on a 7.6 acre site of a former shopping center, is a transit-oriented development in the Route 1 Corridor within walking distance of the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express station and close to I-95, with nearby shopping, restaurants and more.
The property will be income-restricted to 60% of the Area Medium Income, making the units affordable to middle-income families and essential workers.
Jefferson Plaza will feature 354 parking spaces for residents, a 3,000 square foot club room, co- working space, a fitness center, bike storage, a playground and recreational area, greenspace and
a dog park. Residents will have direct access to an adjacent park to be built out as part of the project.âWe are proud to provide financing and vital housing tax credits that will help make the construction of 240 new apartment homes a reality,â said Janet Wiglesworth, Interim CEO of
Virginia Housing.Based in New York and Los Angeles, Standard has a national portfolio of almost 20,000 apartment units and has completed more than $4.7 billion of affordable housing acquisitions, rehabilitation and development nationwide.
The 14th annual Northern Virginia Housing Expo will be held on Saturday, March 23. The Expo is free and open to the public and will run between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Charles J. Colgan High School, 13833 Dumfries Road, Manassas.
More information can be found in a Prince William County press release:
Visitors to the Housing Expo will have the opportunity to attend workshops that will provide them with valuable information about the housing market, including:
- The ABCs of credit scores
- Household budgeting in expensive times
- Getting ready to rent or buy
- First-time buyer and rental assistance programs
- Housing discrimination â understanding fair housing laws
- Senior housing topics
- Neighborhood housing rehabilitation program
- Reverse mortgages
The Housing Expo will also include dozens of exhibits featuring apartment rentals, government assistance programs, mortgage information and assistance, and home-buying opportunities, as well as lenders who will be on hand to answer questions.
âLenders will have information on different loan programs available and information on how to qualify for a mortgage loan,â said Prince William County Director of Housing and Community Development, Joan Duckett.
Consultants will also be at the Expo for 30-minute one-on-one sessions to help people find out more about what housing choices are right for them, whether they are looking for a place to rent or getting ready to buy a home.
The Housing Expo is a cooperative effort of Virginia Housing; the counties of Prince William, Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun; the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Manassas Park; the Northern Virginia Association of RealtorsÂź; the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
DeShundra Jefferson, chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, answered resident and media questions about housing, data centers, and the future of the county at the Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, town hall event.
Hosted by InsideNoVa, Jefferson took questions from members of the media and residents during the nearly hourlong virtual town hall event. Jefferson was sworn in as chair in January.
