Big changes could come to the housing rules and regulations in Alexandria by the end of this year.
Alexandria's Dept. of Planning & Zoning offered its recommendations to the City Council earlier this week to address the affordable housing crisis in the city and make housing more equitable.
The recommendations from DPZ include a number of controversial moves, including significantly reducing residential parking requirements and allowing two- to four-unit dwellings in current single-family residential zones.
An option that has gained much attention but was ultimately not recommended by Planning & Zoning: the Building Height Amendment, which would have allowed developers to build taller buildings in exchange for an increase in affordable housing units.
"Bonus height is not a valuable tool for redevelopment of Alexandria parcels with height limits between 45 and 50 feet because other provisions of the zoning ordinance (limits on overall square footage, requirements for setbacks and open space, etc.) would nearly always prevent a developer from using it," according to this week's recommendations from the department.
There will be multiple opportunities for residents to talk to city officials about the proposed changes in the next few months. This month, city staff are planning the following:
- September 14: Community meeting, Location coming soon.
- September 23: City Council Public Hearing, City Hall (opportunity to comment)
- September 24: City Council Town Hall (opportunity to comment) Location coming soon.
Reasons for Change
The city has explained: "The Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative has two main objectives: Zoning for Housing is to expand housing production of market-rate and affordable housing through proposed zoning reforms; Housing for All is the equity lens through which past discriminatory policies or practices that created barriers to housing are researched."
With housing prices continuing to increase and interest rates discouraging people from moving, it's gotten very difficult to buy a home in Alexandria.
Further, rent prices are continuing to increase.
"The average 1 bedroom apartment now rents for $2,186 per month, requiring a salary of nearly $90,000 to afford renting a small apartment in our City," Mayor Justin Wilson explained in a recent email to residents.
That, in turn, can affect the local economy and even city services. A lack of affordable housing in Alexandria "stifles economic growth as employers hopelessly chase a workforce disappearing from our community," Wilson wrote.
DPZ Recommendations
There are several ideas that DPZ assessed, and DPZ staff recommended pursuing several of them to the City Council this week. Additional details about each item below are available here.
The two items that have drawn the most attention from residents are related to changes to single-family zoning areas and parking requirements.
DPZ is recommending that City Council "Add the opportunity to construct two-unit and three to four four-unit dwellings in the R20, R12, R8, R5, and R2 R2-5 zones." The R20 zone is established for single-family zones on lots of 20,000 sq. ft. or more (almost a half-acre lot), where as the R2-5 zones allow for more moderate density. With this recommendation, "An estimated 66 new residential buildings would be developed over a 10-year period containing an estimated 178 units."
In addition, DPZ recommends reducing parking requirements for some residential developments. DPZ is calling for "no minimum parking requirements for dwelling units within the enhanced transit area," and a "minimum 0.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit beyond the enhanced transit area."
Further, the department has recommended the following:
Historic Development Pattern: The department recommends that the city "remove dwelling-units-per-acre limitations in multifamily zones to allow smaller unit sizes within the same development envelope. This will allow the option of smaller, and therefore less expensive units to be built and could increase unit production by an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 units in some projects."
Residential Multi-family (RMF) Zone Analysis: The department recommends that the Housing Master Plan be amended to support RMF rezonings in areas that are already planned for medium to high-density development. In addition, "Amend the RMF zone to expand the uses permitted by right on the ground floor of RMF buildings, consistent with other zones."
Industrial Zone Analysis: "Require new industrial buildings to meet some of the same requirements as mixed-use buildings to be compatible with the future residential, pedestrian-scale development."
Coordinated Development Districts (CDDs) and Affordable Housing: "When the City approves density above that provided by [a] small area plan through a CDD, one-third of that additional density should be committed affordable units."
Expansion of Transit Oriented Development: There are several challenges around transit-oriented development, including the increased cost of land and construction, smaller urban blocks and overall market limitations. Still, "The planned priority transit corridors in Alexandria West and the Duke Street corridor present an opportunity to add more market rate and affordable housing."
Office to Residential Conversions: Alexandria is a leader nationwide in converting underused office space to residential, with several projects in the works in Old Town and in the Eisenhower East neighborhoods. The department suggests continuing to support such conversions for older buildings. However, the city should "Prioritize for retention office buildings that are competitive or where City policies or plans call for non-residential development in that area."
Townhouse Zoning Analysis: This would allow for more and easier townhouse development in areas where townhouses are already permitted, by "[Eliminating] side yard setback requirements for lots 25 feet in width or less and "establish 35 percent open space requirement across all townhouse zones and for residential uses in commercial zones."
Staff has developed two options for parking requirements for single family zones (Option 3 is recommended): Read the full comprehensive package for Zoning for Housing/Housing for All here.
