AGENDA DATE: 5/7/2025
TITLE:
Title
AC44 - Draft Housing Chapter
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Staff will present and seek feedback on the draft Housing chapter of the Comprehensive Plan document.
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Wall, Filardo, Barnes, McDermott, Swartzendruber, Benish, Kanellopoulos, Holt
PRESENTER (S): Tori Kanellopoulos, Principal Planner, Stacy Pethia, Assistant Director of Social Services
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: Albemarle County is updating the Comprehensive Plan through the Albemarle County 2044 (AC44) project. The project is in Phase 3: drafting language for the four-part Comprehensive Plan document and developing Plan actions.
The draft language for the Part III - Housing chapter in Attachment B is built upon community input and reflects the Planning Commission's and Board's feedback.
Housing that is affordable and accessible is a fundamental need for our community. Nationally and locally, community members experience profoundly different impacts from the housing market. The Charlottesville area is now the second most expensive housing market in Virginia, behind only Northern Virginia. Income growth is not keeping up with the pace of rising housing costs, especially for lower-income households.
Locally, there are many tools Albemarle County can use to increase the local housing supply and housing choice (access to a variety of housing types at a variety of price points). While increasing the housing supply can help stabilize housing costs and address market demand, there will always be a need for subsidies to bridge the gap for low-income households.
Housing choice enables community members to live near where they work, to remain in their community as they age, and to afford both the cost of housing and other household expenses without burdening household budgets. These benefits of housing choice are important for quality of life and m...
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