1. Making Affordable Housing Happen in Virginia Beach
Housing Credit Conference – Sept. 24, 2019
Presented by Andrew Friedman, Director

2. Our Housing Gap and Challenges
Outline
About Virginia Beach
Our Housing Gap and Challenges
Closing the Gap
Conclusions

3. Virginia Beach
Largest city in the Commonwealth -- about 460,000 people and 175,000 housing units
Largest employers: Military, schools, city, resort businesses
Formerly the fastest growing city in the U.S now growing about 7/10ths of 1%/year
Rural areas and Oceana Naval Air Station
Created Strategic Growth Areas (SGAs), including the Oceanfront Resort District (pictured: Comprehensive Plan Map)

4. What’s Our main Gap?
Gap/need for 21,000 units of affordable rental housing for households whose incomes are at or below 80% AMFI
Housing should be income targeted to avoid “crowding out” of low-income households by higher income households
-- Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech 2017 Report: Virginia Beach Housing Needs and Market Analysis Reinvestment Strategy

5. What are the Challenges?
Development
Rising Land Costs - due to Limited available developable land
Rising Construction Costs - both labor & materials
Re-zoning process takes time and increases cost
Projects
Political/public support of location
Fear of NIMBY by developers
Generally
Need to think differently about affordable housing
What are the Challenges?

6. Project-by-Project Support for Affordable Housing Development
We’ve used almost every tool there is to help make affordable housing projects happen:
Financing tools and providing vouchers
Infrastructure and land ownership tools
Support of proposals to funders/financers; and designation of revitalization areas
Innovative partnerships
Building it ourselves!
Project-by-Project Support for Affordable Housing Development

7. LIHTC Funded Projects in Virginia Beach since 1995
LIHTC Funded Projects in Virginia Beach since 1995* *INFO FROM vhda- Thank you!
31 Developments 3,959 Total Units – including 2,082 new construction 3,678 Affordable Units Elderly, Disabled, Homeless, Veterans $172M of Private Equity

8. Financing and Vouchers
City funds HOME and/or CDBG funding Project-based voucher commitments Targeting for people with disabilities

9. Infrastructure and Land Ownership
Building significant infrastructure Cost sharing on infrastructure Reducing parking requirements Selling public land Identifying land/connecting sellers to developers
Infrastructure and Land Ownership

10. Support to Funders and Area/Site Designations
Council Resolutions City Manager Letters Zoning Letters Designation of Revitalization Zones

11. Innovative Partnerships
Regional partnerships with local governments and housing authorities
Connecting people with passion to skilled developers

12. Development Examples
We used multiple tools on most projects, as appropriate to the need and circumstances
All of the following examples were built in VB in the last 12 years

13. Title: Cloverleaf Apartments Virginia Supportive Housing 60 units
Before
City provided funding for the purchase of the site and assisted the non-profit with site search.

14. Title: Cedar Grove Apartments
City Connected the seller of the land to the non-profit developer. The parcel contained a condemned single family home located among multi-family properties
City reduced parking requirements to less than 1 space / unit as the site was only 2/3 of an acre and provided Project based vouchers for all 32 units.
Cedar Grove Apartments
Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation
32 units

15. Title: Crescent Square Apartments Virginia Supportive Housing 80 units
City supported a re-zoning, and there was vocal opposition to the project from nearby communities; regional partnership: the City of Virginia Beach and City of Norfolk provided HOME funds and VA Beach and Norfolk RHA provided Project based vouchers
Crescent Square Apartments
Virginia Supportive Housing
80 units
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16. BAKER WOODS Apartments – by The Lawson Companies – 96 units
City provided vouchers for persons with disabilities to help the project compete for credits
The Lawson Companies

17. Title: 200 West Apartments Franklin-Johnston Group 264 units
Project is located in a City-designated revitalization area, on a parcel that was formerly light-industrial and needed infrastructure improvements to support a large multi-family development. City paid $2.9 million of the total cost of $4.2 million in stormwater and sewer improvements. Also provided 20 project-based vouchers.
200 West Apartments
Franklin-Johnston Group
264 units
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18. Title: Housing Resource Center City of Virginia Beach 30 units
City built project in a City-designated revitalization area, on City owned land, with City funding. 29 units of permanent supportive housing, 24 have PBVs. Partnership with non-profits and faith community that provide services (e.g., VSH operates the PSH)
Housing Resource Center
City of Virginia Beach
30 units
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19. Title: Renaissance Apartments Franklin-Johnston Group 240 units
City Public Schools sold excess land. Site is 10.7 acres which allowed for a hybrid 9%/4% tax credit project with 192 units as well as an additional 48 units of workforce housing.

20. Workforce Housing program Form-Based Zoning
Title
SYSTEMIC APPROACHES
Workforce Housing program Form-Based Zoning
Add more allowable housing uses “by right” and/or expand allowable uses in appropriate areas.

21. Virginia Beach Actions:
Title
Virginia Beach Actions:
1994: Housing for Seniors and Disabled Persons per CUP/Reduced pkg.
1997: “In-Law suites” (Accessory Dwelling Units) allowed in limited zoning areas
2003: Strategic Growth Areas allow increased density/urban form
2007: Single Room Occupancy Facility per CUP/Reduced parking
2007: Voluntary Workforce Housing Program-density bonuses
2012: Form-based Code adopted in Resort area, reducing need for re-zonings/CUPs

22. Title: The Lawson Companies 76 Units
Form-based code allowed for the builder to build 76 units on 1.04 acres, which enabled the project to be financially feasible.

23. Systemic Approaches: Next Steps
Expand areas for Accessory Dwelling Units/”In- law Suites”?
Allow increased density by right in transition areas and along major roads/thoroughfares?
Affordable housing as a key factor in making places where people want to live?
Mandatory Inclusionary zoning?

24. THINKING DIFFERENTLY Title
People are not defined by their current income Affordable housing should improve and contribute to community Affordable housing is not for “other” people No one notices if affordable housing is there first
Affordable housing is many different things:
Fully affordable apartment communities
Affordable housing in mixed- income developments
Scattered site housing
Affordable senior housing
Housing for people with special needs
Affordable housing is many different things:
Fully affordable apartment communities
Affordable housing in mixed-income developments
Scattered site housing
Affordable senior housing
Housing for people with special needs
People are not defined by their current income
Affordable housing should be a better neighbor than what was there before and should contribute to the community
Affordable housing is not for “other” people – it is for our friends, relatives, parents, veterans
No one even notices it if it is there before them

25. THANK YOU! Questions & Comments
Andrew M. Friedman, Director
Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation
or (757)