Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: 1. Tax credit changes proposed to boost Virginia’s affordable housing 2. Missing Middle developments halt in Arlington after court decision 3. Replacing vacant offices with apartments could boost tax base, new Fairfax County study finds 4. Fed Chair Jerome Powell: 'Growing confidence' inflation cooling, more rate cuts possible 5. Build housing on federal land? Both Harris and Trump are in favor.  

Tax credit changes proposed to boost Virginia’s affordable housing  

By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch   

State officials want to broaden access to the tax credits that Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. — a lawyer who specialized in housing issues — says are some of the most important affordable housing programs around. The Virginia Housing Development Authority aims to ease a key chokepoint — credits for developments relying on federal project-based rent subsidies. 

Missing Middle developments halt in Arlington after court decision  

By DAN EGITTO, ARLnow 

Last week’s court decision to overturn Missing Middle zoning changes freezes progress on dozens of projects around Arlington, county staff confirmed. Following the ruling in Arlington Circuit Court, “the County must void all [Expanded Housing Option] permits and halt all review processes related to EHO development,” county spokesperson Ryan Hudson told ARLnow. Though Judge David Schell verbally delivered his ruling in court on Friday, he has not yet entered a final order on this case. This leaves many open questions about the future of any efforts to re-approve the contentious EHO zoning amendments, which allowed for the construction of up to six-unit buildings on sites that were previously zoned for only single-family homes. 

Replacing vacant offices with apartments could boost tax base, new Fairfax County study finds 

By DAN BRENDEL, Washington Business Journal 

A recent study suggests Fairfax County would see a net boost in local tax revenues resulting from the conversion or redevelopment of vacant office properties into new multifamily buildings. 

Fed Chair Jerome Powell: 'Growing confidence' inflation cooling, more rate cuts possible 

By JAMES POWEL, USA Today 

The Fed chair said that the growth of rents charged to new tenants had slowed and that housing inflation had slowed but "sluggishly." "As leases turn over year upon year, you should see inflation rates start to flatten out,” he said. “It’s just going to take longer than we’ve been expecting and longer than we’ve wanted." 

Build housing on federal land? Both Harris and Trump are in favor 

By SCOTT STREATER, E&E News by Politico 

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Tuesday night reiterated his running mate’s call to ramp up housing development by opening federal lands for home building.