by Danielle Finley, Associate Director of Political Engagement

Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: 1. Loudoun Supervisors Poised to Consider ‘Unprecedented’ Attainable Housing Loan 2. Fairfax legislators divided over proposed casino in Tysons Corner 3. Possum Point power plant in Prince William County powers up for data centers 4. Virginia lawmakers look to expand affordable housing through faith communities 5. Richmond water crisis raises questions: Could it happen in D.C.?

By HANNA PAMPALONI, Loudoun Now

An additional 137 attainable housing units could be coming to Loudoun County after the Board of Supervisors’ finance committee recommended approval of a $15 million loan to True Ground Housing Partners earlier this week. The application stipulates that the units would be available resident earning 30 to 60% of the Area Median Income and includes one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment options. That means families of four making between $46,200 and $92,850 a year could be eligible.

By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Subscription Required)

A proposal for a casino resort in Fairfax County’s Tysons Corner is dividing the county’s General Assembly delegation, with advocates calling for new sources of revenue to relieve pressure on local real estate taxes and opponents decrying a threat to the vibrant commercial and residential hub along the fast-developing Silver Line transit corridor. The split is clearest in the Virginia Senate, where Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, is leading the push for the casino resort with a trio of senators, including Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax.

By PETER CARY, Prince William Times

Some hoped the Possum Point power plant, located on scenic bluffs above the Potomac River, might shutter over the next several years as Virginia weaned itself from fossil fuels, as charged by law. But now, that’s not happening, due in large part to data centers’ enormous electricity demands. Instead of closing, Dominion Energy recently released plans to crank more power out of the 75-year-old facility. The plan to modernize gas and steam turbines at Possum Point was shared with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors last month.

By BRENDAN KING, WTVR-TV

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) Director of Faith Organizing Sheila Herlihy Hennessee warned at a Tuesday morning press conference that “there is an affordable housing crisis throughout Virginia.” VICPP and advocates met in the Senate Briefing Room at the Virginia General Assembly to discuss the bipartisan House Bill 2153 and its Senate companion, also known as the Faith and Housing Bill.

By JOSH ROSENTHAL, WTTG-TV

We need water to do almost anything – to drink, to bathe, to wash our clothes. But what if all of that suddenly had to stop? It’s what just happened in Richmond, where officials said last week’s snowstorm caused a power outage and flooding at the city’s water plant. That led to people and businesses going without water for days. So, naturally, many in the greater Washington region then asked, could what happened in Richmond also happen here?