Mar 14, 2025, 10:49
by
Hannah Jane Costilow
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of public policy issues and headlines from around the Northern Virginia Region, the Commonwealth, and Capitol Hill.
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. HUD Reportedly Considering Office Closures Across Multiple States 2. Affordable housing threatened as Trump halts $1 billion slated for extending life of aging buildings 3. Ranked-choice voting not likely in Falls Church until at least 2027 4. Fairfax County board cautious on conversion of industrial land to housing 5. Massive Robinson Terminal North project heading to Alexandria Planning Commission.
By AARON MARCH, National Mortgage Professional
Plans to downsize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could leave some 34 states without local HUD staff to underwrite mortgages, as originally reported by Bloomberg, and Democrats in Congress are decrying the apparently impending office closures and workforce cuts to the agency.
The Trump administration is halting a $1 billion program that helps preserve affordable housing, threatening projects that keep tens of thousands of units livable for low-income Americans, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, ArlNow
Falls Church officials appear willing to hold off, for now, on moving City Council elections to a ranked-choice format. “It might be better to wait,” city elections director David Bjerke said at a Monday Falls Church Electoral Board meeting. The city’s current election hardware is slated to be replaced in 2027 after 10 years in service. Bjerke told Electoral Board members that the City Council members he has spoken with are willing to wait until the new equipment arrives before changing election formats.
By SCOTT MCCAFFREY, FFXnow
Land currently zoned for industrial use across Fairfax County could be converted to residential zoning in an effort to bring more housing stock to the county. As part of a larger “Plan Forward” initiative started in 2022, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) staff have proposed amending the county’s comprehensive plan to allow more flexibility for industrial land to turn into residential development, while also retaining some designated industrial areas.
The latest site plan for one of the last undeveloped areas of the Alexandria waterfront—Robinson Terminal North—envisions restaurants, retail, apartments, expanded open space, and even a hotel. The Planning Commission will review a development special use permit (DSUP) proposal and site plan for the former industrial site in Old Town North on May 6 (Tuesday).