Alexandria, Virginia, Office of Housing and Department of Planning and Zoning

In 2019, Alexandria amended its zoning ordinance as a result of a comprehensive and culturally inclusive community planning and engagement process. The residential multifamily (RMF) zone provides a substantial density incentive to induce landowners to preserve or produce affordable housing.

The RMF zone was developed pursuant to the 2018 South Patrick Street Housing Affordability Strategy, a community planning process undertaken to identify potential tools, strategies, and resources for the preservation of 215 existing units of deeply affordable housing at risk of being lost to market pressures. The 2018 community planning and engagement processes included participation by residents of the affordable housing, the two property owners involved, neighbors and community members, as well as various stakeholders. Over the course of a weeklong charrette and several months of subsequent public meetings, a consensus was reached regarding the importance of preserving housing affordability in the neighborhood and within a mixed- income community, the need to support existing low income residents who would be impacted by redevelopment in maintaining their housing security, and the tradeoffs involved (height and density) to achieve housing affordability through private development rather than public investment.

The RMF zone allows substantial new density so the owner can develop three to five market-rate units to subsidize every deeply affordable unit provided. In addition, the zone requires assistance and protections for existing residents who are temporarily relocated—including a right to return when the new development is complete—so that redevelopment can occur.

Application of the RMF zone is not limited to the South Patrick Street neighborhood: the zone is currently anticipated to be used over the next few years by private and nonprofit developers to expand housing affordability within mixed- income development.