Alexandria Council Moves to Reinstate Affordable Housing Set-Aside

Alexandria City Council moved Tuesday to restore the mechanism of set-aside funding for affordable housing while opting to eliminate the dedication for open space.

Council initially voted to dispense with both in early May when it adopted its fiscal year 2014 budget, a move that was chalked up to a miscommunication between city staff and council.

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When presenting the initial ordinances that constitute the budget, the introduction of language removing the dedication of small percentages of the real estate tax rate for the two funds caught several members of council off guard. However, all seven initially approved the ordinance.

In the weeks since, councilmembers have squabbled over how the language was entered in the ordinance but mostly about the issue of dedicated funding itself.

Council began the process of codifying the budget ordinances this week, with final actions to be taken Saturday.

Councilmen Paul Smedberg and Justin Wilson have been vocal in their opposition to the mechanism of dedicated funding, saying it hampers council’s ability to set priorities and elevates certain issues above others.

Both made particular points this week that eliminating the set-asides would not mean a reduction in funds or signify a lack of a commitment to the two issues.

“I am just not willing to wall off certain areas of the budget and not weigh them against many other areas of our budget,” Wilson said, adding that he had a difficult time placing affordable housing and open space ahead of funding schools, public safety and other issues given that the city is facing future budget deficits.  

“Eliminating the set-aside doesn’t mean eliminating affordable housing,” Smedberg said.

Both also said the city’s zoning authority and ability to create public-private partnerships were more effective tools in gaining affordable housing and open space.

Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg insisted set-asides remain necessary.  

“Dedicated funding is a tool used by communities across the country to gain the funding to obtain things they want as a community,” she said, adding that affordable housing and open space acquisition remain two parts of Alexandria’s strategic plan. “This is something that made a big difference in our community and it would be a mistake to get rid of it.”

She suggested the issue of set-aside funding was something that could have been hashed out at a work session ahead of budget adoption. Though mentioned multiple times throughout the budget sessions, no consensus was stated on the issue.

Councilman Tim Lovain, who opposes set-asides on principle, said the timing wasn’t right to sunset the affordable housing dedication given the community response following news of its potential elimination. He also said he would like some time between the final add-delete session and budget adoption to flesh out issues like this one.

“We didn’t receive an email until this story broke,” Silberberg said. “It wasn’t on the radar. … It’s the lack of civic engagement that really gets me the most.”

Council opted to expire the set-aside for open space because the city is within striking distance of the 100-acre acquisition goal it set when it initiated the dedication a decade ago.

“We made a plan, pushed the plan and we are very close to it and have mechanisms to get to that goal,” said Councilman John Chapman. “With that type of focus you don’t need to continue that set-aside. …We are just getting together for some of those parts when it comes to affordable housing or housing in general.”