Alexandria’s yet-to-be-elected new City Council will surely address the issue of providing more affordable housing opportunities. It is my hope that we can find solutions that will wholistically consider the impact on our overcrowded schools and infrastructure capacity, while not adding to the list of taxpayer subsidies. While there are obviously a lot of national-level macroeconomic factors at play, I like to think about local solutions to problems, and I offer up some thoughts here.

My comments are balanced by the fact that I am currently a renter who is also a former homeowner (before the 2008 financial crisis) and an aspiring future homeowner. Let’s not pit renters against homeowners. Let’s deal with facts and keep our existing city residents’ interests first and foremost in mind.

FIRST, we must acknowledge that property taxes are paid by landlords who must pass along those taxes to renters. As Alexandria property taxes increase, so does rent. Taxes are determined by how much the city needs to raise to pay for all of the items and programs in the city budget. Let’s focus on controlling and reducing the city budget.

For years our city leaders have talked about making Alexandria housing more affordable, but the opposite has happened. Over the past six years, under the leadership of Mayor Wilson, the incumbent council members, voted in lock-step for unnecessary programs such as the Guaranteed Income pilot program to give $500 per month to a lucky few to see if their finances improved. Good grief.

I look forward to lowering housing costs for all Alexandrians, both renters and homeowners, by cutting pet projects implemented and supported by incumbent city council members and getting back to the basics of what taxpayers need and local governments are supposed to provide: public safety, safe roads, education, and other basic public services.

SECOND, the known transience of Alexandria’s population is a factor that needs to be considered. One could argue that increasing the ratio of home ownership over rental units would increase residents’ commitment to being long-term members of our community, which certainly has its benefits. Yet it is homeowners that are framed as the ‘bad guys’ by the YIMBYs (Yes In My Back Yard). That should stop. Let’s focus on home ownership opportunities over rentals. Otherwise, the city is bending over backwards to accommodate people who will only live here for just a few years. That makes no sense financially or policy-wise. Would the co-op style of ownership be a helpful option? Maybe we should look into that idea to help our residents establish more permanent roots here.

Unfortunately, many of the long-term lower- and moderate-income Alexandrians who owned properties have had to leave the city due to the tax burden the incumbent City Council has put on them. Their income hasn’t kept up with their property value, and that makes it hard to pay taxes. The average homeowner in Alexandria, excluding condos, is paying the city over $900 a month in local property taxes just to keep their home. For many, taxes (or rather, City Council members’ votes to raise effective tax rates) have forced Alexandrians to move away from their homes and their lives here. That is incredibly sad, and it’s like the city is saying “Thanks for your time helping to build our community over the decades, but we don’t want you anymore.”

To add further insult to injury, the City Council voted to destroy single-family neighborhoods and approve 4-unit apartment buildings in any single-family neighborhood. An Alexandria Times poll showed that over 80% of respondents thought this was a bad idea. The zoning change is arguably a breach of contract by the city, harming homeowners who have invested most of their personal wealth in an asset they purchased in good faith as a single-family home in a single-family neighborhood. That’s a ‘bait and switch’ that should not stand. And it will likely result in even further tax increases because the land values will be driven up now that four residential units can fit where only one home could fit in the past.

THIRD, retaining our city’s recent graduates who were raised in Alexandria and would like to find a job in the area and continue to call the city ‘home’ would be extremely beneficial to everyone. Let’s find ideas and policies that help them stay near their families as they create their independent adult lives. Average rents of $2,000 per month are out of reach for that demographic. I support Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) for this purpose --and for granny! Also, we should challenge developers to design small rental units that are designed for single lower-income and early-career residents in mind with minimal living space requirements but provide common areas for work and social space to help build community. You know, a step or two up from dorm rooms, and which might find a great location at Potomac Yard near the Virginia Tech campus.

TO SUMMARIZE, I agree that we need more affordable housing availability in Alexandria. I believe that expanding opportunities for one group shouldn’t be done by contracting the property rights of another group. Let’s cut taxes that add to housing costs, focus on growing home ownership opportunities, and try to keep our young people living in their hometown. That would be a good start.

Let’s remember that the City of Alexandria is only about 15 square miles and can’t solve all the housing problems for Northern Virginia, which arguably consists of up to 10,000 square miles. There’s a lot more land available for development outside of our city limits. Let’s work together find some win-win solutions in Alexandria.