FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2025
Expediting Affordable Housing Bill Passes Virginia General Assembly
A bill that gives local governments more tools to speed up affordable housing developments, HB 594 (Del. Shelly Simonds, D-Newport News), has passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly with bipartisan support.
“Many local officials want to support affordable projects.
This legislation gives them a pathway to put that desire into action.”
- Sheila Herlihy Hennessee of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
The bill allows localities to create a streamlined process to increase zoning density and shorten the approval process for affordable housing projects.
Rezoning approvals for housing developments often take six months to three years. While market-rate housing projects can build that cost and timeline uncertainty into their budgets, affordable housing projects often face a more challenging path.
“Many faith communities are excited about building affordable housing on their land and providing places for low-income seniors or people with disabilities to live. The problem is they don’t have the deep pockets needed to navigate a drawn-out process. This will simplify the path for investing in their communities,” said the bill’s chief patron, Del. Shelly Simonds.
When localities provide greater clarity and a more manageable process for organizations building affordable housing, it can speed up these important projects. This, in turn, increases developers' willingness to build affordable housing. There are many examples of projects undertaken by nonprofits and faith communities that would benefit from this kind of legislation.
"The last three years have been incredibly stressful, as we went through comprehensive plan and zoning code rewrites,” said Meghann Cotter, Executive Director of Micah Ecumenical Ministries in Fredericksburg. Her organization could have benefited from a policy like the one outlined in HB 594. They are working on a project to provide housing for people overcoming homelessness.
Cotter added, “With a policy like this, local government could have saved us time and money as we work to support vulnerable neighbors in our community.”
“The long rezoning process can feel risky without a guaranteed outcome, especially for developers of affordable housing,” said Sheila Herlihy Hennessee of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, which led advocacy efforts on this bill. “This policy opens the door for both rental and homeownership opportunities that will benefit our communities.”
Legislators and housing advocates now look forward to the governor signing this important piece of legislation into law.
HOUSING FACTS
- 42% of renters in Virginia pay more than 30% of their income on rent, according to federal data.
- A 2025 poll found that 73% of Virginians lack access to affordable housing, and 84% said they want to see action now.
- The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development estimates that 300,000 additional housing units are needed to alleviate the cost burden for renters.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, Director of Faith Organizing, sheila@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
Cheryl Wilfred, Office of Delegate Simonds, contact@simondsfordelegate.com
Roberta Oster, Director of Communications, Roberta@virginiainterfaithcenter.org
__________________________________________________________________
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) is a multi-faith, nonprofit, non-partisan organization with a statewide base of over 20,000 people of faith and goodwill in every legislative district in Virginia, working together
with hope and focus on a more just society.
###
END
| 
