Shelter Pressure in Lovettsville

The pain of decreasing housing affordability reared its head briefly in my town. Northern Virginia around Fairfax, Loudoun, and Fauquier counties is one of those regions where the workers who service the area – auto mechanics, retail salespeople, custodial personnel, etc. – cannot afford to live where they work.

I wrote about this in my review of Rick Kahlenberg’s excellent book for the democratic socialist website In These Times. One of the lesser means for easing housing prices is deregulation pertaining to so-called “Accessory Dwelling Units,” (‘ADU’) also known as “Granny flats.” These are cottages in sufficiently-large lots of single-family homes. As one of the richest counties in the U.S., Loudoun has plenty of homeowners with big enough lots to contain an ADU.

Our town council took up this question on August 30^th. No final decisions were made. Concerns were raised about increased use of water, and pressure on school enrollments and traffic. These seem unfounded.

People are paying for water as it is. If you use more water, you pay for it. If the town is selling water at a loss, that’s just dumb. These units would be too small for families with children. Their chief use would be keeping elderly parents close by, or housing a nanny, au pair, or “failure to launch” offspring.

The concerns speak to the larger, misguided feeling in these parts against new residents. Race could be a factor. In general, however, a larger population sends more tax revenue to pay for increased school enrollments. It also expands commerce, to identical effect. Land that is zoned for more profitable uses commands higher property value assessments, and property tax revenue rises. Traffic is a concern, but ADUs would not generally be housing adults who commute to work every day.

Loudoun’s population has been growing by leaps and bounds. Republicans object, while Democrats try to straddle the debate with blather about “our rural way of life.”

Me, I like new people.

If I was boss of our Northern Virginia branch (LOL; it really should be called “DC suburban Virginia branch”) of Democratic Socialists of America, I would urge more interest in housing affordability. That speaks to the dilemma of the region’s working class like nothing else, and it will only grow as an issue.

The Democratic Party establishment tends to shrink from this problem. It wants the votes of well-to-do homeowners in Western Loudoun, Fairfax, and Fauquier. Of course, the Republicans are dead against foreigners from D.C. or the Peoples Republic of Montgomery County (Maryland) migrating in. The field is clear for DSA to plant its flag in Virginia.

DSA would have a monopoly on the issue, as far as the Democratic Party is concerned. There are other local activists involved. This means focusing on renters aspiring to become homeowners. The three tools available are rent control, money for ‘social housing,’ and as I wrote in my review, opening up areas zoned for single-family houses on large lots to multi-family units and ADUs. (The ADUs are much the lesser device to deal with the problem, but still worth a mention.)

We don’t see much labor agitation in these parts. Three other vital matters statewide would be reproductive rights, expansion of Medicaid, and increased funding for the state universities. Housing should join the list.