CPHD
Targets
Arlington's Goals and Targets for Affordable Housing
Approved by the County Board
December 2003 and Revised March 2011
Introduction
Arlington County is committed to being a diverse and inclusive community. Its highly desirable location, however, has created tremendous demands for housing, jeopardizing economic diversity. Thus, Arlington must be proactive in providing affordable housing for
- our families
- our older residents
- our persons with disabilities
- our entry level professionals and our teachers, police, firefighters and other public employees, and
- the employees in the many jobs that support our strong economic development.
The development of these targets is a critical step in the County’s multi-year effort to address our affordable housing crisis. The targets will provide a guide for County efforts. Not all the targets can realistically be met with existing resources. When undertaking specific activities, the County will need to prioritize the targets based on financial capacity.
Many of the targets are interrelated and may even be in conflict in certain situations. This will require us to set priorities among targets. For example, creating more family-sized housing units may result in a lower overall number of units created. Creating committed units in the Metro corridors will likely result in fewer units than outside the corridors.
Ultimately, Arlington must exercise judgment and creativity to strike the appropriate balance across a range of different affordable housing goals, which, together, result in a community that is economically diverse and economically sustainable.
In addition to the baseline, “stretch” targets have been established for all goals and “aggressive” targets offered for some. These targets reflect a more ideal outcome. Ability to achieve stretch and aggressive targets will depend on resources, opportunities, and overall economic conditions. Given limited resources, efficiency and cost-effectiveness will be critical in choosing how to use public resources.
All of the targets will not be met. The purpose of the targets is to establish a long term vision of where we would ideally like to be and to provide a quantitative way to measure our progress. Thus, the “baseline” is at least equally as important as the target. Success should be measured both from where we start as well as to where we want to go.
The baseline, stretch and aggressive targets are shown on a graph with a short narrative. More detailed background data are presented in the Appendix and a Glossary explaining terms used in the report. The targets are based on data that are available or reasonably able to be collected. They generally are set for FY2015.
A report will be issued annually to update the County Board and community on progress in meeting the targets. As a result of annual evaluations, the targets may be adjusted or new targets developed as needed. The County will also continuously research best practices across the country, develop and implement new strategies, and seek out new partners to help achieve the targets.
The development of the targets has been achieved through extensive public discussion, including people of diverse interests. Credit is especially due to the Targets Subcommittee of the Arlington Housing Commission, the full Commission and members of the public who participated in a forum and provided comments throughout the process.
