Prince William County Supervisors Kenny Boddye (D-Occoquan) and Margaret Franklin (D-Woodbridge) are inviting the community to an “Affordable Housing” Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, June 23 at 7:00 pm. 

As the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area continues to grow, so does the gap between people’s income and housing affordability. While housing costs continue to rise in Prince William, the county remains one of the few Northern Virginia localities to not have affordable housing policies or funding in place for its residents. 

During the 2019 election, both Boddye and Franklin campaigned on bringing affordable housing to the area in order to ensure that residents who have lived in the area for years are not forced out due to the rising costs of living in Prince William County.

“We are in a position to learn from others as we create policies that address housing affordability in Prince William,” said Boddye. “While this is foremost a quality of life issue, it is also an economic issue. It’s also a workforce issue – our teachers, public safety personnel, and our other essential workers should be able to live where they serve. When everyone has access to quality, affordable housing, the whole community benefits. I look forward to working with staff, subject matter experts and residents to tackle this important issue.”  

Supervisor Franklin said that she wants to ensure housing affordability is a central topic as county staff work to update Prince William’s Comprehensive and Strategic Plans. 

“The county must address the important issue of affordable housing as we plan for the future growth of Prince William County,” said Franklin. “It is vital that all community stakeholders have a voice in creating a vision of this community that is fair, and equitable, and also contributes to its economic vibrancy.”

The supervisors will be joined by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Housing Programs Manager Hillary Chapman, Prince William County’s Community Development Director Rebecca Horner, and Planning Director Parag Agrawal. According to a press release from Supervisor Boddye’s office, the panel will take a big-picture look at affordable and workforce housing, existing housing programs in the county, and proposed policy updates that could increase access to appropriate, affordable housing for people in Prince William. The two supervisors have invited the public to submit questions in advance at https://occoq.org/housing_th. Questions can also be submitted via a moderated chat during the town hall.