Poll: 2/3 of Virginians Don’t Trust Local Governments to Address Housing Crisis

A new poll by the Commonwealth Housing Coalition shows that most Virginians believe their state needs more housing — and that few trust their local government to solve the problem.

According to an article by Dan Egitto in Arlington Now, 73 percent of the poll’s respondents said Virginia needs more affordable housing. Among Northern Virginia residents, 64 percent said “building more affordable housing is more important than protecting the character of neighborhoods from change,” and just 33 percent said they trust their local government to address the cost and availability of housing.

The results indicate that despite city governments’ desire for local control of zoning issues, residents see the need for broader, state-level policies to address the housing shortage.

Virginians also seem to support increased density and upzoning. “A total of 79% of Northern Virginia respondents supported allowing homes to be built on slightly smaller lots, 77% supported a cap on increasing rental costs at older properties and another 77% supported placing requirements on local governments that allow homes to be built faster.” The majority of residents also support making it easier for churches to build housing on their property and simplifying the process for building apartments in commercial districts.

For over two years, Arlington County has been embroiled in a debate over a proposed ‘missing middle housing’ plan that would have allowed up to six units on a single-family lot. The plan was scrapped in late 2024 after a judge ruled against it.