A wealthy county in Virginia has a reputation for prohibiting the construction of new housing. Development interests, however, are fed up with anti-development arguments.
Jonathan O'Connell reports on a controversy in Loudoun County over the externalities of housing. According to a 2011 study, the county spends $1.62 in services for every dollar in revenue it receives for every new home added in the county. The county uses that figure, according to O'Connell, to reject construction permits and zoning requests.
In response to the county's obstructions, a group of developers, realtors, zoning attorneys, and other real estate businesses created an organization called All-In Loudoun and commissioned their own study to critique the county's $1.62 figure. Their finding: "housing on average only costs the county $1.20 in services for every dollar it brings in," and, "by allowing construction of more condominiums or higher-priced homes… the county could break even."
The article goes on to provide more details about some of the county's development controversies in recent years. O'Connell also calls on Christopher Leinberger to testify on the issue at the heart of the controversy. Leinberger says the real lesson of the study might be that all housing developments are not the same—some requiring higher costs in infrastructure and services than others.
Read the full story: Why one number has homebuilders furious with Loudoun County
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