Alexandria's Affordable Housing Stock Shrank 90% Since 2000

Rents and prices are going up for basically every kind of housing unit in Alexandria, Virginia. The city's commitment to the preservation of subsidized housing is no match.

1 minute read

July 23, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Potomac River

ESB Professional / Shutterstock

"Alexandria [Virginia] has 16,000 fewer homes that are affordable on the free market than it did 17 years ago," reports David Whitehead, sharing findings of a recent report from the city of Alexandria's Office of Housing. "That’s a loss of over 90% of what was available in 2000," adds Whitehead.

The article details the specifics of Alexandria's housing policies. In fact, writes Whitehead, the "dramatic reduction in naturally affordable homes is perhaps more startling when we consider Alexandria’s history of strong policies to preserve affordable housing." Specifically, the city approved Resolution 830 in 1979, which requires that public housing units are replaced, one for one, whenever they are redeveloped.

But the law only protects publicly subsidized units, which only ever represented a small percentage of the city's affordable housing stock. 

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 in Greater Greater Washington

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight