Spanberger: “No Matter Where I Travel, Whether I’m in the City of Richmond or Richmond County, or Radford, or Roanoke, or Hampton Roads, I Hear About the High Cost of Housing”
On Friday, Spanberger Announced Her Plan to Address Virginia’s Housing Supply & Affordability Challenges
SANDSTON, Va. — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger on Friday outlined her plan for lowering Virginians’ housing costs as the next Governor of Virginia.
In eastern Henrico County, Spanberger detailed how her administration will lower housing costs by cutting red tape, saving Virginia families money, and working with localities to increase the supply of housing.
Read more below about what people across the Commonwealth are saying about Spanberger’s plan to make Virginia more affordable:
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8News [Richmond]: Spanberger unveils plan to make housing more affordable, accessible
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger unveiled her plans to make housing more affordable and accessible throughout Virginia while in Henrico County on Friday.
“No matter where I travel, whether I’m in the City of Richmond or Richmond County, or Radford, or Roanoke, or Hampton Roads, I hear about the high cost of housing,” Spanberger said.
The Democratic nominee for governor said that it starts with investing in ways to increase Virginia’s housing supply.
We have to incentivize new construction of housing in Virginia that is attainable to first-time homeowners and middle-class families,” Spanberger explained.
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Spanberger announces plan to reduce housing costs in Virginia
The former congresswoman’s plan includes ensuring all localities can create affordable housing programs and incentivizing the use of localities’ bonding authority for building housing options that meet demand in their communities.
“Here in Henrico, they are providing a leading example of what is possible when localities streamline reviews and permit processes, and we’ve seen the county turn around an approval in a matter of days for good affordable housing development and redevelopment,” Spanberger said.
“There are ways Virginia, at the state and local level, can make that process far more efficient, from planning and permitting, all the way to the point when a family gets their keys in their hand, and my administration will work to make that happen.”
Radio IQ/WVTF [Roanoke]: Spanberger pushes housing policy at new development in Henrico County
Virginia’s average home price has increased 6% over the last year, bringing it up to nearly $400,000 dollars. Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Abigail Spanberger offered ideas to address the problem at an event in Henrico County Friday morning.
“We have people that are gainfully employed that now cannot afford to live in the localities in which they work because of a lack of supply,” said Martin Johnson with the Virginia Realtors association, discussing the state’s housing woes.
He was one of the people who came to hear Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger push ideas for increasing Virginia’s housing supply. With townhomes under construction in the background, the candidate said she’d work with the legislature to address the supply issue Johnson mentioned.
“A one size fits all solution isn’t the right one for Virginia. So, it isn’t about creating mandates, it’s about ensuring all communities have both the tools they need to facilitate additional housing and any hurdles that exist at the state level are ones we are working quickly and expediently to level,” Spanberger said.
BACKGROUND
Click here to read more about Spanberger’s plan to lower housing costs for renters and buyers in Virginia.
Last month, Spanberger announced her plan to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs for Virginia families and seniors.
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