There is a growing consensus that the current housing landscape—where supply is low, costs are high, and even more growth is projected—is affecting many families throughout the region. COG staff and area officials discussed this challenge and the region's work toward solutions in two recent news features.   

A Washington Business Journal article, "The Housing Disconnect," highlighted COG's efforts since late 2018 to determine what it would take to increase housing to better provide for the region’s growing workforce.

As part of COG's initiative, local housing and planning directors have worked together at to determine what it would take to increase housing by at least 75,000 additional units beyond what is currently forecast by 2030 to address the region's shortfall. They focused on whether the region could accommodate this additional housing, the ideal location for new housing to optimize and balance its proximity to jobs, and the affordability of new units to ensure they are priced appropriately for those who need them.

"Things change — sometimes incrementally, sometimes it’s a big leap forward," Bean told the Business Journal. "It’s a big challenge, that’s the downside. The upside is that with the energy coming out of the jurisdictions and out of the developers and out of nonprofits and advocates, the hope is that the region is going to use its mojo on Metro funding and on HQ2 and apply it to housing."

Many local governments are already leading on this issue, investing in preservation of affordable housing, completing comprehensive housing strategies, and adopting new policies. For example, zoning policies allowing residents to build accessory dwelling units are a tool being used in Montgomery County, Arlington County, and the District of Columbia.

On NBC Washington's News 4 Your Sunday, COG Executive Director Chuck Bean, COG Board Chair and District of Columbia Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr., and COG Housing Directors Committee Co-Chair Helen McIlvane discussed the local efforts underway, but also the next step in COG's initiative. In September, area officials on the COG Board of Directors will consider adopting a set of regional housing targets to pursue. 

Pursuing regional targets may be challenging, said White, but can be achieved with elected officials, housing and planning staff, and the private sector, among others, at the table. 

"We are going to take a vote...to come together in consensus and say this is something we have to do for the people of this region, and then we're going to go and get it done," said White.