Category: Affordable Housing

Fault Lines: Key takeaways and how to get involved

Fault Lines: Key takeaways and how to get involved

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

Thank you to all who could join us for our recent screening of the powerful Fault Lines film at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax. Whether you were with us in the theater or couldn’t make it this time, we are grateful to have you as part of this growing conversation about housing affordability, livable communities, and the future of our region.

The evening began with Fault Lines, a documentary that brings to life the human stories behind the Bay Area’s housing crisis. Following the screening, our panel of regional leaders reflected on the challenges and opportunities closer to home for addressing our own serious housing affordability challenges.

Fairfax Chairman Jeff McKay stated, “We are not talking about the number of units. We are talking about humans here. We are talking about kids, we are talking about parents, we are talking about hardworking people, people with disabilities […] We need to humanize it as much as we can.”

Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi emphasized that housing should be a central issue for communities that value the environment, health, equity, small businesses, and overall economic vitality of the region.

Key takeaways from the discussion:

  • Increasing and diversifying housing supply, including market-rate housing, is crucial.
  • Increasing the state housing trust fund, which today is only about $80 million per year.
  • Local and state collaboration is key to advancing housing solutions. State- and local-level regulations and processes need to be streamlined and predictable.  
  • Community engagement is important and needs to be done in a productive and results-oriented way. 

Thank you to our elected officials who sponsored and participated in this event, Senator Salim and Delegates Simon and Seibold, Fairfax Chair McKay and Supervisors Palchik and Alcorn, Mayor Hardi and Mayor Read! Thank you also to Carmen Romero of True Ground Housing, Keith Waters of GMU, and McLean Quinn of EYA for joining our panel discussion.

Lots of work ahead, but we know it can be done. Your voices and your energy are exactly what we need to continue advancing livable communities in our region. 

Here are more ways to get involved:

  • Follow CSG’s updates for your local upcoming site tours and public engagement opportunities, including hearings where you can join CSG in supporting local mixed-use, housing developments. 
  • Join us at the Homes for All VOICE Assembly on October 19th. CSG is a cosponsor.
  • Attend other Northern Virginia housing forums, including the NVRC Housing Symposium and the Regional Elected Leaders Institute (RELI) Webinar.
  • Reach out to your elected officials, both state and local, in support of policies that will provide more housing options and greater affordability.
  • Join CSG supporters on Thursday, October 30, at our annual Smart Growth Social to connect with fellow activists and be inspired! Our guest speaker this year is Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins. RSVP now.

Thank you for all you do.

Event: Fault Lines. Screening of a housing documentary, followed by a panel discussion and a social hour

Posted on by Elena Sorokina
Image credit: Fault Lines

What: 

A screening of Fault Lines, a documentary exploring housing and policy, followed by a panel of regional leaders and a community social hour. The panel will examine Northern Virginia’s housing challenges and explore strategies to build more inclusive and livable communities in our region.

Why it matters:

Housing affordability remains a pressing issue across the region. This event brings together elected officials, advocates, and community leaders for an important discussion focused on finding solutions. 

Program: Sunday, September 7 

3:00 Doors Open
3:20 Opening Remarks
3:30 Film Screening
4:50 Panel Start
5:55 Happy Hour at Kirby Club
7:00 Event End

Where: Angelika Film Center at Mosaic District near Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro

2911 District Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031

Panelists:

Click below to view bios:

Delegate Marcus Simon (VA District 13)
Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay
Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik
City of Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi
McLean Quinn – EYA President and CEO
Carmen Romero – True Ground Housing Partners CEO
Keith Waters – GMU Fuller Institute
Stewart Schwartz – Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director

Important note: SOLD OUT. Members of the press are encouraged to contact Elena Sorokina at elena@smartergrowth.net to reserve press seating.

Opportunities to stay engaged and connected:

As we prepare for the upcoming General Assembly in Richmond, we are looking forward to supporting win-win state legislation that promotes housing development and connects communities. 

NVRC Housing Symposium – Oct. 6 (Additional information)

The Northern Virginia Regional Commission recently published a migration report highlighting the need for middle-income and first-time homebuyer housing. This symposium provides an opportunity for regional leaders, planners, and advocates to work together to find housing solutions that promote an economically resilient community. 

RELI Webinar: Housing: Is NOVA on the Road to Meeting our Region’s Housing Needs? – Oct. 10 (Register today)

RELI serves to connect and inform Northern Virginia’s regional leaders from both the public and private sectors. This webinar will explore the NoVA’s progress (and lack thereof) towards meeting the region’s housing needs. 

Homes for All VOICE Assembly – Oct. 19 (Register today)

New polling shows that housing is the #1 concern of Virginia voters. Join fellow advocates on Oct 19 in Herndon from 3:30pm-5pm for an assembly with elected leaders to demonstrate widespread support for housing reforms. 

CSG supports the multi-family developments in consideration across the NoVA region, including the Franconia Government Center Site and the 3033 Chain Bridge Road Site. 

Sponsors and partners:

The event has the generous support of our diverse partners and sponsors, including elected officials, non-profits organizations, and business:

Senator Saddam Salim, Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read, Delegate Holly Seibold

Greater Greater Washington, True Ground Housing Partners, Falls Church Forward, VOICE, YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, Sierra Club – Potomac River Group, Urban Land Institute – Washington, Wesley Housing

EYA, Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors

Contact: 

Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director
stewart@smartergrowth.net

Elena Sorokina, Communications Director
elena@smartergrowth.net

Image credits: Fault Lines, CSG.

Big win in Montgomery County! Council allows more multi-family homes on county corridors 

Big win in Montgomery County! Council allows more multi-family homes on county corridors 

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council voted 8-3 to pass Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02. The legislation will allow more housing types, like townhouses or small apartment buildings, along major corridors, creating more homes near jobs and amenities.

CSG in the News: In raucous session, County Council votes 8-3 to approve controversial housing zoning change

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

July 23, 2025 | Ginny Bixby | Bethesda Today

The Coalition for Smarter Growth released a statement prior to Tuesday’s vote voicing support for the zoning change. The nonprofit advocates for “walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities” in the Washington, D.C. area, according to its website.

“By making it easier to build more duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments near transit and jobs, [the] ZTA is an important step toward more sustainable housing options in Montgomery County,” the statement said. “Measures like this that take on the structural problems feeding our housing shortage are a necessary step to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive county for all.”

Read the full story here.

CSG in the News: Montgomery County Faces Pushback On ‘Landmark’ Housing Package

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

July 21, 2025 | Jon Banister| Bisnow

Carrie Kisicki, the Montgomery County advocacy manager for pro-housing group Coalition for Smarter Growth, said requiring property owners to go through an approval process would make these multifamily projects take more time and money to pursue. But she supports the overall proposal because it creates a pathway to building more housing on lots that have long been restricted to detached single-family homes. 

“We’re still living in that world where people who 10 or 20 years ago would’ve been able to buy a starter home, or young professionals who would’ve been able to buy an apartment in the county, started to not be able to do that because of how little we’ve been building the types of housing that people needed,” Kisicki said.

“So this is to me a landmark package because it shows we’re willing to go back and look at some of those things we’ve taken for granted about where we build homes or don’t build homes.”

CSG in the News: Controversial workforce housing bill up for council vote Tuesday

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

July 21, 2025 | Ginny Bixby | Bethesda Magazine

“It’s a plain and simple fact that our county needs more housing,” said Carrie Kisicki, Montgomery advocacy manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a Washington, D.C. metro region nonprofit focused on housing affordability and transit access, at a public hearing on the legislation in March. “People want housing that they can afford, and they do not want to have to spend their lives sitting in traffic just to get to work.”

RELEASE: CSG strongly supports ZTA 25-02 and urges the Montgomery County Council to move forward with the amendment

RELEASE: CSG strongly supports ZTA 25-02 and urges the Montgomery County Council to move forward with the amendment

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

As the Montgomery County Council prepares to hold a work session and probable vote on Tuesday, The Coalition for Smarter Growth is proud to voice our support for Zoning Text Amendment 25-02. By making it easier to build more duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments near transit and jobs, ZTA 25-02 is an important step toward more sustainable housing options in Montgomery County.

Letter to Montgomery County Council regarding ZTA 25-02

Letter to Montgomery County Council regarding ZTA 25-02

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

July 17, 2025
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850

Re: Support for ZTA 25-02, Workforce Housing – Development Standards

Dear Council President Stewart and Councilmembers:

My name is Carrie Kisicki and I am the Montgomery Advocacy Manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

I write to you to offer our support for ZTA 25-02, and raise a few final points (see next page) as the full Council prepares to hold a worksession on this measure.

In particular, I would like to thank lead sponsors, Councilmembers Fani-González and Friedson, and co-sponsors Councilmembers Stewart, Balcombe, Luedtke, and Sayles for their leadership on new housing solutions for Montgomery County. 

This ZTA is a straightforward application of the principles identified in the county’s Thrive 2050 general plan. Our county needs more homes that are affordable to more people and located near transit, jobs, and amenities. Measures like this that take on the structural problems feeding our housing shortage are a necessary step to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive county for all.

I am extremely proud to call this county home at a time when there are many strong housing champions on the County Council—from those sponsoring this ZTA, to those who have supported historic levels of affordable housing funding and stepped up through legislation like Bill 7-24 and dedicated constituent services to ensure all tenants have a safe, healthy place to call home.

I am hopeful that this ZTA will enjoy broad support from the Council and look forward to your continued partnership on realizing housing solutions for all people in our community. 

Please see the attached memo for additional recommendations on this ZTA and future efforts to expand access to affordable homes in Montgomery County. 

Sincerely, 

Carrie Kisicki
Montgomery County Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Re: ZTA 25-02 — Topics for Consideration

Parking Flexibility

At the PHP committee worksession on June 23, Planning staff shared an analysis showing that current parking requirements will sharply limit the number of homes it is possible to build on R-60 and R-90 lots. We are concerned that this effective cap is contrary to the spirit of providing more flexibility to build smaller, more affordable homes in transit-accessible locations. 

As all new developments under this ZTA will necessarily be subject to Planning Board review, we ask that the Council provide greater discretion to the Planning Board to adjust parking requirements on a case-by-case basis for these homes where appropriate. These adjustments can also allow for more thoughtful site-specific stormwater management and tree canopy protection.

Corner Lots

Corner lots are currently excluded from this ZTA. However, these lots share the same benefits of location efficiency with regards to jobs, transit, and amenities as the other lots already included. Per Council staff, this would add 475 eligible lots to the approximately 2,470 currently included in the ZTA. Corner lots can also provide for greater flexibility to allow side or back vehicle access to homes on the corridor.

Service Roads

We ask the Council not to remove lots located on service roads from inclusion in this ZTA. These lots share the same benefits of location and access to transit and amenities as those not located on service roads. All developments proposed under this ZTA will be reviewed by the Planning Board at which time relevant factors specific to a given site, including location on a service road, will be considered and accommodated appropriately. Removing all lots on service roads from the ZTA would disqualify over one quarter of currently eligible lots.

Lot Consolidation

We ask that the Council not further limit lot consolidation. Any proposed lot consolidation would have to be properly assessed and approved through the subdivision process before moving forward, and would still have to meet all other criteria required to qualify for this ZTA. Where it is deemed appropriate through the subdivision process, lot consolidation can offer opportunities to more feasibly meet stormwater, tree coverage (including preservation of established trees), and parking standards. It would also allow for building a greater total number of homes more cost effectively than would be possible on each lot separately.

Expanding Eligibility in the Future and Reducing Barriers to New Homes

We look forward to seeing the results of this ZTA and the much-needed homes they will create in our communities. The housing need in our county is significant, and additional measures will be needed to build the homes we need in the places we need them. We hope the Council will consider further expanding the places in our county where it is possible to build transit-accessible, multifamily homes, and reduce the barriers to building these homes. This is essential to our County remaining an inclusive community with opportunities for all.

CSG in the News: ‘Missing middle’ housing plan in Montgomery County faces backlash

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

July 21, 2025 | Dana Munro | Washington Post

But that trend of people being priced out of Montgomery County is already happening, said Carrie Kisicki, a 26-year-old Silver Spring resident and Montgomery advocacy manager with the Coalition for Smarter Growth, who is in favor of the change.

More units, and especially units in larger complexes that will have the price restrictions under the zoning change, will help increase inventory and the variety of homes affordable to younger and middle-income residents, she said.

“The zoning status quo isn’t working, either for affordability or for the environment,” Kisicki said. “We need to be looking at both the subsidized affordable housing investments but also thinking more expansively about what affordability means when so many people in our communities are experiencing struggles with housing affordability that don’t always fall into the traditional categories we think about.”