Loudoun County supervisors took steps Tuesday toward giving county employees housing relief while curtailing Sterling’s foreclosure crisis.
The Board of Supervisors’ proposal directs county staff to explore options to award loans or grants to county employees living outside of Loudoun to help them buy foreclosed homes closer to work. The proposal specifically targets the 20164, 20165 and 20166 ZIP codes in Sterling.
Nearly half of county and school system employees do not live in Loudoun.
“Some of them do so by choice, and some of them do so out of necessity to afford a home,” said Chairman Scott K. York, independent-at large.
About 2,000 houses in the county have been foreclosed on between October and March, mainly in the Sterling Park and Sugar Run areas.
“If you haven’t had the chance to go through the Sterling Park district, it’s horrifying,” York said.
The idea is to “take a lemon of a hand dealt [to] us and try to make a little lemonade for people in this scenario,” he said.
Staff must report back to the board by July 15 under the measure, which passed unanimously.
Despite the decision, supervisors were concerned that only Sterling was targeted.
“If we include the ZIP codes, a lot of our constituents are going to wonder why we’re not spreading the wealth,” said Supervisor Stevens Miller, D-Dulles.
York said the money set aside for housing assistance — up to $1 million in the original proposal — was not enough for far-reaching programs.
“If there was more money to be used, I might consider opening it up,” he said. “[The money] will not — it will not — go very far. If it works out that in that community it’s not affordable, it probably won’t work elsewhere.”
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, R-Sterling, said the specific focus might provide an example for other regions to adopt a similar plan.
“This is something long expected and hoped for,” he said.
